Engineering Manager

Ocho People; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 77,000 - 94,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Free food and drinks from onsite café

Subsidised gym membership

Bike to work scheme

Job summary

Ocho People is seeking an Engineering Manager in a hands-on leadership role based in the UK. You will lead the engineering team in a fast-growing, technology-led business, with AI-first culture and direct reporting to the CEO.

The role requires delivering technical leadership while shaping architecture and code review processes. The position offers hybrid work with a minimum of three days in the office, and a defined performance bonus on top of a£85,000 salary.

Qualifications

• Proven track record of directly managing engineers, including hiring and performance mgmt.
• Demonstrated AI fluency in engineering work and driving AI adoption.
• Hands-on background with modern web and cloud stack (TypeScript, AWS serverless).
• Experience reporting to non-technical executive leadership.
• Calm under pressure; able to give direct feedback and own mistakes.
• Comfortable in a small startup environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead the engineering team day-to-day and run 1:1s.
• Set performance expectations and hire and develop people.
• Contribute to architecture and review code with AI-enabled workflows.
• Lead by example in an AI-first culture and drive AI adoption.
• Translate business priorities into engineering delivery with the CEO.

Skills

People management

AI fluency

TypeScript

AWS (serverless)

Executive communication

Startup environment

Job description

Engineering Manager

Ocho People

• Lead the engineering function at a fast growing, technology led business in Derry/Londonderry
• £85,000 salary plus a defined performance bonus
• Hybrid working, a minimum of three days per week in the office, with condensed hours available
• AI first engineering culture, hands on technical leadership at the most senior level
• Report directly into the CEO with genuine influence over engineering direction

Why This Organisation

Our client is a growing technology company based in Derry/Londonderry, building mission critical software for a highly regulated sector. Following a period of successful delivery, the business is forecast to expand its client base significantly over the next twelve to eighteen months. The organisation is ISO 27001 certified and holds itself to a high standard of security and compliance, reflecting the sensitivity of the data it works with. It is a genuinely small, close knit team where every hire has real impact.

The Role and What It Can Do For Your Career

This is a hands on, delivery focused leadership role at the heart of the business. You will lead the engineering team day to day, running 1:1s, setting performance expectations, hiring and developing people, while remaining close enough to the work to contribute to technical decisions, guide architecture and support code reviews. AI first engineering is central to how the team works, and you will be expected to lead by example, using AI agents to build software, review pull requests with judgement and set the standard for the rest of the team. You will be the most senior engineering voice in the building, working closely with the CEO and the Senior Leadership Team to translate business priorities into engineering delivery. For the right person, this is a genuine opportunity to shape an engineering function from a position of real seniority and visibility, with the autonomy to own problems end to end.

What You'll Need

Essential:

• A track record managing engineers directly, including hiring, performance management and team development
• Demonstrable AI fluency in your own engineering work, with evidence of driving AI adoption within a team
• A hands on engineering background with recent or current credibility in a modern web and cloud stack, ideally TypeScript and AWS serverless
• Experience reporting to or working closely with non technical executive leadership
• Composure and integrity under pressure, with a willingness to give direct feedback and admit mistakes
• Comfortable operating in a small startup environment

Desirable:

• Experience with regulated, mission critical software
• Ownership of an engineering or cloud budget line
• Experience working effectively alongside third party delivery partners

• £90,000 salary with a defined performance bonus
• Hybrid working, a minimum of three days per week in the office, with condensed hours available
• Free food and drinks from the onsite café
• Subsidised gym membership
• Bike to work scheme
• Direct reporting line to the CEO with real influence over technical direction
• The chance to be the most senior engineering voice in a fast scaling business
• An AI first culture that gives you the space to lead from the front