3 month contract - Outside IR35 London - Hybrid (2/3 days a week in the office) A leading UK financial services provider is seeking a highly experienced Software Engineering Manager on a 3 month contract to lead multiple squads within their retail engineering function. This role will be pivotal in ensuring delivery excellence, technical oversight, and strong alignment with business and regulatory priorities. You will be the primary escalation point for delivery and technical challenges, accountable for sprint outcomes, prioritisation, and risk management. While this role is not hands-on coding, you will provide technical guidance, architectural insight, and oversight, ensuring solutions are scalable, maintainable, and delivered to high standards. Key Responsibilities: Lead multiple engineering squads, providing technical direction and oversight Drive delivery accountability, unblock issues, and manage dependencies across teams Collaborate with Product Owners, IT leadership, and business stakeholders to ensure alignment and risk mitigation Oversee technical standards, architecture reviews, and governance practices Manage technical debt and end-of-life registers, ensuring timely remediation and stakeholder alignment Foster a culture of continuous improvement, technical excellence, and agile delivery Key Requirements: Proven experience as a senior engineer or technical lead, with hands-on delivery experience Experience managing multiple squads or engineering teams in Life & Pensions or financial services Strong understanding of agile delivery, sprint planning, and backlog prioritisation Technical credibility: ability to review architecture, challenge solutions, and implement engineering standards Excellent communication skills for both technical and non-technical stakeholders Familiarity with .NET/C#, Azure, DevOps/CI/CD, microservices, and modern scalable architecture principles is desirable The opportunity: Shape a new leadership role in a regulated, innovative, and growing team Influence technical standards and delivery practices across multiple squads Work closely with senior leadership in a highly visible and influential position Join a supportive, inclusive culture committed to development and continuous improvement If you are a delivery-focused, technically credible Engineering Manager with financial services experience and a passion for driving high-quality outcomes, Apply now!