Software Engineering Manager

Hargreaves Lansdown; Dartford; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading investment platform in the UK is looking for an experienced Software Engineering Manager to lead a squad within the Trading domain. This role focuses on enhancing team performance and fostering a culture of continuous improvement while managing high-performing software engineering teams. Ideal candidates should possess strong leadership skills and a background in regulated environments. Flexible working options are available.

Benefits

Discretionary annual bonus

25 days holiday plus bank holidays

Flexible working options

Pension scheme up to 11% employer contribution

Private medical insurance

Qualifications

• Hands-on experience in continuous delivery and ownership of production systems.
• Strong track record in defining metrics to assess business goals.
• Experience in technology management roles within regulated environments.

Responsibilities

• Conduct strategy sessions and document actionable plans.
• Implement review processes to evaluate squad performance.
• Mentor junior squad members and track their performance.
• Assess squad composition to ensure skill diversity.
• Facilitate code and design review meetings.
• Oversee the development and advancement of direct reports.

Skills

Leadership in software engineering

Continuous improvement

Stakeholder management

Team mentoring

Strategic planning

Tools

React

Java

Spring Boot

AWS

Job description

Excited to grow your career? Our purpose is to make it easy for people to save and invest for a better future. We are looking for great people to join us, so please come and invest in YOUR future at Hargreaves Lansdown.

We know that sometimes people can be put off applying for a job if they don't tick every box. If you're excited about working for us and have most of the skills or experience we're looking for, please go ahead and apply. We’d love to hear from you!

About the role

We are hiring a Software Engineering Manager to lead one of our squads within the Trading domain: PreTrade, New Dealing Journeys, or Trade Execution. Each squad plays a critical role in delivering high-impact functionality to our clients—whether it's enabling informed investment decisions, streamlining the order placement experience, or ensuring reliable and fast execution of trades. While the specific squad assignment will be determined based on experience and team fit, all squads operate in a fast-paced, product-centric environment with a strong focus on delivery excellence.

We are looking for someone with practical, hands‑on experience in continuous delivery, including daily deployments and ownership of production systems. The ideal candidate will be comfortable engaging in strategic discussions with Product Owners to distill the most valuable features, and will bring a strong track record in defining, continuously measuring, and visualizing metrics that help assess whether the implementation is driving progress toward business goals.

The squads work with modern technologies including React, React Native, Java, Spring Boot, SQL, and AWS, depending on the domain. Familiarity with distributed systems architecture, microservices, and high‑availability environments is highly desirable, especially for roles closer to backend and execution layers. We value engineering leaders who foster a culture of ownership, collaboration, and continuous improvement, and who can guide their teams through complex technical and product challenges with clarity and purpose.

Role Accountabilities

• Strategic Direction: Conduct strategy sessions and document actionable plans with clear OKRs for solution delivery.
• Project Efficiency: Implement frequent review processes to evaluate squad performance, using tools like productivity metrics and feedback surveys. Cultivate strong relationships and track engagement through feedback scores.
• Mentorship: Schedule mentoring sessions with junior squad members and track improvements in performance through frequent assessments.
• Team Composition: Assess squad composition frequent to ensure alignment with business needs, aiming for skill diversity.
• Documentation: Facilitate code, schedule design review meetings and process documentation. Conduct frequent audits to ensure compliance.
• Squad Performance Development: Responsible for overseeing the development and advancement of direct reports using the skill progression framework, ensuring frequent one‑on‑one meetings and monitoring development plans.
• Communication: Host frequent squad meetings with documented agendas, schedule 1:1’s with squad members and ensure productivity within the squad.
• Recruitment & Onboarding: Take part in frequent review processes to identify and elevate resource needs, ensure SLAs are met, run interviews and own & iterate the Squad onboarding documentation.

Skills

• Delivers squad objectives on time, to quality and often beyond expectation.
• Drives continuous improvement throughout the development life cycle and is always looking at opportunities to improve our processes.
• Focuses on achieving business results for others, with a focus on maximizing the success of their squad.
• Nurtures high performing culture within their squad.
• Able to introduce new skills to their squad through personal experience, external networks or hiring top talent.
• Experience in technology management roles within large‑scale, regulated environments—ideally in Investment, Asset or Wealth Management.
• Track record of managing and scaling high‑performing software engineering teams, balancing delivery and innovation.
• Strong engineering background with the ability to communicate decisions to both technical and non‑technical stakeholders.
• Client‑ and product‑focused mindset, with experience partnering closely with Product Managers and business teams.
• You embrace ambiguity, foster collaboration, and promote psychological safety to help teams navigate change.
• Good stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence and align cross‑functional teams.

Why us?

Here at HL, we’re the UK’s number 1 investment platform for private investors, based in Bristol. For more than 40 years we’ve helped investors save time, tax and money on their investments.

To achieve our mission, we believe we have a workplace like no other, with constant learning, dynamic teams, and a great ethos. We're steered by core values that promote service, quality, innovation, and opportunity in everything we do.

What's on offer?

• Discretionary annual bonus * and annual pay review
• 25 days * holiday plus bank holidays and 1‑day additional Christmas closure
• Option to purchase an additional 5 days holiday **
• Flexible working options available, including hybrid working
• Enhanced parental leave
• Pension scheme up to 11% employer contribution
• Income Protection and Life insurance (4 × salary core level of cover)
• Private medical insurance*
• Health care cash plans – including optical, dental, and out patient care
• Health screening programme
• Help@hand – confidential support including mental health counselling and remote GP
• Wellhub – unlimited access to fitness provider s and w ellness c oach sessions
• Variety of travel to work schemes with bike storage and shower facilities
• Inhouse barista and deli serving subsidised coffee and sandwiches
• T wo paid volunteering days per year

* dependant on role level

** only available to select during our annual benefits window, in November each year

Hargreaves Lansdown is an inclusive employer that values diversity in its workforce. We encourage applications from all individuals without regard to race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, disability or age.

This role may also be available on a flexible working or part time basis – please ask the Recruitment & Onboarding team for more information.

Please note, we are unable to provide employment sponsorship to candidates.