At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead a team to resolve complex technical issues and ensure rapid incident response.
- Company: Join Actian, an innovative company making waves in data management.
- Benefits: Enjoy competitive salary, flexible work options, and professional growth opportunities.
- Other info: Collaborate with a passionate team and thrive in a culture of innovation.
- Why this job: Make a real impact while working with cutting-edge technology in a dynamic environment.
- Qualifications: Strong background in software engineering and experience in high-pressure situations.
The predicted salary is between 70000 - 85000 £ per year.
The Sustaining Engineering Team is our engineering organization’s frontline vanguard and critical escalation function. It is responsible for triaging, qualifying, and driving the resolution of complex technical issues escalated by sales engineers, customers, and our support organization. We are looking for a Sustaining Engineering Lead who will own this function end-to-end. You are not a passive dispatcher; you are a proactive, technical driver who thrives on solving complex system anomalies, possesses a deep sense of urgency, and commands a high-agency mindset. You will lead a rotating squad of engineers, act as the organization's Incident Manager, and enforce strict metrics to ensure our most critical product issues are solved rapidly and permanently.
Operations & Escalation Management
- End-to-End Ownership: Oversee the entire ticket lifecycle from initial triage to verified production deployment.
- Triage & Assignment: Ensure all incoming escalations are immediately assigned to an owner with zero gaps in response times.
- Strict Qualification: Enforce a structured assessment of every issue to verify reproducibility, severity, workarounds, and whether it is a true defect or a feature gap.
Team Leadership & Rotation
- Schedule Management: Organize and optimize the rolling, staggered schedule for engineers rotating into the squad from feature teams.
- Continuous Accountability: Ensure rotating engineers maintain full ownership of their assigned tickets until resolved, even after their rotation cycle ends.
- Technical Anchor: Guide the rotating team through deep-dive debugging of the Actian Data Intelligence Platform.
Incident & Stakeholder Coordination
- Incident Commander: Lead the engineering response during critical, high-severity platform outages to drive rapid resolution.
- Cross-Functional Bridge: Act as the primary link between Engineering, Support, Customer Success, and Product teams, joining customer calls when high-level technical input is needed.
Metrics & Delivery Tracking
- Data-Driven Optimization: Track and report on key operational metrics (Response Time, Qualification Time, Ready State) to eliminate bottlenecks.
- Deployment Verification: Track fixes through the CI/CD pipeline to confirm they are successfully deployed live to production.
Qualifications & Profile
- Technical Background: Strong background in Software Engineering, Site Reliability Engineering (SRE), or Tier 3 Support Engineering, ideally working with complex SaaS architectures, data platforms, or distributed systems.
- Extreme Ownership: Exceptional proactive behaviour. You do not wait for things to happen; you anticipate bottlenecks, push through complexity, and exhibit a relentless sense of accountability.
- Incident Command: Proven experience managing high-pressure situations, production outages, and critical enterprise customer escalations with calm, decisive, and communicative leadership.
- Process & Tooling Mastery: Deep expertise in issue tracking workflows (Jira), version control development panels (GitHub), CI/CD pipelines, and modern monitoring tools.
- Communication: Exceptional verbal and written English communication skills. Ability to translate deeply technical anomalies into clear business impact for both internal executives and enterprise clients.
- Savvy on using AI for detecting and triaging incidents.
What We Offer:
- The chance to be part of an innovative, fast-growing company making a significant impact in the data management space.
- Collaboration with a passionate and diverse team.
- Competitive salary and benefits package.
- Flexible work arrangements (remote or hybrid).
- Opportunities for professional growth and development.
Why Join Us? At Actian, we are passionate about innovation and teamwork. This role is perfect for someone who thrives in a dynamic environment, loves creating an efficient and welcoming workspace, and enjoys working closely with a talented team.
Interested? We’d love to hear from you! Let’s discuss how you can contribute to our success while growing your career with us.
Sustaining Engineering Lead [gn] Data Intelligence Platform in Exeter employer: Actian
Actian is an exceptional employer that champions innovation and collaboration in a fully remote environment, allowing you to work from anywhere while leading the development of cutting-edge data management solutions. With a strong focus on employee growth, Actian offers competitive compensation, a culture that values diversity, and the opportunity to shape the future of AI-driven products alongside talented cross-functional teams. Join us to not only advance your career but also to make a meaningful impact in the world of data intelligence.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Sustaining Engineering Lead [gn] Data Intelligence Platform in Exeter
✨Join Local Tech Meetups
Get out there and mingle with fellow developers by joining local tech meetups. It’s a fantastic way to meet people who might be working at Actian or know someone who does. Plus, you can pick up some trendy tech skills and trends while you're at it!
✨Contribute to Open Source Projects
Show off your coding chops by jumping into open-source projects. Not only does this give you practical experience, but it also gets you noticed in the dev community. You'll create a killer portfolio that speaks volumes about your skills to Actian.
✨Tap into Online Developer Communities
Don’t underestimate the power of online developer communities like GitHub, Stack Overflow, and even Reddit. Participate in discussions, share your projects, and build your visibility. We can often find opportunities through these channels that can lead to a full-time gig at companies like Actian.
✨Explore Job Boards Specifically for Tech Roles
Keep your eyes peeled on job boards that focus on tech roles. Sites like TechCareers or Stack Overflow Jobs can often have listings for companies like Actian that might not show up on broader job sites. Make it a habit to check these regularly, and don’t hesitate to apply directly through our website!
We think you need these skills to ace Sustaining Engineering Lead [gn] Data Intelligence Platform in Exeter
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show off your coding skills:When applying for a software engineering role, it's super important to showcase your coding skills. Make sure your CV includes your tech stack, any relevant programming languages you’re comfortable with, and examples of projects you've worked on. If you have a GitHub profile, link it up! We love to see code in action.
Tailor your portfolio:For a full-time role, we’d expect to see some solid examples of your work in your portfolio. Make sure to include at least two or three projects that highlight your problem-solving skills and your ability to work with different technologies. Focus on the projects that are most relevant to the position at Actian.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Actian and how your skills align with the role. Show us your passion for software development. We dig enthusiastic candidates who understand the value of collaboration and continuous learning!
Be clear and concise:When it comes to writing your CV and cover letter, clarity is key. Avoid jargon that could confuse us and stick to simple, direct language. Highlight your achievements with quantifiable results where possible, and keep everything easy to read. A well-organised application goes a long way!
How to prepare for a job interview at Actian
✨Brush Up on Your Coding Skills
For a full-time software engineering role, it's crucial that we stay sharp with our coding abilities. Expect technical questions that might involve solving problems on the spot or discussing algorithms. Practise on platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank to get comfortable with the types of questions that often come up.
✨Know Your Tools and Frameworks
Make sure we’re well-acquainted with the tools and technologies listed in the job description. Familiarise ourselves with any specific frameworks or programming languages mentioned. If Actian uses React or Node.js, for instance, be ready to discuss how we’ve used them in previous projects or coursework.
✨Showcase Your Projects
Bring along a portfolio that highlights our best work. This could be code samples, GitHub repositories, or any side projects we’ve built. Make sure we can talk through our thought process for each project, especially the challenges we faced and how we solved them—this shows our problem-solving skills in action.
✨Prepare for Behavioural Questions
While technical skills are key, full-time positions also require cultural fit. Be ready to discuss our previous experiences and how we handle teamwork, conflict, and deadlines. Brush up on the STAR method—Situation, Task, Action, Result—to clearly articulate our past experiences when discussing how we've contributed to a team.
