Head of Software Engineering

Burford Capital is the leading global finance and asset management firm focused on law. Its businesses include litigation finance and risk management, asset recovery and a wide range of legal finance and advisory activities. Burford is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: BUR) and the London Stock Exchange (LSE: BUR), and it works with companies and law firms around the world from its principal offices in New York, London, Chicago, Washington, Singapore, Sydney,  and Dubai.

The firm seeks to hire a Head of Software Engineering who will be responsible for managing software development, technical architecture, and development operations and projects. As Burford continues to grow and the number and complexity of projects we tackle continues to increase, there is a need to provide standards, best practices, planning, and logistical support to these efforts. The person in this role will be charged with managing and evolving the tools and processes we need to use in order to continue to be successful as we tackle ever more challenging and ambitious projects.

The Head of Software Engineering will work as part of the Core Services group at Burford and will be responsible for developing and applying standards, tools and best practices for software development and data management across all areas of the firm. The person in this role will be responsible for working with technical staff, business stakeholders, and vendors to design and execute solutions that are aligned with company goals and priorities.

The ideal candidate is an energetic, hands-on leader who thrives in a fast-paced environment, shares expertise openly, and takes a proactive approach to driving results.

The role will be part of the Technology & Innovation team reporting to the CIO and will be based in Chicago.

www.burfordcapital.com

COMPANY OVERVIEW

Burford Capital is the largest and most experienced provider of commercial finance to the legal sector in the world, with a core expertise in identifying and optimizing the value of legal assets for companies and law firms.  Since its founding in 2009, Burford has worked with hundreds of law firms and corporations, including 94 of the AmLaw 100 and 92 of the Global 100 largest law firms. Our team has grown from five people at the end of 2009 to over 150 people today, including over 45 lawyers.

Burford possesses the resources and expertise of a large company while retaining the flexibility and creativity of a startup.  Team members are smart, creative, collaborative, curious, and confident.  Everyone rolls up their sleeves to perform and engage collectively for the overall success of the business.  Burford values rigorous thinking, clear communication, and efficient execution. Burford is an “always on” environment in which everyone needs to be accessible by email when outside the office, including during evenings and weekends

Burford pays base salaries consistent with the financial services industry and favors incentive compensation to reward performance. Burford provides competitive health care benefits and a 401k matching program. Burford Capital is committed to increasing diversity and maintaining an inclusive workplace culture.  We welcome applications from all qualified candidates regardless of their ethnicity, race, gender, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, age, marital status, whether or not they have a disability.

POSITION REQUIREMENTS

Software Development & Technical Leadership

• Lead and mentor a team of 3-5 software engineers in designing, developing, and deploying software solutions.
• Develop high-performance applications primarily in Python, with a strong focus on Azure-based cloud solutions.
• Establish and manage software development tools and technologies (e.g., GitHub, Jenkins, Kubernetes, Azure DevOps, etc.).
• Work closely with the Quantitative Analytics team to build models, optimize data pipelines, and develop tools for financial analysis.
• Establish best practices for software development, testing, and production change management.
• Lead the strategic adoption of AI/ML technologies, including generative AI, machine learning, distributed computing, and expert systems, to enhance business decisionmaking and automation.

Technical Expertise
• Deep experience in Python development and software architecture.
• Strong familiarity with Microsoft Azure services, including Azure Functions, Azure SQL, CosmosDB, and Azure DevOps.
• Experience in quantitative modeling, data analytics, and statistical computing.
• Familiarity with machine learning frameworks (e.g., TensorFlow, PyTorch, Scikit-learn) and financial modeling techniques is a plus.

Leadership & Collaboration
• Experience managing and mentoring a small development team.
• Actively engage with business stakeholders, finance teams, and legal experts to design and implement solutions that drive business efficiency and innovation.

• Strong communication skills, particularly in explaining technical concepts to nontechnical audiences.
• Ability to prioritize tasks effectively and align software development with business strategy.

SKILLS DESIRED

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in computer science, Engineering, or a related field.
• 5-10 years of experience designing and building software systems with at least 3 years of experience developing cloud-based solutions in Microsoft Azure.
• Proven experience in leading a small software development team.
• Background in producing software for quantitative analysis.
• Experience in financial services or the legal industry is a plus.

Core Competencies & Skills / Personal Attributes & Fit
• Hands-on leader who can roll up their sleeves and work alongside the team while also managing development efforts.
• Self-directed, proactive problem-solver with the ability to manage both the big picture and detailed execution.
• Curious and quick learner of business concepts, particularly in financial and quantitative analytics.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to distill complex ideas clearly and persuasively.
• Strong stakeholder engagement skills, capable of working with business leaders, finance teams, and legal experts.
• Comfortable with change and ambiguity, able to adapt to shifting priorities and lead in a fast-paced environment.
• Passion for innovation, with a proven track record of adopting emerging technologies, particularly in data science, AI, cloud computing, and automation to drive business impact.

Notice of Collection of Personal Information:
https://www.burfordcapital.com/media/3351/notice-of-collection-of-personal-information.pdf