Head of Software Engineering: Edge Platform

Head of Software Engineering

Tesco Technology | Bengaluru, India

About the role

Tesco operates a large, geographically distributed retail estate where technology is

fundamental to the day-to-day running of our stores. Critical retail capabilities, including

checkout, payments, stock management and colleague-facing applications, depend on

technology that must operate reliably at the edge, close to where our business operates.

The Edge Platform provides the underlying computing environment and software capabilities

that enable applications to run across our stores. It encompasses edge computing, server

hardware, Linux operating systems, virtualisation, storage, platform software, infrastructure

automation and centralised management capabilities required to deploy, operate, secure and

maintain technology consistently across a diverse retail estate.

The Edge Platform is business-critical to Tesco. Store technology must remain dependable

despite connectivity disruptions, constrained local resources and the complexity of managing

software and infrastructure changes across thousands of locations. Failures or poorly executed

changes can directly affect store operations, colleague productivity and customer experience.

As Head of Software Engineering: Edge Platform, you will lead two major, interconnected

engineering priorities: modernising Tesco's edge virtualisation estate through the migration

from VMware to Proxmox, and building a robust, scalable software-driven Edge Management

Platform to provision, manage, monitor and maintain the retail edge estate throughout its

lifecycle.

You will define the technology strategy and architecture, lead complex engineering and

migration programmes, and build a high-performing engineering organisation. You will combine

deep software engineering expertise with infrastructure knowledge, strategic thinking and

organisational leadership to simplify complexity, improve resilience, drive automation and

deliver a scalable, secure and cost-efficient platform for the future of Tesco's stores.

This role requires a leader who can move seamlessly between enterprise-level strategy and

detailed technical decisions, balancing the safe execution of a large-scale infrastructure

transition with the long-term development of a modern software platform.

Key responsibilities

1. Technology strategy and architecture

• Define and execute the Edge Platform engineering strategy, target architecture and

modernisation roadmap, aligned with Tesco's wider technology objectives.

• Lead the evolution of the platform across edge computing, server hardware, Linux,

virtualisation, storage, distributed systems and platform software, balancing reliability,

scalability, security, cost and maintainability.

• Establish architectural principles, engineering standards and reusable capabilities that

simplify the technology landscape and enable consistent operation across the retail

estate.

• Make sound architectural decisions, challenge technical assumptions and balance

immediate delivery commitments with long-term platform sustainability.

• Partner with enterprise and domain architects to ensure the Edge Platform integrates

effectively with wider infrastructure, cloud, network, security and store technology

capabilities.

2. Virtualisation modernisation: VMware to Proxmox

• Own the engineering strategy and execution of Tesco's migration from VMware to

Proxmox across the edge estate, delivering a secure, reliable and cost-effective

alternative virtualisation platform.

• Define the target architecture, migration patterns and repeatable build configurations

for different store environments, accounting for hardware compatibility, workloads,

networking, storage and operational constraints.

• Lead the assessment, design, engineering, testing and production validation of platform

variants before progressive rollout across the retail estate.

• Establish automated approaches for hypervisor provisioning, configuration, workload

migration, upgrade management, validation, rollback and recovery.

• Manage migration dependencies, technical risks, compatibility challenges and cross

functional delivery, ensuring changes are introduced safely without compromising

critical store operations.

• Establish clear engineering ownership, documentation, knowledge transfer and

operational handover so the platform can be sustainably supported and evolved by

Tesco teams.

3. Edge Management Platform engineering

• Lead the design and development of a robust, software-driven Edge Management

Platform that provides centralised management and lifecycle control of Tesco's

distributed edge estate.

• Define a modular, API-first architecture that enables automated provisioning,

configuration management, fleet inventory, health monitoring, software distribution,

patching, upgrades and remote diagnostics.

• Drive engineering across Java, Micronaut, microservices, REST APIs, Python

automation, Terraform and Infrastructure as Code, applying appropriate technologies

and architectural patterns to build maintainable, scalable platform capabilities.

• Establish consistent abstractions and automation for managing different hardware

configurations, Linux environments, virtualisation platforms and store deployment

patterns.

• Design for scale, resilience and intermittent connectivity, including safe handling of

disconnected stores, asynchronous operations, configuration drift, failed deployments

and recovery scenarios.

• Build in observability, auditability, security controls, role-based access and policy

driven configuration to enable reliable and secure fleet-wide operations.

• Create reusable platform services and self-service capabilities that reduce manual

effort, simplify store technology operations and enable consuming engineering teams to

deploy and manage workloads consistently.

• Ensure the management platform evolves independently of individual infrastructure

technologies wherever practical, reducing future migration complexity and supporting

long-term technology flexibility.

4. Software engineering and automation

• Set high engineering standards across software design, development, testing,

deployment and production operations.

• Champion automated testing, CI/CD, infrastructure provisioning, configuration

management and observability to improve engineering productivity, release confidence

and operational consistency.

• Establish repeatable approaches for building, testing, deploying and upgrading platform

software and infrastructure across diverse store environments.

• Ensure software and infrastructure are designed for maintainability, resilience and

predictable operation, including stores with constrained resources or intermittent

connectivity.

• Promote continuous improvement in engineering quality, developer productivity,

deployment safety and operational efficiency.

