Mobile Engineering Lead – Apps Engineering
Division: Merlin Technology
Location: London
Reports to: Director, Digital Engineering
Career Level: B2

Bring joy, create connections, and make memories.

Our vision is to be the global leader in branded entertainment destinations and the greatest place to work and play.

Merlin Entertainments is transforming the way guests experience our world-famous brands through digital innovation. We are seeking a Technology Lead – Apps Engineering to own the strategy, delivery and operational resilience of our consumer-facing mobile applications and interactive kiosk platforms.

This is a critical leadership role with end-to-end accountability for Merlin’s mobile and kiosk estate. You will define the technical vision, lead high-performing engineering squads and ensure we deliver secure, scalable and engaging digital experiences that drive commercial performance and exceptional guest satisfaction.

The Role

As Technology Lead – Apps Engineering, you will be responsible for the full software development lifecycle and live service operations across iOS, Android, cross-platform applications and kiosk systems. Acting as the senior technical authority in this domain, you will shape architecture, set engineering standards and foster a culture of excellence and continuous improvement.

You will work in close partnership with the Ecommerce Technology Lead and other digital leaders to create seamless, multi-channel guest journeys across web, app and in-park touchpoints.

This role combines strategic leadership with deep hands-on technical expertise. You will remain close to the code, guiding architectural decisions, reviewing complex implementations and solving critical technical challenges.

Key Responsibilities

Mobile & Kiosk Platform Strategy and Leadership

• Own and deliver the strategic technical roadmap for all Merlin mobile applications and kiosk platforms.
• Act as the final authority on architecture, design, scalability, performance and security decisions.
• Establish and govern engineering standards across the mobile SDLC, including CI/CD, release management and quality assurance.
• Evaluate and introduce new technologies, tools, and vendors to enhance capability and innovation.

Operational & Engineering Management

• Lead multiple agile engineering squads across the full lifecycle from concept to deployment, optimisation and live service.
• Act as the senior escalation point for incidents, service recovery and root-cause remediation.
• Implement robust monitoring, analytics, crash reporting and performance management practices.
• Ensure smooth and timely app store submissions and kiosk deployments.
• Define and report on SLAs and KPIs, holding teams accountable for stability, guest impact and business performance.
• Manage technical relationships with Apple App Store, Google Play and kiosk vendors.

Collaboration and Integration

• Partner with Ecommerce Technology, Data Engineering, Infrastructure, Cloud and Security teams to ensure cohesive digital platforms.
• Translate business requirements into technically sound, deliverable backlogs alongside Product and UX/UI teams.
• Enable integration with park systems including ticketing, photography and access control via APIs.

Team Leadership and Development

• Build, mentor, and lead high-performing mobile and kiosk engineering squads.
• Drive capability development, workforce planning and succession within the domain.
• Foster a culture of engineering excellence, innovation and agile maturity.
• Set clear objectives and measurable outcomes aligned to product and organisational goals.

Technical Delivery & Governance

• Maintain hands-on expertise in native mobile development (Swift, SwiftUI, Kotlin, Jetpack Compose) and React Native.
• Champion agile and DevOps practices to improve flow, predictability and time-to-market.
• Own technical quality, codebase health and technical debt management.
• Manage the engineering budget, balancing investment, risk and delivery outcomes.
• Communicate technical strategy, risks and value clearly to senior stakeholders.

Security, Compliance and Risk

• Ensure mobile and kiosk platforms meet the highest standards of security, compliance and governance.
• Lead vulnerability management, technical risk assessment and remediation processes.

About You

You are a strong hands-on engineer and an inspiring technical leader. You combine deep native mobile expertise with the ability to define long-term strategy and build high-performing teams.

Experience and Qualifications:

• Degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or equivalent practical experience.
• 5+ years’ deep hands-on experience in native mobile development across iOS (Swift, SwiftUI) and Android (Kotlin, Jetpack Compose).
• Significant commercial experience with React Native or similar cross-platform frameworks.
• Experience leading mobile engineering teams in a technical leadership capacity.
• Proven expertise across the full mobile SDLC, including publishing and lifecycle management via Apple App Store and Google Play Console.
• Strong knowledge of agile methodologies and DevOps practices.
• Experience with modern mobile architectures (MVVM, Clean Architecture) and state management.
• Integration experience with APIs, cloud platforms (AWS or Azure) and identity solutions.
• Strong understanding of mobile security, performance optimisation and accessibility standards.
• Experience with kiosk, IoT, or embedded systems is desirable.
• Relevant certifications such as AWS or Agile leadership are advantageous.

Key Skills and Competencies:

• Expert-level technical proficiency and architectural capability.
• Strong delivery focus with agile leadership experience.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Collaborative approach across engineering, product and design.
• Analytical, proactive problem-solving mindset.
• Passion for emerging mobile technologies and continuous learning.

Leadership at Merlin

We look for leaders who are:

Soulfully Curious – Open-minded, inquisitive and always seeking better ways to solve complex challenges.

Results Focused – Accountable, goal-oriented and committed to delivering measurable outcomes.

Extraordinary Teammates – Collaborative, supportive and enterprise-minded.

Developers of People – Invested in coaching, mentoring and unlocking the potential of others.

This is an opportunity to shape the future of Merlin’s mobile and in-park digital experiences at global scale. If you are ready to lead, innovate and deliver platforms that connect millions of guests to unforgettable experiences, we would love to hear from you.