Job Description
Software Engineering Manager
Preston (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.