Software Engineering ManagerPreston (Hybrid)
Permanent
£65,000
The Opportunity
We're looking for an experienced Software Engineering Manager to lead, develop, and support a growing team of engineers working across a modern digital platform landscape.
This is a people-first leadership role focused on building a high-performing engineering culture, driving quality, and supporting engineers to grow and succeed. You won't own delivery roadmaps directly—instead, you'll ensure the engineering capability behind them is strong, scalable, and sustainable.
You'll act as a trusted leader, mentor, and escalation point, working closely with cross-functional teams including Product, Delivery, DevOps, QA, and Architecture.
What You'll Be Doing
People Leadership & Development
* Line manage engineers across multiple teams and platforms
* Run regular 1:1s, performance reviews, and development planning
* Support career growth, coaching, and progression pathways
* Foster an inclusive, high-performance engineering culture
* Act as a safe and trusted escalation point
Engineering Quality & Standards
* Champion best practices in coding, testing, and delivery
* Promote strong engineering discipline (CI/CD, code reviews, etc.)
* Balance delivery pressures with long-term technical health
* Identify and mitigate quality risks early
Capability Building
* Coach engineers to deepen technical expertise and judgement
* Identify skill gaps and drive learning initiatives
* Support mentoring and knowledge sharing across teams
Resource & Capacity Management
* Manage team capacity and allocation across platforms
* Support hiring, onboarding, and scaling efforts
* Align engineers to work that supports both delivery and development
Collaboration & Stakeholder Engagement
* Partner with cross-functional teams to support delivery
* Work with third-party and nearshore teams where needed
* Represent engineering in planning and prioritisation discussions
* Escalate risks with clear context and solutions
Governance & Performance
* Ensure consistent application of engineering standards and processes
* Maintain documentation around performance and team structure
* Encourage accountability, ownership, and feedback culture
* Lead with calm, structured, evidence-based decision making
What We're Looking For
Essential Experience
* Strong background in modern software engineering practices
* Proven experience managing and coaching engineers
* Solid understanding of software quality, testing, and CI/CD
* Ability to balance people, delivery, and technical priorities
* Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills
* Experience working in cross-functional delivery environments
Desirable
* Experience in platform-led or capability-based models
* Exposure to scaling teams or organisational growth
* Familiarity with cloud and DevOps environments
* Experience working with third-party or offshore teams
* Understanding of architecture and long-term system design
Why Join?
* Opportunity to shape and grow engineering capability at scale
* Work in a collaborative, forward-thinking environment
* Influence engineering culture, standards, and ways of working
* Be part of meaningful, complex digital transformation initiatives
4 days per week in Preston leading a team of 8.
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