Software Engineering Manager - UCX (Web)

We're building the next generation platform for one of the UK's largest financial services companies, trusted by over 2 million clients and managing c.£150 billion in assets. This is your opportunity to shape technology that will redefine how people invest and achieve financial freedom.

You will build our green field next generation Unified Client Experience (UCX) frontend and web applications that will streamline client journeys across a range of products and services. It's an exciting opportunity to design, architect and build a modern frontend from scratch using React, AWS technologies and latest design patterns including micro front ends, module federation and industry best practices to modernize and transform our savings and investment platform.

The UCX team consolidates the efforts of the whole organisation, transforming client journeys and delivering on HL's vision to give people financial freedom. You will work with like-minded people from business, product and engineering functions to develop and refine client journeys covering onboarding, KYC, account management and investment workflows in a secure and compliant environment.

By joining us, you'll help deliver innovative and scalable solutions that make investing easier and more accessible to millions of users across the UK. Be part of HL's future. Be part of the future of investing. Shape it with us.

What You'll Be Doing

• Leadership & People Management
  • Recruit, lead, and develop an agile team of 5-7 front-end and web engineers (React) across a mix of seniority levels.
  • Own people management responsibilities including hiring, onboarding, line management, performance management, coaching, mentoring, and career development.
  • Foster a collaborative, inclusive, and high-performance team culture focused on continuous improvement and psychological safety.
• Technical Leadership & Delivery
  • Provide hands-on technical leadership for the design and delivery of greenfield front-end web applications using React and AWS technology stack. Solid experience & knowledge of React and Web development is a must-have.
  • Define and uphold front-end engineering standards, best practices, and architectural principles.
  • Lead technical decision-making, balancing short-term delivery needs with long-term maintainability and scalability.
  • Ensure applications are performant, accessible, secure, and compliant with relevant standards and regulations.
• Platform & Integration
  • Lead the integration of front-end platforms with backend services using GraphQL APIs, and third-party systems to deliver seamless end-to-end user experiences.
  • Collaborate with backend, platform, and DevOps teams to ensure well-designed interfaces and reliable deployments.
• Ways of Working & Quality
  • Take ownership of the agile software development lifecycle, including backlog refinement, Scrum ceremonies, CI/CD pipelines, release processes, and production deployments.
  • Promote iterative delivery with a strong focus on customer outcomes, rapid feedback loops, and measurable value.
  • Ensure high code quality through code reviews, automated testing, and shared ownership of technical outcomes.
• Stakeholder Collaboration
  • Work closely with Product Managers, Designers, and business stakeholders to align technical delivery with product strategy and customer needs.
  • Communicate technical concepts, trade-offs, and progress clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.

About You

• 10+ years of commercial experience building web and front-end applications and at least 4+ years leading engineering teams.
• High proficiency in React and AWS cloud technology stack is essential, with a strong grasp of front-end design patterns and best practices.
• Proven hands-on software engineering background across modern web technologies, including JavaScript, HTML, CSS, and React-based frameworks.
• Strong understanding of modern front-end architecture, including state management, routing, navigation, performance optimisation, module federation, microservice architecture and accessibility standards.
• Experience designing and maintaining CI/CD pipelines, using version control effectively, and working within modern development workflows.
• Solid understanding of secure API integration, authentication and authorisation flows, and modern UI architecture (GraphQL experience preferred).
• Comfortable leading design implementation and collaborating closely with Product and Design teams, using tools such as Figma to translate concepts into high-quality user interfaces.
• Experience working in cloud-native environments, including AWS, Docker, and Kubernetes, with familiarity in observability and monitoring tools such as Prometheus and Grafana.
• Strong advocate for quality and security, embedding automated testing, code quality checks, and security scanning into development pipelines.
• Passionate about mentoring and developing engineers through coaching, code reviews, and fostering a culture of continuous learning and improvement.
• Proven experience in leading high performing engineering teams in fast paced environments and well versed in line management duties.
• Able to thrive in fast-paced, regulated environments where delivery speed, quality, compliance, and innovation must be carefully balanced.
• Strong communication and articulation skills, capable of independently navigating an organization and able to negotiate and lead discussions to develop consensus across various levels and departments.

Interview Process

• 3 Stage Interview
• Stage 1 - Discussion with our Hiring Manager (30 mins): A chance to talk with our Hiring Manager in more detail about the role, our tech stack and some of the problems we solve every day. Here, we'll dig a bit more into some of your experiences, understand the processes you're familiar with and the technologies you've used to deliver end user value.
• Stage 2 - Technical Assessment (70 mins): For the technical part, we'd like you to sit down with some of your potential peers to work through a technical design solution. This is to assess your technology depth including technical design/architecture knowledge, familiarity with design patterns, analytical skills and knowledge of web technology stack.
• Stage 3 - Final Round - Architecture, Leadership & Culture fit (60 - 80 mins): In this round you will be assessed on your overall architecture and technical skill, your leadership experience and our cultural fit.

Salary & Package

We offer a competitive salary of up to £115,000, depending on experience, alongside a generous performance-based bonus scheme. Your total reward package includes:

• Up to 19% pension contribution - helping you plan confidently for the future
• Private medical insurance - giving you peace of mind and access to top-tier healthcare
• A wide range of excellent benefits, from lifestyle perks to wellbeing support, designed to help you thrive both in and out of work

We believe in recognising and rewarding the impact you make - and ensuring you feel valued every step of the way.

Working Schedule

We're based in the stunning Paddington Central offices at 4 Kingdom Street, a modern workspace designed to energise your day and elevate collaboration.

What Makes It Special

• Landscaped rooftop gardens - perfect for a breath of fresh air or informal catch-ups.
• London's highest rooftop basketball court - yes, really!
• Wellness amenities including showers, lockers, hairdryers, and fresh towels.
• Cyclist-friendly with secure bike storage and drying rooms.
• Stylish lounge areas, booths, and breakout spaces for focused work or relaxed chats.
• Canalside location near Little Venice, with floating restaurants, coffee shops, and a seasonal pop-up garden bar.
• Unbeatable transport links - just steps from Paddington Station and the Elizabeth Line.

We embrace a hybrid working model that gives you the best of both worlds: 1-2 days a week in the office to connect, collaborate, and enjoy everything the space has to offer. Remote flexibility for deep focus, work-life balance, and personal productivity.

This is a full-time role, working 37.5 hours per week, Monday to Friday.