Head of Software Engineering - Personalisation and Post Purchase & Customer Support

Marks and Spencer; Greater London; On-site; GBP 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

20% colleague discount on M&S and

Discretionary bonus schemes

Strong pension and life assurance

Tailored induction and training

M&S Choices perks portal

Family policies and parental leave

Wellbeing support and benefits

Volunteer day

Job summary

Marks & Spencer is seeking a Head of Software Engineering for the Personalisation and Post-Purchase domain. Lead Engineering Managers and engineers to build experiences like AI-powered recommendations, personalised search, and customer support journeys.

Collaborate with Product, Data Science and AI teams to deliver reliable, scalable solutions that delight customers. You will shape technical direction, improve delivery speed and quality, and champion modern engineering practices while

Qualifications

• Experience leading multiple engineering teams via managers and within product tech stacks.
• Hands-on software engineer with strong technical background across cloud platforms.
• Proficient in modern frontend/backend tech and scalable architectures.
• Experience building and scaling high-performing engineering teams.
• Passionate about software quality, reliability and customer outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop Engineering Managers across multiple product teams.
• Create an environment where engineers can do their best work.
• Partner with Product, Data Science and Delivery teams to turn business goals into great products.
• Help shape the technical direction of the domain and support long-term technology decisions.
• Improve the speed, quality and reliability of software delivery.
• Drive the use of AI and automation to help teams work more effectively.
• Support hiring, retention and career development across your organisation.
• Champion modern engineering practices, experimentation and continuous improvement.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

People management

Empower teams

React

Next.js

TypeScript

Java

Kotlin

Python

Swift

GraphQL

Tools

React

Next.js

TypeScript

Java

Kotlin

Python

Swift

GraphQL

Job description

We're transforming M&S into a digital-first business, and technology is central to how we serve millions of customers every day.

As Head of Software Engineering for our Personalisation and Post-Purchase domain, you'll lead the teams building experiences that make shopping with M&S feel more relevant, helpful and seamless. From personalised search and AI-powered recommendations to customer support journeys and chat experiences, you'll help shape products used by millions.

Leading a team of Engineering Managers and engineers, you'll work closely with Product, Data Science and AI teams to turn ideas into reliable, scalable solutions that deliver real value for customers.

What You'll Do

• Lead and develop Engineering Managers across multiple product teams.
• Create an environment where engineers can do their best work.
• Partner with Product, Data Science and Delivery teams to turn business goals into great products.
• Help shape the technical direction of the domain and support long-term technology decisions.
• Improve the speed, quality and reliability of software delivery.
• Drive the use of AI and automation to help teams work more effectively.
• Support hiring, retention and career development across your organisation.
• Champion modern engineering practices, experimentation and continuous improvement.

Who You Are

• An experienced engineering leader who has managed multiple teams through managers.
• A former hands-on software engineer with a strong technical background.
• Comfortable working across a range of technologies, architectures and cloud platforms.
• Experienced building and scaling high-performing engineering teams.
• Passionate about software quality, reliability and customer outcomes.
• A strong communicator who can work effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Someone who empowers teams, removes obstacles and creates clarity.
• React, Next.js and TypeScript
• Java and Kotlin
• Python
• Swift
• GraphQL

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.