At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the design and implementation of scalable software solutions for Sony Music's global platforms.
- Company: Join Sony Music Entertainment, a pioneer in music history and innovation.
- Benefits: Enjoy private medical cover, a generous pension scheme, and unique music industry perks.
- Other info: Be part of a diverse community committed to positive change and professional growth.
- Why this job: Shape the future of music technology while mentoring engineers and driving technical excellence.
- Qualifications: 10+ years in software engineering with strong skills in Python, JavaScript, and distributed systems.
The predicted salary is between 80000 - 100000 £ per year.
About Sony Music Entertainment
At Sony Music Entertainment, we fuel the creative journey.
We’ve played a pioneering role in music history, from the first-ever music label to the invention of the flat disc record.
We’ve nurtured some of music’s most iconic artists and produced some of the most influential recordings of all time.
Today, we work in more than 70 countries, supporting a diverse roster of international superstars, developing and independent artists, and visionary creators.
From our position at the intersection of music, entertainment, and technology, we bring imagination and expertise to the newest products and platforms, embrace new business models, employ breakthrough tools, and provide powerful insights that help our artists push creative boundaries and reach new audiences.
In everything we do, we're committed to artistic integrity, transparency, and entrepreneurship.
Sony Music Entertainment is a member of the Sony family of global companies.
Sony Music's Product, Design, Engineering & Global Operations (PDEGO) team is seeking a
Lead Software Engineer to join our engineering team in our London office.
Our PDEGO suite powers all of Sony Music's most critical business capabilities—ensuring monetization, data and analytics depth, marketing and music release at scale for artists across the globe.
As a technical lead, you'll help shape the architecture, engineering standards, and long-term technical direction of one of our product spaces at global scale.
You'll work closely with engineering, product, and business stakeholders to modernize systems while mentoring engineers and driving technical excellence across the team.
What you'll do
- Lead the technical design and implementation of scalable software solutions supporting Sony Music's critical global B2B2C platforms.
- Drive architecture decisions across distributed systems, APIs, data pipelines, and platform services.
- Partner closely with Product, Operations, and teams of stakeholders to translate complex business requirements into elegant technical solutions.
- Write clean, maintainable, well-tested code while establishing engineering best practices across the team
- Lead technical design sessions, architecture reviews, and modernization initiatives
- Design resilient services and integrations with internal and third-party platforms
- Champion application reliability, performance, observability, and operational excellence
- Mentor engineers through technical coaching, code reviews, and architectural guidance
- Identify technical debt and lead initiatives to improve scalability, maintainability, and developer productivity
- Troubleshoot complex production issues and drive root cause analysis across distributed systems
- Collaborate with engineering leadership to define the long-term technical roadmap for the platform you are focused on
Who you are
Seeking
10+ years of software engineering experience in the following areas
- Experience implementing distributed systems
- Strong experience with Python and Java Script
- Experience building frontend applications using Type Script and React
- Experience with various database technologies and query languages (we use Snowflake, My SQL, Neo4j, Kafka, Open Search, and more)
- Experience designing microservices and APIs using REST, HTTP, and OAuth
- Comfortable with AWS cloud technologies
- Experience using log analysis and monitoring tools to investigate production issues and improve reliability
- Experience writing unit, integration, and automated tests
- Experience working within Agile development teams
- Excellent communication skills with the ability to influence engineering and business stakeholders
- Passion for solving complex technical problems and mentoring engineers
- The ideal candidate
- Deep understanding of software architecture, domain modeling, and scalable system design
- Experience designing data models and optimizing schemas for complex business domains
- Experience working with large datasets and high-volume systems
- Can mobilize engineering teams around a technical vision and lead execution across multiple initiatives
- Establishes engineering best practices, coding standards, and development processes that improve quality and delivery
- Strong systems-thinking mindset with the ability to balance immediate business needs against long-term platform investments
- Demonstrated experience leading complex technical initiatives without direct people management responsibility
- Passionate about mentoring engineers and fostering a culture of technical excellence
- Interest in music, technology, and building systems that directly support artists and creators
What we give you
- You join a vibrant global community with the opportunity to channel your passion every day
- A modern office environment designed for you, empowering you to bring your best
- Investment in your professional growth and development enabling you to thrive in our vibrant community
- The space to accelerate progress, positively disrupt and create what happens next
- We give you the platform to champion positive change, with the opportunity to contribute to our social impact, diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives
- We provide an excellent range of benefits like private medical cover, a generous pension scheme, life assurance, income protection, plus loads of music industry perks.
- There’s also time off over winter break
- Equal Opportunities
As an active part of a culturally and socially diverse society, Sony Music’s aim is that our workforce is diverse and inclusive.
Sony Music is an equal opportunity employer and supports workforce diversity.
We employ, retain, promote and otherwise treat all employees and job applicants according to their merit, qualifications, competence and talent.
We apply this policy without regard to any individual’s sex, race, religion, origin, age, sexual orientation, marital status, medical condition or disability.
Please note that applicants must be at least 18 years of age.
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Lead Software Engineer in London employer: Sonymusicentertainment
At Sony Music Entertainment, we pride ourselves on being an excellent employer that fosters a dynamic and inclusive work culture in the heart of Greater London. Our Engineering Manager role offers not only competitive benefits and opportunities for professional growth but also the chance to work alongside passionate individuals in a vibrant community dedicated to innovation in the music industry. Join us to lead a talented team and make a meaningful impact in a modern office environment filled with perks that enhance your work-life balance.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Lead Software Engineer in London
✨Join Local Tech Meetups
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✨Contribute to Open Source Projects
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✨Tap into Online Developer Communities
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We think you need these skills to ace Lead Software Engineer in London
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 Sonymusicentertainment.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Sonymusicentertainment 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 Sonymusicentertainment
✨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 Sonymusicentertainment 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.
