Senior Software Engineering Manager

The Technology department is responsible for the Development, Realization and Implementation of the strategic Digital Product Roadmap for Rainforest Alliance (including all supporting Technology processes), for all Global Business Initiatives and Assurance programs. We are seeking an experienced Senior Software Engineering Manager who will lead onshore and offshore software development teams across multiple agile teams, overseeing project lifecycles from development to deployment, and ensuring the quality and timely delivery of software products.

Key responsibilities involve technical leadership, hiring and retaining talent, scaling knowledge across teams, establishing engineering processes and standards, advocating modern engineering practices and above all ensuring technical excellence. Candidates should bring experience in leadership, operational excellence and working with business stakeholders to maintain and deliver technical excellence. The role also requires a strong understanding of service transition, compliance, and operational readiness, along with a commitment to continuous improvement through transparent reporting and measurable performance outcomes. Even though the role does not require any day‑to‑day coding, the role requires an Engineering background.

WHAT YOU WILL BE DOING

• Team and project leadership: Leading cross-function agile teams comprising of in-house and external Engineers (vendors).
• Recruit, manage, mentor, and train software engineering teams, overseeing project progress, managing budgets, and ensuring technical excellence.
• Oversee the end‑to‑end software development lifecycle, from requirements gathering to deployment.
• Work closely with software vendors to deliver technical excellence.
• Drive development of high‑quality, scalable, and maintainable solutions.
• Foster a culture of accountability, inclusion and continuous improvement without having bottlenecks.

Development:

• Development of functional and non‑functional requirements for both in‑house and off the shelf products.
• Help determine appropriate solutions to a clearly defined problem.
• Establish Operational Stability to maintain reliable and maintainable software solutions for both in‑house and off‑the‑shelf systems.
• Work with architecture to drive an integration platform that works across internal and external systems.
• Partner with Product, Architecture, Operations and Business to plan, prioritise and deliver roadmaps.
• Identify technical pain points and prioritise tech‑debt accordingly alongside functional requirements.

Quality assurance:

• Implement and oversee testing to ensure the final software is reliable, high‑quality, and meets all requirements and performance standards.
• Establish & Improve Engineering Processes & Standards to drive Quality Assurance– System Design, Coding Standards, Security, Incident Management, Technical Reviews.

Architecture & Technical Strategy:

• Influence a consistent technology roadmap across teams by working with architecture team.
• Contribute to strategic planning, stay updated on industry trends and new technologies, and align IT software strategy with business goals.
• Align with Architecture to deliver a strategic and optimal solution.
• Advocating modern engineering practices and re‑usability.

Stakeholder communication:

• Liaise with other departments, clients, and stakeholders to provide updates on project progress and gather requirements.
• Key interface between Product and Tech in providing solutions developed by internal teams and 3rd party suppliers.
• Autonomously manage Product expectations on a day‑to‑day level both from business requirements and technical levels.
• Collaborate with architecture team on overall design of system configuration including identifying and documenting technical solutions for business issues.
• Work closely with Compliance and Legal teams to ensure governance.

Travel expected to other sites when required.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

• Several years of experience in software development, with a significant portion in a leadership or management role, is essential.
• Deep knowledge of cloud platforms (Azure, AWS), microservices, APIs, DevOps, and security best practices.
• Experience with Agile (Sprint, Kanban), and DevOps methodologies.
• Bachelor's degree in computer science, Software Engineering, Information Systems, or a related field.
• Highly detail‑oriented professionals with strong leadership skills who know how to turn ideas into solutions.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, deliverables, and stakeholders.
• Able to influence peers and management; strong stakeholder management.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, presentation skills, and verbal / written communication skills; ability to lead discussions, present ideas to audiences of all sizes, and interact with all levels of the organisation.
• Self‑starter; adaptable to change; motivated to set personal and program goals and proactively track performance against goals and initiatives objectives.
• Excellent problem‑solving skills and the ability to think creatively.
• A thirst to learn new skills.
• You are self‑motivated and driven to achieve professional success in a partnership environment.
• The ability to manage workload, multitask and time according to deadlines set.
• Good personal organisation, productivity and time management skills.
• Excellent understanding of business complexity and project interdependencies.
• Intellectual curiosity and the ability to question thought partners across functional areas.
• Ability to adapt quickly to new technologies and changing business requirements.
• Comfortable with managing uncertainty, ambiguity, and change to make decisions and recommendations.
• Drive, resilience, focus and energy with high level of emotional intelligence.

BENEFITS OF WORKING AT THE RAINFOREST ALLIANCE

• Be a part of a global organization with a strong mission and a collaborative, respectful, and accountable culture.
• Enjoy opportunities for professional growth and career development.
• Benefit from remote working flexibility and flexible hybrid working environment.
• Receive a competitive salary package.
• A favourable time‑off policy, including annual leave and Resilience Days, to help you recharge and balance life outside of work.
• Prioritize your wellbeing. We have numerous ways to promote work‑life balance, so you get the chance to take some time off, recharge, and remain at your best. This includes: Resilience and personal leave days, Employee assistance programs, Sabbatical opportunities.

Apply now and let’s grow together. We look forward to hearing from you and exploring how your skills can help us advance our mission.

Level: 2

Deadline: 20 February 2026

Notes: Only candidates legally authorized to work in the UK or the Netherlands will be considered. If you have any questions about the job vacancy, please contact the HR department: recruitment@ra.org.

The Rainforest Alliance encourages diversity and inclusion across the global organization. With this commitment to diversity, we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, color, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, ages, disability and any other protected group.