Software Engineering Manager - Warehouse Platform

Marks and Spencer; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 100,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

20% colleague discount

Holiday allowance with buy option

Discretionary bonus schemes

Pension and life assurance

Induction and training

M&S Choices perks portal

Family policies

Wellbeing support

Volunteer day

Job summary

Marks & Spencer is seeking a Senior Software Engineering Lead to drive the design, delivery and operation of scalable software across our digital platforms. You will mentor engineers, shape technical roadmaps and uphold high standards in reliability, observability and performance.

The role focuses on building high-performing teams, advancing engineering practices, and aligning technical work with business goals in a hybrid London-based environment.

Qualifications

• Hands-on software engineer with senior experience.
• Experience leading high-performing teams of senior engineers.
• Strong understanding of system design and cloud engineering.
• Commitment to DevOps, SRE and lifecycle ownership.
• Excellent leadership and stakeholder communication.

Responsibilities

• Build, mentor and lead high-performing software engineering teams.
• Oversee planning and delivery of high-quality software solutions.
• Provide technical leadership and shape roadmaps.
• Drive operational excellence and Elite DORA/SRE mindset.
• Ensure reliable, observable and well-tested systems.
• Collaborate with Product, Design and Delivery teams.

Skills

Polyglot engineer

Team leadership

Software architecture

DevOps

Tools

Azure Cloud

Dynatrace

GraphQL Federation

Job description

As part of the M&S Software Engineering team, you’ll be joining a well-loved historic brand, working on solutions that serve millions of loyal customers and thousands of colleagues. With ethical values at the heart of the business and technology leaders who truly understand software engineering, it’s an exciting time as we continue to redefine ourselves as a digital-first, engineering-led organisation.

What You’ll Do

Your key accountabilities will include:

• Build, mentor and lead high-performing software engineering teams, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, accountability and continuous improvement while effectively managing people, resources and priorities.


• Oversee the planning and delivery of high-quality software solutions, ensuring alignment with business objectives, customer outcomes and timelines while proactively managing risks and dependencies.


• Provide technical leadership across complex initiatives, working with senior engineers to shape technical roadmaps, establish engineering standards and evaluate technologies that improve software quality and delivery.


• Drive operational excellence and team maturity, progressing towards or maintaining Elite DORA standards and embedding a strong Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) and “you build it, you run it” mindset.


• Ensure solutions are reliable, resilient and performant, with strong testing, observability, alerting and key metrics built into delivery to support effective incident management and continuous improvement.


• Partner closely with Product, Design, Delivery and wider technology teams, making effective use of shared platforms and balancing technical investment with commercial priorities to maximise business value.

Who You Are

Your skills and experience will include:

• A strong hands-on software engineering background, ideally as a senior polyglot engineer, with experience delivering highly scalable web, backend and distributed software solutions.


• Proven experience building, leading and developing high-performing teams of senior software engineers that consistently deliver high-quality products and services.


• Excellent understanding of system design, software architecture, cloud engineering and modern software development practices across a variety of systems and technologies.


• Strong knowledge of DevOps, testing strategies, Site Reliability Engineering and operational excellence, with a clear commitment to owning software throughout its lifecycle.


• Excellent people leadership, communication, analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to influence senior technical and non-technical stakeholders.


• A collaborative, servant-leadership mindset, with the ability to lead senior engineers and technical partners towards successful outcomes without prescribing every detail.

Tech Stack

M&S uses a variety of technologies, including:

• React, Next.js and TypeScript


• Java


• Kotlin


• Swift


• GraphQL Federation


• Azure Cloud


• Dynatrace for observability

Desirable Experience

• Knowledge of software engineering approaches such as Domain-Driven Design, alongside advanced cloud engineering experience.


• Experience leading engineering communities, sharing technical knowledge through internal or external events, and an interest in open-source contribution, technology writing or speaking.


• Evidence of entrepreneurial thinking and innovation, with experience identifying opportunities and driving meaningful technical or organisational improvements.

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.