Head of Software Engineering - Core Finance

Marks and Spencer; Manchester; On-site; GBP 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

20% colleague discount on M&S products

Holiday allowance

Discretionary bonus schemes

Pension and life assurance

Induction and training

M&S Choices portal

Family policies

Wellbeing support

Volunteer day

Job summary

Marks & Spencer in the United Kingdom seeks a Head of Software Engineering - SAP Core Finance to lead engineering teams delivering SAP changes across R2R, P2P, O2C, Reporting and Data. The role defines engineering strategy, quality, reliability and operability for SAP finance changes defined by product teams.

You will manage 4-5 Engineering Managers, partner with Product, Architecture, Programme, Security and business‑unit leadership to ensure SAP Finance teams deliver reliable, well‑engineered

Qualifications

• Experience leading offshore engineering teams through managers in a complex enterprise technology environment.
• Proven track record of delivering business‑critical SAP finance change with high quality, reliability and operational control.
• Experience across core SAP finance domains such as R2R, P2P, O2C, translating demand into clear engineering delivery plans.
• Strong understanding of SAP engineering, integration patterns, delivery governance, finance data and production support in a large‑scale enterprise environment.
• A proven ability to partner effectively with product and architecture to deliver change in support of wider strategic outcomes.
• Leadership style that values clarity, ownership and high engineering standards.

Responsibilities

• Set the engineering standards and technical direction for SAP Core Finance, aligned to the wider engineering organisation and enterprise SAP priorities.
• Lead and develop 4-5 Engineering Managers, building strong teams with clear accountability and high delivery standards.
• Own delivery of SAP changes across core finance domains, ensuring work meets priorities and timeframes.
• Partner with Product to translate finance domain demand into clear engineering deliverables.
• Ensure SAP changes are secure, reliable, observable and operable with strong controls and operational readiness.
• Drive engineering practices across testing, CI/CD, production operations and reliability.

Skills

Leadership

SAP knowledge

Stakeholder collaboration

Delivery planning

Tools

SAP Core Finance

Job description

All the details

As Head of Software Engineering - SAP Core Finance, you will lead the engineering teams responsible for delivering SAP change across the core finance teams of Record to Report (R2R), Procure to Pay (P2P), Order to Cash (O2C), Reporting and Data engineering teams. The role exists to provide high-quality engineering leadership and delivery capacity for SAP finance changes defined by the product teams in alignment with the finance function.

You will be accountable for the engineering strategy, quality, reliability and operability of the SAP Core Finance engineering teams, ensuring teams can deliver changes safely and effectively across a complex landscape. This role requires strong partnership with product and engineering to ensure delivery stays closely aligned to wider business change through the roadmap and outcomes defined by the product teams.

A major part of the role is shaping and leading engineering delivery for SAP finance change that underpins business outcomes across core finance processes. You will need to manage competing priorities, technical dependencies and delivery risk across domains including R2R, P2P, O2C, Reporting and Data.

You will lead 4-5 Engineering Managers and partner closely with Product, Architecture, Programme, Security and business‑unit leadership to ensure SAP Finance Teams deliver reliable, well‑engineered outcomes that meet enterprise standards while staying responsive to business demand.

What You'll Do

• Set the engineering standards and technical direction for SAP Core Finance, aligned to the wider engineering organisation and enterprise SAP priorities.
• Lead and develop 4-5 Engineering Managers, building strong engineering teams with clear accountability, high standards and a focus on delivery and quality.
• Own delivery of SAP changes across the core finance domains, ensuring work is executed effectively against agreed priorities.
• Partner closely with Product to translate finance domain demand and outcomes into clear engineering deliverables in an agreed timeframe.
• Ensure SAP finance changes are secure, reliable, observable and supportable, with strong engineering controls, appropriate service ownership and effective operational readiness.
• Drive strong engineering practices across testing, continuous integration and delivery, production operations, incident management and reliability improvement.
• Manage dependencies, technical risk and delivery trade-offs across multiple teams and programmes, ensuring SAP delivery remains aligned to business outcomes defined by the product teams engaging with business stakeholders.
• Work across business units to provide a consistent, high-quality engineering capability while remaining responsive to the specific needs of each finance domain.

Who You Are

• Experience leading multiple offshore engineering teams through managers in a complex enterprise technology environment.
• A strong track record of delivering business‑critical SAP finance change with high levels of quality, reliability and operational control.
• Experience working across core SAP finance domains such as R2R, P2P, O2C, balancing competing priorities and translating demand into clear engineering delivery plans.
• Strong understanding of SAP engineering, integration patterns, delivery governance, finance data and production support in a large‑scale enterprise environment.
• A proven ability to partner effectively with product and architecture to deliver change in support of wider strategic outcomes.
• A leadership style that values clarity, simplicity, ownership and high engineering standards.

What's In It For You

Working at M&S means being part of something bigger - helping to deliver quality, value and service to millions of customers every day. We're inclusive, fast‑moving and always evolving, with a strong sense of purpose and a focus on doing the right thing.

Here are just a few of the benefits that make working here even more rewarding:

• 20% colleague discount on all M&S products and many third‑party brands for you and someone in your household, available once you've completed your probation
• Competitive holiday allowance with the option to buy more
• Discretionary bonus schemes linked to your performance and ours
• Strong pension and life assurance to help plan for the future
• Tailored induction and training to support your development from day one
• Exclusive perks and savings through our M&S Choices portal
• Market‑leading family policies, including parental, adoption and neonatal leave
• 24/7 wellbeing support, including virtual GP access and mental health services
• One paid volunteer day a year to support a cause that matters to you

Everyone's Welcome

We are ambitious about the future of retail. We're disrupting, innovating and leading the industry into a more conscientious, inspiring digital era. We're transforming how we work together and offering our most exciting opportunities yet. Marks & Spencer strives to be an inclusive organisation, trusted and admired by our colleagues, customers and suppliers. Join us and make change happen.

We are committed to building diverse and representative teams, where everyone can bring their whole selves to work and be at their best. We support each other and work together to win together.

If you feel you'd benefit from any support or reasonable adjustments during any stage of the recruitment process, please don't hesitate to let us know when completing your application. This information will be picked up by our team, so we can try and put steps in place to help you be at your best through this process.