Engineering Manager

Oho Group; Greater London; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Oho Group is seeking an Engineering Manager who remains an engineer at heart. You’ll lead a team of strong software engineers, stay hands-on with the code, and influence architecture while delivering real products for defence and autonomous systems.

This role rewards technical curiosity, strong communication, and the ability to turn ambiguous problems into solid solutions. You’ll shape how we build, ship and scale software as the team grows.

Qualifications

• Strong software engineering fundamentals and a track record of building production systems.
• Experience leading or managing software engineers.
• Enough technical depth to contribute to production codebase.
• Experience making architectural decisions and setting technical direction.
• Excellent communication and ability to get the best out of strong engineers.
• Comfort operating in ambiguous environments and owning deliverables.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a high-performing software engineering team.
• Stay hands-on with the technology and contribute meaningful code.
• Set technical direction and make pragmatic architectural decisions.
• Collaborate with product and wider engineering to turn ideas into working software.
• Tackle the hardest technical problems as they arise.
• Maintain high engineering standards for code quality, testing, reliability and delivery.
• Give engineers genuine ownership while providing support and direction.
• Shape how we build, ship and scale software as the company grows.

Skills

Strong software engineering

Team leadership

Hands-on coding

Architectural decisions

Communication skills

Ambiguity tolerance

Job description

Engineering Manager – Software Engineering

We’re building the software that will underpin the next generation of defence and autonomous systems.

We’re looking for an Engineering Manager who is still an engineer at heart. This isn’t a role for someone who has spent the last five years in meetings and stopped writing code. You’ll lead a team, but you’ll also stay close to the technology, contribute to the codebase and be involved in the difficult technical decisions.

What you’ll be doing

You’ll lead a team of strong software engineers working on complex products where the problems aren’t always well defined and there isn’t an obvious answer.

You’ll be expected to:

• Lead and develop a high-performing software engineering team
• Stay hands‑on with the technology and contribute meaningful code
• Set technical direction and make pragmatic architectural decisions
• Work closely with product and the wider engineering team to turn ideas into working software
• Get involved in the hardest technical problems when needed
• Set a high engineering bar around code quality, testing, reliability and delivery
• Give engineers genuine ownership while providing the support and direction they need
• Help shape how we build, ship and scale software as the company grows

The exact language or framework matters less to us than how you think and how good an engineer you are. You could come from Python, C++, Java, Rust, TypeScript or another strong engineering background.

You’ll actually get to engineer.

We want someone who enjoys managing people but still loves building software. You won’t be completely removed from the codebase or buried under process.

You’ll have real technical influence.

We’re still early enough that engineering decisions genuinely matter. You’ll help shape the architecture, culture and standards of the team rather than inheriting layers of legacy process.

The problems are genuinely difficult.

You’ll be working across software, AI, data, sensors and autonomous systems, often solving problems that haven’t been solved in quite this way before.

You’ll work with very strong engineers.

We care deeply about technical ability and have built a team of people who are comfortable tackling difficult problems and taking ownership.

There’s a huge amount of autonomy.

We don’t want people waiting for permission or following a rigid process. If you see a better way of doing something, you’ll have the freedom to make it happen.

What we’re looking for

We’re looking for someone who has:

• Strong software engineering fundamentals and a track record of building production systems
• Previous experience leading or managing software engineers
• Enough technical depth to comfortably contribute to a production codebase
• Experience making architectural and technical decisions
• A strong product mindset and focus on delivering things that actually work
• High agency and the ability to operate in an environment with a lot of ambiguity
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to get the best out of technically strong people

You don't need to come from defence or have previous experience in autonomous systems. We care much more about engineering ability, leadership and how you approach difficult problems.

This is a particularly good fit if you’re currently an Engineering Manager, Tech Lead Manager or Lead Software Engineer who wants to take on more people leadership without giving up the engineering side of the job.

The opportunity

You’ll be joining at a stage where you can have a meaningful impact on both the technology and the team.

If you want a role where you can lead engineers, influence technical direction and still write real software, this is that opportunity.