Head of Engineering

At ASB, we’re building the future of banking through technology, innovation, and engineering excellence. As we continue to evolve our technology landscape, we’re investing in the people, practices, and capabilities that will help us deliver better outcomes for our customers and our business. We’re looking for an experienced and influential Head of Engineering to join our Digital & Engineering Practice. Reporting to the General Manager, Engineering & Core Transformation , this is a rare opportunity to help shape what engineering looks like at ASB over the coming years. You’ll help lead the AI-powered transformation of ASB’s 1,200+ engineering community, driving the adoption of modern engineering practices, automation and emerging technologies at scale. Working across one of New Zealand’s largest and most complex technology environments, you’ll have the opportunity to influence how engineering evolves while helping deliver better outcomes for more than a million New Zealanders. Mō te tīma | About the team The Digital & Engineering Practice is responsible for enabling ASB’s technology strategy through strong engineering leadership, modern technology delivery, and a culture of continuous improvement. Bringing together a community of more than 1,200 engineers from across the bank, the practice provides strategic direction, capability growth, and technical excellence across a diverse landscape of customer, payments, core banking, platform, and enterprise technologies. Supporting more than 500 applications across a full-service bank, our engineers solve complex technology challenges every day while helping modernise critical technology platforms that support over a million New Zealanders. As ASB continues to evolve and invest in its technology foundations, the practice plays a key role in ensuring we deliver secure, scalable, and resilient solutions that support both today’s needs and tomorrow’s opportunities. Why This Role Matters Engineering is changing rapidly, and AI is transforming how software is designed, built, tested, secured, and operated. At ASB, we’ve already built strong foundations through the adoption of AI-powered engineering tools and practices. The opportunity now is to take the next step: scaling what works, embedding best practice, and making AI-powered engineering part of how engineering is done across the organisation. As a Head of Engineering, you’ll play a key role in shaping the next stage of ASB’s engineering evolution. You’ll bring together people, practices, and technology to help accelerate adoption, improve engineering effectiveness, and build the capability needed to support the future of engineering at ASB. This role offers the opportunity to: Lead the next stage of ASB’s AI-powered engineering journey Shape how automation, AI, and emerging technologies become embedded into everyday engineering practice Drive improvements that help engineers work smarter, deliver faster, and create greater customer impact Partner with senior technology leaders to help define the future direction of engineering at ASB Develop engineering leaders and build long-term organisational capability Drive meaningful change across a complex and evolving technology environment Mō te Tūranga | About the role This is a strategic leadership role focused on shaping the future of engineering at ASB. You’ll play a key role in leading the next stage of our AI-powered engineering journey, helping scale and embed the tools, practices, frameworks, and ways of working that will define how engineering is done across ASB. Working closely with engineering leaders, technology stakeholders, and delivery teams, you’ll help turn emerging technologies into practical outcomes that improve engineering effectiveness, accelerate delivery, and create better experiences for both engineers and customers. Alongside leading an assigned engineering domain, you’ll help shape engineering excellence across the wider practice, building the capability, leadership, and culture needed to support the future of engineering at ASB. Key responsibilities include: Leading engineering uplift initiatives that improve engineering capability, quality, and delivery effectiveness Leading the adoption and maturity of AI-powered engineering practices across ASB’s engineering community Driving the development of reusable engineering patterns, frameworks, and standards that support AI-enabled delivery and automation Identifying and scaling opportunities to embed AI-powered capabilities into engineering workforce and developer experiences Coaching, mentoring, and developing Engineering Leads and other people leaders across the practice Influencing engineering excellence and technical direction across Tribes, Platforms, and engineering communities Building strong engineering capability through talent development, succession planning, and workforce growth Creating an environment where engineers can thrive, learn, innovate, and perform at their best Championing knowledge sharing, engineering communities, and the adoption of best practice Partnering with senior stakeholders to align engineering initiatives with strategic business priorities Supporting recruitment, capability development, and the continued growth of ASB’s engineering culture You’ll be an accomplished engineering leader who combines deep technical credibility with strong people leadership and the ability to influence at scale. You know how to bring people together around a common goal, build trust, and lead meaningful change. You’re equally comfortable discussing technology strategy, developing leaders, growing capability, or helping teams navigate complex engineering challenges. You’ll bring a genuine passion for engineering and emerging technology, along with a strong curiosity about what’s next. Importantly, you’ll have experienced first-hand the impact AI is having on software engineering and technology delivery. Whether you’ve led the adoption of AI-powered engineering practices, championed automation initiatives, or helped engineering teams embrace new ways of working, you’ll understand both the opportunities and the practical challenges of driving change at scale. You’ll be excited by the opportunity to help shape how AI-powered engineering continues to evolve within one of New Zealand’s largest engineering communities. We’re interested in hearing from people who bring: Significant experience leading engineering organisations within complex technology environments Proven experience leading leaders and building high-performing leadership teams Strong technical credibility gained through software engineering, engineering leadership, or broader technology leadership roles Experience driving engineering transformation, capability uplift, or engineering excellence initiatives at scale Experience leading the adoption of AI-powered engineering, automation, developer productivity tooling, or emerging engineering practices A strong understanding of the opportunities AI and automation create for engineering teams, along with the ability to translate those opportunities into practical outcomes The ability to influence senior stakeholders and create alignment across diverse teams and functions Experience leading change and helping teams adopt new technologies, tools, or ways of working A strong understanding of modern engineering practices, software delivery, and technology platforms A track record of developing talent, growing capability, and creating high-performing team cultures Strong coaching, communication, and relationship-building skills Involvement in engineering communities, knowledge sharing initiatives, or industry engagement activities A pragmatic approach to balancing innovation, risk, and delivery outcomes Te mahi ki ASB | Working for ASB ASB’s sense of who we are and what we stand for is grounded in our values. They guide how we work with our people, customers, and communities. What we offer: Career growth: Learning and development opportunities through training, courses, and internal mobility Inclusive culture: Values‑led teams that celebrate diversity and support employee‑led communities Health and wellbeing: Southern Cross Wellbeing One health insurance, lifestyle and volunteering leave, and mental wellbeing support Meaningful benefits: Discounted banking and insurance, plus a generous parental leave top‑up Impactful work: The opportunity to contribute to a purpose‑led organisation making a difference for New Zealanders Ready to Shape the Future of Engineering? This is an opportunity to join a leadership team focused on building engineering excellence, growing capability, and helping drive the continued evolution of engineering at ASB. As we progress a significant technology modernisation agenda, you’ll play an important role in helping transform the bank for the future, leading the adoption of AI-powered engineering practices and driving change across one of New Zealand’s largest and most complex technology environments. If you’re passionate about developing leaders, influencing engineering at scale, and helping engineers unlock the full potential of modern technology, we’d love to hear from you. This role is based in Auckland and will primarily be located at our C:Drive office in Albany . To serve a diverse community, we need a diverse organisation. We encourage applicants from allbackgrounds who bring unique perspectives and thinking styles that add to the culture andperformance of our team. #J-18808-Ljbffr