At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead and mentor a dynamic engineering team while tackling complex technical challenges.
- Company: Join an innovative organisation with a clear vision for growth and excellence.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, flexible work options, and opportunities for professional development.
- Other info: Fast-paced environment with a culture of collaboration and continuous learning.
- Why this job: Make a real impact by shaping the future of our platform with cutting-edge technology.
- Qualifications: 5+ years in full-stack development, strong leadership skills, and experience with AWS and Node.js.
The predicted salary is between 80000 - 100000 £ per year.
We’re looking for an experienced engineering leader who combines strong technical expertise with a proactive, ownership-driven mindset.
As a Lead Engineer, you'll play a pivotal role within the Engineering team, providing technical leadership, influencing architectural direction, and setting high standards for engineering excellence.
This is a hands‑on leadership position where you'll work closely with the Director of Product Engineering to shape the technical strategy, establish engineering best practices, and tackle the complex challenges that have the greatest impact on the platform and customers.
It’s an exciting time to join the Organisation.
We’ve established a solid platform, have a clear vision for the future, and are looking for someone who is excited to help drive the next stage of growth.
The successful candidate will be experienced in full stack engineering utilizing Java, AWS, and Node. js.
This role is perfectly suited to a Lead Engineer who wants to remain hands‑on coding, whilst providing technical leadership/mentoring and assisting in architecture and technical strategy.
Responsibilities Include
- Technical Leadership & Architecture
- Lead architectural decision‑making to ensure the platform remains scalable, secure, maintainable and resilient.
- Serve as the technical authority for complex engineering challenges, providing hands‑on leadership and guidance.
- Advocate for modern software engineering practices, including AI‑assisted development, automation and continuous improvement.
- Establish and maintain high standards for code quality, engineering processes and peer review across the team.
- Delivery & Engineering Excellence
- Remain actively involved in development by designing, writing, reviewing and maintaining production code.
- Improve engineering efficiency through better tooling, reusable patterns and simplified technical approaches.
- Contribute to delivery planning and estimation, ensuring technical considerations support predictable outcomes.
- Identify, prioritise and reduce technical debt using a pragmatic and commercially balanced approach.
- Partner closely with the Director of Product Engineering to translate product strategy into scalable technical solutions.
- Collaborate with Product Management to evaluate technical feasibility, communicate trade‑offs and influence roadmap planning.
- Work directly with customers when appropriate to better understand product usage, technical challenges and future requirements.
- Team Development
- Mentor and support engineers across the team, helping to develop technical capability and confidence.
- Foster a culture centred around accountability, engineering quality, collaboration and continuous learning.
- What We’re Looking For
- 5+ years’ experience in full‑stack software development, including significant experience operating at Senior or Lead Engineer level.
- Experience designing and developing serverless solutions on AWS.
- Commercial experience in Node. js
- Demonstrated ability to independently lead technical initiatives across multiple teams or workstreams with minimal supervision.
- Experience designing, implementing and owning architecture decisions within production environments.
- A proven track record of improving engineering quality and delivery through practical, iterative improvements.
- Experience adopting and promoting modern engineering practices, including AI‑assisted development tools such as Git Hub Copilot, Cursor or Claude Code.
- Comfortable working within fast‑paced environments where priorities evolve and pragmatic decision‑making is essential.
- Nice to Have
- Familiarity with vector databases and Retrieval‑Augmented Generation (RAG) architectures.
- Experience working with containerised applications and modern CI/CD pipelines.
- AWS certifications, including Solutions Architect or Machine Learning Specialty.
- #J-18808-Ljbffr
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Software Engineering Manager in Manchester
✨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 AGS 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 AGS.
✨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 AGS.
✨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 AGS 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 Software Engineering Manager in Manchester
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 AGS.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at AGS 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 AGS
✨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 AGS 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.
