Engineering Team Lead

Role: Engineering Lead Location: Schiphol, Netherlands Working Hours: 36 hours per week Contract Start: ASAP Contract End Date: 31 August 2027 About the Opportunity Looking for an experienced Engineering Lead to lead the Engineering & Technology unit within Business Platform Operations.. The newly established Business Platform Operations (BPSO) plays a key role in achieving this ambition by delivering Operational Technology (OT), Information Technology (IT), and data solutions that contribute to safe, predictable, and resilient airport operations. The Engineering & Technology department is responsible for engineering capabilities, solution and technology architecture, and site reliability. Role Overview As Engineering Lead, you will lead the Engineering & Technology, ensuring that the applications and platforms essential to daily airport operations are developed and managed securely, reliably, and sustainably. You will lead an organisation of approximately 50 engineering professionals, supported by experienced technical leaders. You will create the right environment for developers, architects, and engineers to perform at their best, develop their skills, and deliver lasting value to airport operations. Working closely with managers across operational domains, you will translate business needs into effective engineering strategies. While the operational domain managers determine what needs to be achieved, you will be responsible for how technology and engineering teams deliver those outcomes. This role requires a combination of deep technical expertise, strategic thinking, people leadership, and the ability to connect business objectives with technology execution. Key Responsibilities - Develop and communicate the engineering vision and technical strategy. - Strengthen the engineering culture and promote technical excellence across the organisation. - Lead, coach, and develop engineers and technical leaders, supporting their professional growth. - Create the right conditions for developers, architects, and engineers to perform effectively. - Monitor and safeguard the technical quality, security, and reliability of applications and platforms. - Ensure engineering solutions are future-proof, sustainable, and aligned with business requirements. - Work closely with managers across operational domains to translate business priorities into engineering outcomes. - Establish and implement new engineering strategies, processes, and ways of working. - Maintain end-to-end ownership of initiatives, from strategic planning through execution and adoption. - Ensure alignment between strategy, implementation, and measurable business impact. - Challenge business stakeholders and engineering teams constructively, encouraging critical thinking and new approaches. - Drive continuous improvement, break established patterns where necessary, and ensure improvements are embedded across the organisation. - Balance technical quality with delivery speed, making pragmatic decisions that support progress and business outcomes. Candidate Requirements - Deep technical knowledge at both a strategic and substantive level. - Excellent communication skills in Dutch and English. - A strong technical background and proven experience connecting IT and business functions. - Functional and business knowledge, with the ability to understand business priorities and translate them into technology solutions. - Strong leadership, coaching, and stakeholder management capabilities. - Proven experience developing, establishing, and implementing new strategies and processes. - The ability to lead and develop engineering professionals and technical leaders. - Experience driving technical quality, security, reliability, and sustainable engineering practices. - Strong strategic thinking and the ability to contribute to strategic decision-making and vision development. - The ability to influence stakeholders, challenge existing approaches, and translate strategy into practical results.