Technology Lead - Guest Engineering platforms

London | Merlin Technology | Permanent

Bring Joy. Create Connections. Make Memories.

A job with Merlin isn’t like a job anywhere else. With attractions across the globe – from theme parks to iconic indoor experiences, we create millions of unforgettable guest moments every year.

Behind the magic is our Technology team – driving transformation, innovation, and world-class digital experiences at scale.

We’re now looking for a Technology Lead – Guest Engineering Platforms to play a pivotal role in shaping how millions of guests interact with Merlin across our global digital ecosystem.

The Role

This is a senior, hands-on engineering leadership role at the heart of Merlin’s digital transformation.

You’ll own the technical direction and delivery of our Guest Engineering Platforms – spanning the MyAccount ecosystem, profile services, and loyalty integrations across web, mobile, and guest platforms.

This is not a pure leadership role. You’ll remain close to the code – designing architecture, setting engineering standards, and mentoring teams – while delivering the scalable, secure platforms that power seamless guest journeys across all Merlin brands.

What You’ll Be Doing

🌐 Shape the Guest Ecosystem

• Own and evolve Merlin’s Guest Engineering Platforms, including the MyAccount ecosystem and guest-facing account services.
• Design scalable, API-first architecture supporting global guest accounts and personalised loyalty experiences.
• Drive modern authentication capabilities such as social login, MFA, passwordless authentication, and consent management to ensure frictionless journeys.
• Enable seamless cross-channel journeys across mobile apps, websites, and commerce platforms.

• Act as the senior technical authority for guest account and identity platforms.
• Stay hands-on—contributing to architecture, design, and critical code where required.
• Set engineering standards across security, performance, reliability, and observability.
• Mentor and guide engineers across multiple teams to build technical expertise.

• Lead the delivery of account and identity capabilities across web, mobile, and digital product teams.
• Translate guest and business requirements into robust, scalable technical solutions.
• Support the integration of these platforms with loyalty systems, guest data platforms, and commerce engines.

• Own platform performance, availability, and operational health.
• Establish monitoring, alerting, and resilience best practices for critical global services.
• Drive continuous improvement in the reliability and global scalability of guest services.

• Implement secure authentication flows aligned to OAuth2, OpenID Connect, and SAML.
• Ensure GDPR and data protection compliance across all guest-facing services.
• Partner with security teams on threat modelling, risk management, and platform hardening.

• Work cross-functionally with Product, Mobile, Web, Data, and Platform teams.
• Lead and develop a team of engineers, fostering a culture of continuous learning and innovation.
• Collaborate with UX teams to deliver intuitive, low-friction guest account experiences.

What You’ll Bring

• Significant experience designing and delivering large-scale authentication platforms or customer account ecosystems.
• Strong hands-on engineering background in APIs, distributed systems, and cloud-native environments (preferably Azure).
• Experience working with CIAM platforms (e.g., Azure AD B2C, Auth0, Okta) as a component of a wider platform.
• Deep understanding of identity standards (OAuth2, OpenID Connect, SAML) and modern authentication flows.
• Proven ability to lead and mentor engineering teams while staying technical and active in the code.
• Preferred experience integrating platforms with loyalty, CRM, or customer data systems.
• A proactive, solutions-focused mindset with the ability to navigate complex technical issues.

At Merlin, Our Leaders Are

• Soulfully Curious: Open-minded, inquisitive, and always learning.
• Results Focused: Clear on priorities and accountable for delivering impact.
• Extraordinary Teammates: Collaborative, supportive, and globally minded.
• Developers of People: Passionate about coaching, mentoring, and growing talent.

This is a rare opportunity to build and scale a global guest platform at one of the world’s leading entertainment brands – impacting millions of guests and shaping the future of Merlin’s digital experience. You’ll combine deep technical ownership with real business impact, working at the intersection of engineering, product, and customer experience.

Benefits

We’re growing fast and alongside a fun and friendly environment, we offer a fabulous package and amazing prospects – ideal if you’re already fantastic and want to become even better (our magic can help here). Benefits include Pension, Life Assurance, discretionary company bonus, 33 days’ holiday including bank holidays, a Merlin Magic Pass which gives you and your friends and family free admission to all of our attractions worldwide, an Enjoy the Ride pass which entitles you and 5 loved ones unlimited entry into your regional attractions, 25% discount in our retail shops and restaurants and 40% discount on LEGO, plus lots more!

Pay Range

Competitive