Software Engineering Manager

Sanderson; Greater London; On-site; GBP 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Sanderson is seeking a Tech Lead / Engineering Manager for a London-based backend team working on core wealth services. The role combines people leadership with technical direction in a Greenfield transformation project, with a focus on secure, scalable backend services and strong collaboration with product and business stakeholders.

The ideal candidate will lead a backend engineering team, define technical standards, and drive delivery while mentoring engineers and aligning work with business

Qualifications

• Experience leading backend engineering teams
• Strong software engineering background to guide architecture
• Agile delivery experience in large/complex orgs
• Ability to explain architecture and trade-offs to non-technical stakeholders
• Collaborative approach to ambiguity and clarity

Responsibilities

• Line manage and develop a backend team, including hiring and performance reviews
• Set technical direction, scope and engineering standards
• Lead prioritisation and capacity planning to deliver on time
• Own delivery and improvement of services ensuring security, efficiency and scalability
• Drive code quality, security, performance and CI/CD
• Collaborate with product managers and stakeholders to design client-focused solutions
• Use data and metrics to guide technical decisions and delivery

Skills

People leadership

Backend engineering

Architecture decisions

Agile delivery

Stakeholder collaboration

Tools

TypeScript

Java

AWS

CI/CD

Containers

NoSQL/SQL

Job description

Contract: Tech Lead / Engineering Manager – Backend (TypeScript / Java, AWS)

• Location: London - 1x Day Per Week Onsite
• Programme: Greenfield Middle-Office Transformation
• Length: 6 months initial + further extensions (long term programme)

A leading UK wealth and investment platform is hiring a Tech Lead / Engineering Manager for a backend engineering team working on its core wealth services. The business looks after more than £100bn of assets for over a million investors, and this team plays a central part in a major transformation of those services.

This is a combined people and technical leadership role, suited to an experienced Engineering Manager or a Tech Lead who already mentors or manages engineers and is ready to take on a formal management role.

People leadership:

• Line manage and develop a team of backend engineers, covering hiring, 1:1s, performance and career development
• Build an inclusive team culture based on collaboration, continuous learning and psychological safety
• Keep the team aligned with business goals and clear on how its work contributes to them

Technical leadership and delivery:

• Set the team's technical direction, including scope, technology choices and engineering standards
• Lead prioritisation and capacity planning so the team delivers high-quality work on time
• Own the delivery and ongoing improvement of the team's services, making sure they are secure, efficient and scalable
• Drive improvements in code quality, security, performance and CI/CD
• Work with product managers and other technical and business stakeholders to design solutions that deliver better outcomes for clients and colleagues
• Use data and metrics to guide technical decisions and delivery

About you:

• Experience leading backend engineering teams, either as an Engineering Manager or as a Tech Lead with people leadership responsibility
• A strong software engineering background, with the depth to guide architecture and design decisions
• Agile delivery experience within a large or complex organisation
• The ability to explain architecture and technical trade-offs clearly to non-technical stakeholders
• A collaborative approach to working through ambiguity and bringing clarity to complex problems

Technical background

Experience with most of the following is desirable: TypeScript, Java, AWS and wider cloud architecture, event-driven and microservices architecture, containers, relational and NoSQL databases, TDD/BDD and CI/CD.

The business has a culture built on growth, inclusion and flexibility, and welcomes applications from people looking for part-time, job-share or flexible working arrangements. Candidates who meet most, but not all, of the above are encouraged to apply.