Senior Software Engineering Manager

James Adams; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 150,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus

Pension

Job summary

James Adams is seeking a hands-on Senior Engineering Manager to lead multiple teams delivering business-critical applications. The role combines senior leadership with a deep technical focus to modernise platforms and introduce AI-driven value.

You will guide engineering managers, shape technical direction, and ensure delivery of new services while improving existing systems. The position emphasises practical AI with governance and risk awareness.

Qualifications

• Senior engineering leadership across multiple teams and managers.
• Strong software development background with architecture credibility.
• Experience modernising live applications and delivering new platforms or services.
• Production experience with React, Java or Python, and AWS or Azure.
• Practical AI/ML knowledge with production systems.
• Ability to influence senior stakeholders and drive technical change.

Responsibilities

• Lead engineering managers and their teams.
• Set technical direction and governance for platforms.
• Oversee improvements to existing systems and delivery of new applications.
• Champion AI integration across products and development processes.
• Balance strategic leadership with hands‑on technical guidance.

Skills

Engineering leadership

People management

Software architecture

React

Java

Python

AWS

Azure

AI / ML

Stakeholder influence

Regulated industry

Job description

London or Manchester | Hybrid, two days in the office | £150,000 to £160,000 plus bonus and pension

Our client is an established international organisation looking for a hands on Senior Engineering Manager to lead several teams responsible for business critical applications. This is a senior leadership role with a strong technical focus and a clear mandate to modernise platforms and explore where AI can deliver practical value.

You will lead engineering managers and their teams, set technical direction, and oversee both the improvement of existing systems and the delivery of new applications. The role calls for someone who can work at a strategic level while staying close enough to the technology to challenge designs, recognise coding problems and guide engineers towards sound solutions.

AI is a significant part of the brief. Our client wants someone with genuine enthusiasm for its potential and the experience to judge where it should be used. You will help teams explore AI within products and development processes, while understanding the limitations, risks and standards needed for production use.

We are looking for someone who can demonstrate:

• Senior engineering leadership across multiple teams, including experience managing engineering managers or team leads.
• A strong background in software development and continued credibility in architecture and technical decision making.
• Experience modernising complex, live applications while delivering new platforms or services.
• Production experience with modern application stacks such as React, Java or Python, alongside AWS or Azure.
• Practical knowledge of AI or machine learning, ideally including systems that have been built and deployed rather than explored only in prototypes.
• The ability to influence senior stakeholders, develop engineering leaders and bring teams through significant technical change.

Experience in a regulated environment would be useful, but the quality of your engineering leadership and your approach to AI matter more than a particular industry background.

The interview process has three stages and can be completed remotely.