At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead a dynamic team of engineers in building innovative AI solutions.
- Company: Exciting AI startup at the forefront of agentic AI technology.
- Benefits: Real ownership, competitive salary, and direct exposure to enterprise clients.
- Other info: Opportunity to influence the growth of the London engineering hub.
- Why this job: Shape the future of AI while working with Fortune 500 companies.
- Qualifications: 6+ years in software engineering and 2+ years managing teams.
The predicted salary is between 70000 - 90000 £ per year.
AI startup working at the frontier of agentic AI is building out their London engineering hub, and they want a founding Engineering Manager to lead it. Real product, live enterprise customers, AI-native team. Player-manager role. You won't be writing code full-time, but you'll be technical enough that your team trusts your judgement on the hard calls. It's client-facing too. You'll be in working sessions with Fortune 500 stakeholders alongside your engineers, running discovery, defending architecture, and turning enterprise workflows into a roadmap your team can actually ship.
Your remit:
- A team of 6 to 10 engineers across levels.
- Hiring, coaching, performance, promotions.
- Delivery for a meaningful product surface inside the AI agent platform.
- Operational excellence: incident response, on-call, code review standards, release engineering.
- Architecture and technical direction.
- Customer working sessions and architecture defence in front of execs.
- Helping shape the broader engineering brand in London through hiring and culture.
Requirements:
- 6+ years in software engineering with a track record of shipping production systems.
- 2+ years managing engineers directly, including hiring, performance management, and growing people into more senior versions of themselves.
- AI-serious. You've led or contributed to shipping LLM-powered systems in production (agents, RAG, evaluation infrastructure) and have real opinions on what works.
- Strong technical foundation across design reviews, production debugging, and AI/ML architecture.
- Comfortable in front of enterprise customers.
- Strong written and verbal communicator across design docs, customer updates, performance feedback and exec-level summaries.
- Background at an early or growth-stage startup. Time in a forward-deployed, solutions engineering, or client-embedded org at a B2B company.
Why this one:
- Real scope and real ownership of a meaningful surface of a live AI platform.
- Product is proven, customers are already shipping with it.
- AI-native in how they build, how they work, and what they sell.
- Early enough that you'd shape how the whole London engineering org grows.
- Direct exposure to executive leadership and a proper seat at the table with enterprise customers.
Engineering Manager employer: Tact
Join an innovative AI startup at the forefront of agentic AI, where you'll have the opportunity to lead a dynamic engineering team in London. With a strong focus on employee growth and a culture that values technical excellence and collaboration, you'll play a pivotal role in shaping the future of our engineering hub while working closely with Fortune 500 clients. Enjoy the unique advantage of direct exposure to executive leadership and the chance to influence the direction of our AI platform in a vibrant, fast-paced environment.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Engineering Manager
✨Join Local Tech Meetups
Get out there and mingle with fellow developers by joining local tech meetups. It’s a fantastic way to meet people who might be working at Tact or know someone who does. Plus, you can pick up some trendy tech skills and trends while you're at it!
✨Contribute to Open Source Projects
Show off your coding chops by jumping into open-source projects. Not only does this give you practical experience, but it also gets you noticed in the dev community. You'll create a killer portfolio that speaks volumes about your skills to Tact.
✨Tap into Online Developer Communities
Don’t underestimate the power of online developer communities like GitHub, Stack Overflow, and even Reddit. Participate in discussions, share your projects, and build your visibility. We can often find opportunities through these channels that can lead to a full-time gig at companies like Tact.
✨Explore Job Boards Specifically for Tech Roles
Keep your eyes peeled on job boards that focus on tech roles. Sites like TechCareers or Stack Overflow Jobs can often have listings for companies like Tact that might not show up on broader job sites. Make it a habit to check these regularly, and don’t hesitate to apply directly through our website!
We think you need these skills to ace Engineering Manager
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 Tact.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Tact 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 Tact
✨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 Tact 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.