5. Engineering and people leadership

• Lead and develop a high-performing engineering organisation through Engineering

Managers, Principal Engineers and senior technical leaders.

• Build the capabilities required to deliver both the virtualisation migration and the long

term Edge Management Platform roadmap, maintaining clear ownership and delivery

accountability across workstreams.

• Establish a culture of engineering excellence, technical curiosity, collaboration,

ownership and continuous improvement.

• Develop engineering leaders, strengthen succession planning and build sustainable

internal expertise in edge computing, virtualisation, platform software and automation.

• Empower teams to make decisions and deliver independently while maintaining clear

architectural standards and engineering governance.

6. Reliability and operational excellence

• Drive platform reliability, security, resilience and operational readiness across the retail

estate.

• Establish repeatable approaches for hardware and firmware lifecycle management,

Linux upgrades, virtualisation maintenance, storage management, patching and

recovery.

• Ensure platform releases and migration waves are thoroughly tested, progressively

deployed and supported by effective rollback and recovery strategies.

• Establish service-level objectives, fleet health monitoring and operational metrics to

improve availability, incident recovery and service quality.

• Partner with Infrastructure Operations, Cyber Security and Store Technology teams to

ensure the platform meets business-critical operational and security requirements.

7. Strategic execution and commercial outcomes

• Translate business priorities into clear engineering roadmaps, investment plans,

milestones and measurable outcomes.

• Lead complex, cross-functional programmes, managing dependencies, risks and

competing priorities across engineering, architecture, infrastructure, security,

operations and store technology.

• Balance the demands of the immediate VMware exit programme with investment in the

strategic Edge Management Platform, ensuring neither compromises the other.

• Drive cost optimisation through automation, hardware consolidation, improved

compute and storage utilisation, technology standardisation and reduced operational

complexity.

• Evaluate technology investments and supplier decisions based on long-term value,

total cost of ownership, operational risk and strategic fit.

• Influence senior stakeholders, communicate complex technical trade-offs in business

terms and build alignment around the platform strategy and migration roadmap.

What you will bring

• 15+ years of experience in software engineering and technology, with a proven track

record of technical leadership, architecture and delivery of complex software platforms.

• Significant experience leading multiple engineering teams, developing engineering

leaders and delivering large-scale technology transformation.

• Strong technical foundations and credibility across Java, Micronaut or comparable Java

frameworks, microservices, REST APIs, Python automation and Terraform.

• Solid experience with Linux operating systems, edge computing, server hardware,

virtualisation and storage technologies, including the design, integration, deployment or

lifecycle management of infrastructure platforms.

• Experience designing and evolving distributed systems, infrastructure software, fleet

management solutions or platform management systems operating at scale.

• Experience leading major infrastructure modernisation or virtualisation migration

programmes, ideally involving VMware and Proxmox or comparable hypervisor

technologies.

• Demonstrated ability to design and deliver software platforms for automated

provisioning, configuration management, fleet monitoring, lifecycle operations and

remote management.

• Strong understanding of Infrastructure as Code, CI/CD, automated testing,

configuration management, observability and production reliability.

• Experience with hardware and software compatibility, operating system upgrades,

firmware management, capacity planning and infrastructure lifecycle management.

• Proven ability to define technical strategy, make architectural decisions and translate

long-term vision into executable roadmaps and measurable outcomes.

• Strong people leadership skills, including developing Engineering Managers and senior

technical leaders, building effective teams and establishing accountability.

• Commercial acumen, including investment planning, cost optimisation, supplier

management and total cost of ownership.

• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to

influence senior leaders, navigate competing priorities and make sound decisions in

complex enterprise environments.

How success will be measured

• Virtualisation migration: Safe and predictable migration from VMware to Proxmox,

successful validation of required store configurations, reduced legacy dependencies

and effective operational handover.

• Edge Management Platform: Delivery of a scalable, secure and resilient management

platform with automated provisioning, fleet visibility, configuration management and

lifecycle capabilities.

• Reliability and resilience: Improved platform availability, reduced incident impact and

stronger recovery capabilities across the retail estate.

• Engineering effectiveness: Increased automation, improved software quality, faster and

more predictable delivery, and reduced manual intervention.

• Infrastructure consistency: Improved configuration compliance, reduced drift and

standardised hardware, operating system and virtualisation lifecycle management.

• Cost efficiency: Lower total cost of ownership, improved compute and storage

utilisation, reduced licensing exposure and lower operational overhead.

• Security and operational readiness: Effective security controls, timely vulnerability

remediation, validated releases and sustainable operational support.

• Organisation effectiveness: Strong engineering leadership, clear accountability,

improved internal technical capability and effective collaboration across Tesco

Technology.

Success will be measured against agreed baselines and targets, balancing the immediate

delivery of the virtualisation migration with the sustainable development of the strategic Edge

Management Platform.

About Tesco

At Tesco, our purpose is serving our customers, communities and planet a little better every

day. Our technology teams build and operate the platforms that enable our colleagues to serve

customers effectively and keep our business running.

We value collaboration, inclusion, continuous improvement and engineering excellence.

Joining Tesco Technology means solving complex engineering challenges at scale and helping

shape the technology that supports our stores, colleagues and customers every day.