Software Engineering Manager - Capabilities in City of Westminster

We are seeking a passionate Software Engineering Manager to lead our SEO & Experimentation engineering teams — two capabilities that directly impact customer experience, conversion, and growth. You will manage a full-stack engineering team delivering server-side–driven solutions across customer-facing web and mobile platforms and play a key role in shaping our ambition to deliver best-in-class SEO and experimentation at M&S.

As part of the M&S Software Engineering team, you’ll be joining a well-loved historic brand, working on solutions that serve millions of loyal customers and thousands of colleagues! With ethical values that run right through the company’s core and technology leaders that truly understand software engineers and engineering, it’s an exciting time as we’re redefining ourselves into a digital first and engineering-led organisation, with the quality of our engineering team being a key differentiator.

What you will be doing

• Lead full-stack engineering teams, partnering closely with Product to deliver microservices-based solutions that enable large-scale A/B testing and evolve M&S’s SEO platform.
• Own the operational stability, performance and reliability of the software solutions delivered by your teams.
• Drive high-quality, customer-focused delivery within the Capabilities product group, ensuring value is realised at pace.
• Line manage, coach and mentor software engineers, growing team capability and progressing towards (or maintaining) Elite DORA standards.
• Promote engineering excellence and a culture of innovation through strong technical leadership, platform adoption and modern ways of working.
• Oversee agile delivery end-to-end, including planning, execution, quality assurance and continuous improvement, while aligning technical roadmaps with business priorities.

Tech Stack - M&S uses a variety of technologies including:

• Java, Kotlin, Gradle, Micronaut, Kafka
• React, Next.js, Typescript
• Azure Cloud, Dynatrace (observability)
• MongoDB
• Redis, Apigee, Akamai
• GraphQL Federation

Who you are

• A hands-on, polyglot senior software engineer with experience building and scaling complex web or backend systems.
• An experienced people leader who has built, coached and line-managed high-performing teams of senior engineers.
• Strong in system design, software architecture, cloud engineering and modern engineering practices, including XP, TDD and reliability-focused testing.
• A servant leader with excellent communication and interpersonal skills, able to influence at all levels and guide teams to outcomes without prescribing solutions.
• Comfortable working across diverse technologies and domains, with a mindset focused on ownership, problem-solving and continuous improvement.
• Curious and community-minded, with interests in experimentation or SEO, domain-driven design, open source, tech leadership or public knowledge sharing.

What’s in it for you

Joining M&S means contributing to delivering the magic of M&S to customers daily. We are an inclusive, dynamic, and exciting company that constantly evolves. Our foundation is doing the right thing and offering excellent quality, value, and service to every customer, anytime and anywhere they choose to shop with us.

Here are some of the benefits we offer that make working for M&S just that little bit more special:

• Once you finish your probationary period, you will get a 20% discount on all M&S products. This also applies to many third-party brands for you and one household member.
• Competitive holiday entitlement with the potential to buy extra holiday days.
• Discretionary bonus schemes awarded based on how you achieve your personal objectives and our performance as a business.
• A generous Defined Contribution Pension Scheme and Life Assurance.
• A dedicated welcome to our teams with a tailored induction and a wide range of training programs to develop your skills.
• Amazing perks and discounts via our M&S Choices portal to improve your financial and personal well-being.
• Industry-leading parental, adoption, and neonatal policies, providing support and flexibility for your family.
• Access to a fantastic range of well-being support for all colleagues including access to our 24/7 Virtual GP and PAM Assist to support you and your family.
• A charity volunteer day to support a charity or cause you're passionate about through a dedicated day away from work.

Everyone’s Welcome

We are ambitious about the future of retail. We’re disrupting, innovating and leading the industry into a more conscientious, inspiring digital era. We’re transforming how we work together and offering our most exciting opportunities yet. Marks & Spencer strives to be an inclusive organisation, trusted and admired by our colleagues, customers and suppliers. Join us and make change happen.

We are committed to building diverse and representative teams, where everyone can bring their whole selves to work and be at their best. We support each other and work together to win together.

If you feel you'd benefit from any support or reasonable adjustments during any stage of the recruitment process, please don’t hesitate to let us know when completing your application. This information will be picked up by our team, so we can try and put steps in place to help you be at your best through this process.