Brad Koehler
Head of Software Engineering @Torchbox
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WORK HISTORY
Head of Software Engineering @Torchbox
City Of Bristol, GB
Leading all engineering operations for a ~35-person department working across Python, Django, Wagtail, React, JavaScript, and AWS. Torchbox is a digital agency specialising in work for charities, non-profits, and public sector organisations. Our clients include NHS England, WWF International, Amnesty International and the National Institute for Health.My focus has been on three things: people, structure, and innovation.On the people side, I\'ve invested heavily in building a supportive, high-trust engineering culture. I manage 7 direct reports (a mix of team leads and senior engineers) and work closely with the wider department on learning, development, and community of practice. My direct reports scored a perfect 100 eNPS in my first year and we saw meaningful improvement in engagement across the broader team. I\'m proud that engineers here feel heard, supported, and challenged.Structurally, I\'m leading an initiative to transform the department from traditional project teams into cross-functional squads, with the goal of increasing utilisation and reducing context-switching. This is a work in progress, but early signs are positive.On innovation, I\'m building and executing the engineering AI strategy including helping to run an AI innovation programme that\'s shifting how engineers think about AI-assisted development. It\'s still early days in terms of hard metrics, but the cultural shift towards embracing AI as a tool rather than fearing it has been significant.I also consult on resourcing and scoping for client projects with budgets up to and work with other Heads of Practice on setting best practice for delivery of work across the organisation.
SKILLS
ABOUT BRAD KOEHLER
Over 20 years in software engineering, I\'ve had a diverse kind of career that has given me experience and confidence to see where change is needed and implement it. I\'ve built and led teams across startups, scale-ups, and established businesses. I\'ve worked in price comparison, fintech, travel, gaming, charity, and public sector. I\'ve shipped products, fixed broken processes, scaled departments and, more than once arrived into a struggling team and turned things around.Today I\'m Head of Software Engineering at Torchbox, responsible for a ~35 person engineering department delivering projects for clients including NHS England, WWF International, and Amnesty International. I\'m building and executing our AI strategy, helping to run an AI innovation programme, and leading an initiative to restructure into squads for better productivity and utilisation. We saw an overall increase in eNPS scores and my direct reports specifically hit a perfect 100 eNPS score in my first year, which is proof that high performance and happy teams aren\'t mutually exclusive.Some highlights from my career so far:→ Facilitated onboarding of 130 engineers during rapid growth at CreateFuture→ Led a cross-discipline team generating ~£2M/year in annual revenue→ Stepped in as Interim CTO at Time2Play and repaired a fractured product-engineering relationship→ Helped NerdWallet UK double in size within 12 months→ Built regulatory tooling that saved significant time and cost for compliance teamsMy tech background spans JavaScript, React, Node.js, TypeScript, Python, Java.Net, PHP, and AWS, and I hold a UX certification (CPUX-F) that keeps user-centred thinking at the heart of how I lead.I care about building engineering cultures where people thrive, where delivery is sustainable and where AI is embraced as a tool for better outcomes. Always happy to connect with fellow leaders, particularly in purpose-driven tech, public sector, or health tech.
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