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- Tasks: Lead the development of a groundbreaking financial platform and set engineering standards.
- Company: Global financial services organisation with a focus on innovation.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, hands-on role, and opportunity to shape technology solutions.
- Other info: Work in a dynamic environment with global teams and cutting-edge technology.
- Why this job: Make a significant impact by building a critical system from the ground up.
- Qualifications: 15+ years in engineering, deep Java expertise, and strong architecture skills.
The predicted salary is between 130000 - 130000 £ per year.
We’re partnered with a global financial services organisation hiring a Director-level Principal Engineer to lead the build of a greenfield, mission-critical platform. This is an excellent opportunity for a hands-on engineering leader who thrives in agile environments and enjoys solving complex business challenges through scalable, secure, and resilient technology solutions. You’ll play a key role in shaping engineering standards, leading talented teams, and delivering critical systems end-to-end. This is a hands-on, individual contributor role with major influence—owning architecture, driving technical direction, and shaping a next-generation Corporate Actions engine from the ground up.
What you’ll do:
- Own architecture and design for a large-scale, distributed platform
- Lead hands-on engineering of a greenfield system end-to-end
- Set engineering standards and influence technical direction
- Drive best practice across microservices, APIs, data, and DevOps
- Partner across global teams to deliver a critical enterprise platform
What you bring:
- 15+ years engineering experience, operating at Principal level
- Deep Java (Spring Boot) expertise in microservices environments
- Strong architecture experience across scalable, distributed systems
- Experience with messaging (Kafka / MQ), data modelling, and APIs
- Solid DevOps: CI/CD, containers, cloud platforms
- Hands-on AI/ML experience and integrating AI into solutions
- Background in financial services (ideally Corporate Actions or post-trade)
- Ability to influence without authority in complex organisations
Tech stack: Java, Spring Boot, Angular, Kafka, Oracle, Docker, CI/CD tooling
A rare opportunity to build a critical platform from scratch while operating at the highest level of technical leadership—without people management.
Engineering Director in Manchester employer: Burns Sheehan
Contact Detail:
Burns Sheehan Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Engineering Director in Manchester
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to your connections in the industry, especially those who might know about opportunities at companies you're interested in. A personal referral can make all the difference in getting your foot in the door.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by brushing up on your technical skills and understanding the latest trends in engineering. We recommend doing mock interviews with friends or using online platforms to simulate the real deal. Confidence is key!
✨Tip Number 3
Showcase your hands-on experience! When discussing your past projects, focus on the impact you made and the technologies you used. This is your chance to shine and demonstrate how you can lead the build of a greenfield platform.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! We’ve got loads of resources to help you land that dream job, and applying directly can give you an edge. Plus, it shows you’re genuinely interested in joining our team.
We think you need these skills to ace Engineering Director in Manchester
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV reflects the skills and experience mentioned in the job description. Highlight your hands-on engineering experience, especially with Java and microservices, to show us you’re the right fit for this role.
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: Use your cover letter to tell us why you’re passionate about building scalable platforms. Share specific examples of how you've influenced technical direction in previous roles, as we love to see that kind of initiative!
Showcase Your Technical Skills: Don’t just list your skills; demonstrate them! If you’ve worked with technologies like Kafka, Docker, or AI/ML, give us a brief insight into how you’ve applied these in real-world scenarios. We want to see your expertise in action!
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way for us to receive your application and ensures you don’t miss out on any important updates from our team. Let’s get started on this journey together!
How to prepare for a job interview at Burns Sheehan
✨Know Your Tech Stack Inside Out
Make sure you’re well-versed in the technologies mentioned in the job description, especially Java, Spring Boot, and microservices. Be prepared to discuss your hands-on experience with these tools and how you've used them to solve complex problems in previous roles.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Style
Even though this role doesn’t involve direct people management, it’s crucial to demonstrate your ability to influence and lead teams. Prepare examples of how you've driven technical direction and set engineering standards in past projects, particularly in agile environments.
✨Prepare for Scenario-Based Questions
Expect questions that assess your problem-solving skills and architectural thinking. Think about specific challenges you've faced in building scalable systems and how you approached them. Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure your answers.
✨Understand the Business Context
Since this role is within financial services, brush up on industry-specific knowledge, especially around Corporate Actions. Being able to connect your technical expertise to business outcomes will show that you understand the bigger picture and can deliver value.