Software Engineering Manager

RS UK & Ireland; Corby; Remote; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

RS is seeking an experienced Software Engineering Manager to lead one of our API teams. You will drive delivery pace, define technical vision, and uphold high engineering standards within a product-domain environment.

You will manage an agile team of 6–10 engineers, collaborate across domains, and ensure reliable production systems while fostering a pragmatic, delivery-focused culture.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in software engineering and tech development.
• 3+ years leading engineering teams in agile, product-focused environment.
• Proven experience delivering cloud-native solutions and continuous delivery.
• Strong back-end architecture experience including event-driven systems.

Responsibilities

• Line manage the API engineering team and mentor engineers.
• Lead technical design and delivery within product domains.
• Collaborate with agile teams, architects, and product owners.
• Coordinate observability and production infrastructure reliability.
• Review engineering output for quality and best practices.
• Provide occasional out-of-hours production support.
• Empower the team to deliver and maintain a positive culture.

Skills

Leadership

Cloud-native

Java

Node.js

AWS Lambda

AWS SNS

AWS SQS

AWS IAM

DynamoDB

GraphQL

Postman

CI/CD

Terraform

GitLab CI

Vault

Nomad

Kong API Gateway

Datadog

Redis

Security

Stakeholder communication

Tools

Terraform

GitLab CI

Kong API Gateway

Nomad

Vault

Datadog

Job description

Location

This is a remote role, offering the flexibility to work virtually from anywhere within the UK.

Contract Type

Permanent

The Opportunity

We are seeking an experienced Software Engineering Manager to lead one of our API teams. This role is pivotal in delivering product features and engineering output at pace, while fostering a pragmatic, delivery-focused culture. The manager will evangelise a clear technical vision, experiment with smarter ways of working, and ensure high-quality engineering standards within a product domain environment.

The Software Engineering Manager leads one agile engineering team, with line management responsibility for approximately 6-10 engineers. This role is a key member of the API function, reporting to the Head of API Platforms.

What You'll Be Doing

• Line Management: Direct line management of the API engineering team, providing mentorship, guidance, and performance management.
• Technical Leadership: Lead technical design and delivery within the assigned Product domains, ensuring alignment with architectural standards and business objectives.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Collaborate effectively with agile teams, domains, architects, the engineering practice, scrum masters, and product owners to drive integrated solutions.
• Operational Excellence: Coordinate the observability and operational support of production infrastructure, ensuring system reliability and performance.
• Quality Assurance: Review engineering output for quality, completeness, and adherence to best practices.
• Production Support: Provide occasional out-of-hours support for systems owned by the team.
• Team Empowerment: Empower the team to deliver at pace, take ownership of features, and contribute to a positive engineering culture.

What You'll Bring

• 10+ years' experience in software engineering and technology development, including 3+ years leading engineering teams within an agile, product-focused environment.
• Proven experience delivering cloud-native solutions, continuous delivery, and modern back-end architectures, including event-driven systems.
• Strong hands-on expertise with Java, Node.js, AWS services (Lambda, SNS, SQS, IAM, DynamoDB), and API technologies such as GraphQL and Postman.
• Experience with Infrastructure as Code, automation, and CI/CD pipelines using tools such as Terraform and GitLab CI.
• Knowledge of cloud platform tooling including HashiCorp Vault, Nomad, Kong API Gateway, and observability platforms such as Datadog.
• Solid understanding of application security, performance optimisation, caching technologies (e.g. Redis), and test automation.
• Demonstrated knowledge of solution architecture, emerging technologies, and industry trends.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to translate complex technical concepts for both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Strong collaboration, relationship-building, and influencing skills, with the ability to work effectively across technology and business functions.
• Analytical and strategic mindset, with a proven ability to lead change, solve complex problems, and drive actionable outcomes.

We Are RS

At RS, we are making amazing happen for a better world.

As a global product and service solutions provider, we help industrial customers operate more efficiently and sustainably. Operating in 33 markets, we support around one million customers worldwide with more than 875,000 stocked products, access to over five million additional products, and a range of service solutions designed to help businesses thrive.

What sets us apart is our people. More than 8,500 colleagues around the world bring technical expertise, digital innovation, and a customer first mindset to everything we do. Guided by our values – we are one team, we deliver brilliantly, we do the right thing, and we make every day better, we're creating an environment where our people can grow, contribute and make a meaningful impact.

Rewards

Our Reward Strategy Philosophy is designed to offer market competitive base salaries and provide all of our people the opportunity to participate in a short-term incentive, enabling them to share in the success of the Company.

Our total reward package is more than just the cash; our recognition and benefit offering provide the opportunity for us to recognise, reward and enable the wellbeing of our people at all stages of their journey with RS. Our rewards and benefits vary by country, but include:

• Financial - pension/retirement; life assurance; salary finance (payroll deduction loan scheme)
• Wellbeing - medical plans; health screening; critical illness; disability insurance; holiday / paid time off; employee assistance programme; discounted gym/health club membership
• Lifestyle - transportation assistance schemes (e.g., cycle to work, travel loans, car leasing); onsite catering/lunch vouchers; retail discounts
• Spotlight – our global recognition programme provides a platform to highlight and recognise people role modelling our values