Engineering Manager (Backend) in Croydon

Engineering Manager (Backend) in Croydon

Croydon Full-Time 70000 - 90000 £ / year (est.) No working from home possible
Allianz Partners

At a Glance

  • Tasks: Lead and mentor backend engineering teams to deliver innovative data solutions.
  • Company: Join Allianz, a global leader in insurance and asset management.
  • Benefits: Enjoy flexible work-life balance, health programs, and career development opportunities.
  • Other info: Embrace a culture of inclusion and continuous improvement while growing your career.
  • Why this job: Make a real impact by shaping the future of technology in a supportive environment.
  • Qualifications: 8+ years in software engineering with leadership experience in backend teams.

The predicted salary is between 70000 - 90000 £ per year.

We are looking for an experienced

Engineering Manager (Backend) to lead the people, delivery, and operational excellence behind our backend engineering organisation within the Advanced Analytics (DA3) function.

In this role, you’ll oversee teams building the foundational backend capabilities that power data, analytics, AI, and digital products across the organisation.

  • You’ll lead a diverse backend engineering population spanning both
  • Java/Spring Boot and

Python/Fast API ecosystems, helping scale high-performing teams while enabling consistent engineering standards, developer productivity, and reliable service delivery.

This is a leadership role focused on people management, team growth, hiring, workforce planning, and delivery excellence .

You will work closely with senior technical leaders who own architecture and engineering standards, ensuring teams have the structure, capacity, and support required to deliver at scale.

  • What You’ll Do
  • Lead and Grow High-Performing Engineering Teams
  • Manage, mentor, and develop backend engineering teams across multiple disciplines and technology stacks.
  • Drive hiring, onboarding, performance management, career development, succession planning, and employee engagement.
  • Support Engineering Leads and senior engineers in their growth as technical and team leaders.
  • Foster a strong engineering culture focused on collaboration, continuous improvement, accountability, and inclusion.
  • Build Organisational Capacity
  • Own workforce planning and capacity management across Java and Python engineering teams.
  • Partner with senior stakeholders to align team structures, skill mix, and hiring plans with business priorities.
  • Ensure teams are appropriately staffed to meet evolving product and platform demands.
  • Enable Engineering Excellence
  • Partner with technical leaders responsible for backend frameworks, microservice foundations, API standards, testing practices, and developer tooling.
  • Support the adoption and consistent implementation of engineering standards across backend teams.
  • Help drive continuous improvement initiatives that enhance quality, scalability, and developer productivity.
  • Drive Delivery and Cross-Functional Collaboration
  • Work closely with engineering, product, AI, platform, and frontend leadership to ensure aligned delivery plans and priorities.
  • Facilitate cross-team planning, dependency management, and continuous improvement activities.
  • Contribute delivery, quality, and organisational metrics to senior leadership discussions.
  • Support change management and release planning processes within a regulated enterprise environment.
  • Talent Acquisition and Team Development
  • Lead structured recruitment processes for backend engineering and engineering leadership positions.
  • Establish consistent interview and assessment practices that maintain a high hiring bar.
  • Build strong onboarding, coaching, and career development programmes to support employee growth and retention.
  • What You’ll Bring

Experience

  • 8+ years of software engineering experience with at least 3 years in an engineering leadership or people management role.
  • Proven experience leading backend or full-stack engineering teams in modern software delivery environments.
  • Track record managing multiple teams and supporting engineers at different career stages.
  • Experience with performance management, career frameworks, talent development, and organisational planning.
  • Strong background in hiring, interviewing, and scaling engineering teams.
  • Technical Understanding

You Do Not Need To Be The Technical Decision Maker, But You Should Have Strong Technical Credibility Across Modern Backend Engineering Practices, Including

  • Java and Spring Boot applications at enterprise scale.
  • Python and Fast API-based services.
  • Microservice architectures and distributed systems.
  • API design, versioning, and integration patterns.
  • Event-driven architectures using Kafka or similar technologies.
  • Kubernetes-based deployments and cloud-native delivery models.
  • CI/CD practices, Git Hub Actions, Git Ops, and Argo CD.
  • Leadership Skills
  • Coaching-first leadership style with a focus on empowering technical experts.
  • Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.
  • Ability to influence across multiple teams and organisational boundaries.
  • Strong problem-solving and prioritisation capabilities.
  • Experience operating in complex, matrixed, or chapter-based organisations.

What We Offer

Our employees play an integral part in our success as a business.

We appreciate that each of our employees are unique and have unique needs, ambitions and we enjoy being a part of their journey.

We are there to empower and encourage you with your personal and professional development ensuring that you take control by offering a large variety of courses and targeted development programs.

All that in a global environment where international mobility and career progression are encouraged.

Caring for your health and wellbeing is key priority for us.

This is why we build Work Well programs to providing you with peace of mind and give the flexibility in planning and arranging for a better work-life balance.

At Allianz we use some AI-assisted technology as part of our recruitment process to help match candidates to roles based on skills, experience, job title, and location.

AI supports our recruiters by enhancing the efficiency and accuracy of candidate assessments and job recommendations, while all applications are reviewed by our recruitment team and final hiring decisions are made by humans.

103171 | Data & AI | Professional | Allianz Executive | Allianz Partners | Full-Time | Permanent

Allianz Group is one of the most trusted insurance and asset management companies in the world.

Caring for our employees, their ambitions, dreams and challenges is what makes us a unique employer.

We are united by a shared commitment: to put our customers first and at the center of everything we do.

Their needs inspire our thinking and guide our actions.

Together, we can build an environment where everyone feels empowered and confident to explore, grow and shape a better future – for our customers and for the world around us.

At Allianz, we stand for unity: we believe that a united world is a more prosperous world, and we are dedicated to consistently advocating for equal opportunities for all.

The foundation for this is our inclusive workplace, where people and performance both matter, and where integrity, fairness, inclusion and trust are at the heart of our culture.

We therefore welcome applications regardless of race, ethnicity or cultural background, age, gender, nationality, religion, social class, disability or sexual orientation, or any other characteristics protected under applicable local laws and regulations.

Join us.

Let’s care for tomorrow.

Note: Having different strengths, experiences, perspectives and approaches is an integral part of Allianz's company culture.

One means to achieve this is a regular rotation of Allianz employees across functions, Allianz entities and geographies.

Therefore, Allianz expects from its employees a general openness and a high motivation to regularly change positions and collect experiences across Allianz Group.

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Engineering Manager (Backend) in Croydon employer: Allianz Partners

Allianz Partners is an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work environment in Budock Water where experienced vehicle technicians can thrive. With competitive pay, including a base salary of up to £41,200 and bonuses, employees benefit from a strong focus on professional growth, flexible working arrangements, and a commitment to customer care and safety. Join a team that values your skills and provides opportunities for meaningful contributions in roadside assistance.

Allianz Partners

Contact Details:

Allianz Partners Recruitment Team

StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫

We think this is how you could land Engineering Manager (Backend) in Croydon

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 Allianz Partners 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 Allianz Partners.

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 Allianz Partners.

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 Allianz Partners 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 Engineering Manager (Backend) in Croydon

Backend Engineering
Java
Spring Boot
Python
FastAPI
Microservice Architectures
API Design

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 Allianz Partners.

Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Allianz Partners 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 Allianz Partners

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 Allianz Partners 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.