Vice President Software Engineering PACE Platform

LGBT Great; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 85,000 - GBP 110,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading investment firm in Greater London seeks a Technical Leader for the PACE platform. This role involves mentoring engineers, driving technical strategy, and ensuring successful platform delivery. The ideal candidate has extensive Java experience, technical leadership skills, and a strong background in financial services technology. You'll be key in enhancing the platform for alternative investment professionals while collaborating with senior stakeholders.

Benefits

Flexible Time Off

Education reimbursement

Health and wellness resources

Qualifications

• 5–10+ years Java software engineering experience.
• 5+ years in technical leadership roles.
• 3+ years leading teams of 5+ engineers.

Responsibilities

• Define platform architecture and lead calculation engine direction.
• Build and mentor an engineering team.
• Ensure timely delivery and manage production operations.

Skills

Technical Leadership

Java Software Engineering

Team Leadership

Strategic Thinking

Communication

Education

BS/MS in Computer Science or related field

Tools

Java 17+

Spring Boot 3.x

gRPC

Docker

Kubernetes

Job description

About this role

PACE (Private Asset Calculation Engine) is BlackRock's strategic analytics engine powering alternative investments performance and risk analytics across eFront tools. Built on a Java/Spring Boot microservices architecture with gRPC communication, PACE processes billions in fund performance data, IRR/TWR calculations, and risk metrics for private equity, real estate, infrastructure, and private credit portfolios.

The platform consists of multiple interconnected services including Fund, Asset, Portfolio, Transaction, Benchmarking, ESG, and Holding services—each responsible for specific calculation domains while maintaining consistency through shared libraries and Protocol Buffer contracts.

Role Overview

Lead the architecture, delivery, and operational excellence of the PACE platform. You will mentor a team of 8–15+ engineers, drive technical strategy, and collaborate with senior stakeholders to scale our platform for alternative investment professionals.

This role demands deep technical expertise in the Java/Spring ecosystem, strategic thinking, leadership capability, and business acumen in alternative investments. You will be accountable for critical platform components, technical decisions with firm-wide impact, and the professional development of your team.

Key Responsibilities

• Technical Leadership (35%) – Define platform architecture, lead calculation engine direction (IRR/TWR/NPV), drive gRPC API design, champion engineering best practices.

• Team Leadership (30%) – Build and mentor engineering team, conduct performance reviews, recruit talent, foster technical excellence culture.

• Delivery (20%) – Ensure timely delivery, manage production operations, drive >90% test coverage for critical paths, balance tech debt vs features.

• Stakeholder Management (15%) – Partner with Product, communicate to senior leadership, build relationships with Portfolio Managers and Fund Analysts.

Required Qualifications

Experience

• 5–10+ years Java software engineering experience.

• 5+ years in technical leadership roles.

• 3+ years leading teams of 5+ engineers.

• Track record delivering large-scale distributed systems.

• Background in financial services technology (alternative investments preferred).

Technical Expertise

• Core Stack: Java 17+, Spring Boot 3.x, gRPC, Protocol Buffers, Maven.

• Infrastructure: Azure, AKS, Docker, Kubernetes, CI/CD.

• Architecture: Microservices, DDD, API design, high availability.

• Domain: Alternative investments, IRR/TWR, fund accounting.

Leadership Competencies

Strategic Thinking, People Leadership, Communication, Business Acumen, Delivery Excellence.

Preferred Qualifications

• BS/MS in Computer Science or related field.

• Experience with eFront or Aladdin platforms.

Note: Role requires background checks and compliance with firm policies.

Our benefits

To help you stay energized, engaged and inspired, we offer a wide range of employee benefits including: retirement investment and tools designed to help you in building a sound financial future; access to education reimbursement; comprehensive resources to support your physical health and emotional well-being; family support programs; and Flexible Time Off (FTO) so you can relax, recharge and be there for the people you care about.

Our hybrid work model

BlackRock’s hybrid work model is designed to enable a culture of collaboration and apprenticeship that enriches the experience of our employees, while supporting flexibility for all. Employees are currently required to work at least 4 days in the office per week, with the flexibility to work from home 1 day a week. Some business groups may require more time in the office due to their roles and responsibilities. We remain focused on increasing the impactful moments that arise when we work together in person – aligned with our commitment to performance and innovation. As a new joiner, you can count on this hybrid model to accelerate your learning and onboarding experience here at BlackRock.

About BlackRock

At BlackRock, we are all connected by one mission: to help more and more people experience financial well-being. Our clients, and the people they serve, are saving for retirement, paying for their children’s educations, buying homes and starting businesses. Their investments also help to strengthen the global economy: support businesses small and large; finance infrastructure projects that connect and power cities; and facilitate innovations that drive progress.

This mission would not be possible without our smartest investment – the one we make in our employees. It’s why we’re dedicated to creating an environment where our colleagues feel welcomed, valued and supported with networks, benefits and development opportunities to help them thrive.

For additional information on BlackRock, please visit @blackrock | Twitter: @blackrock | :

BlackRock is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to age, disability, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation and other protected characteristics at law.