Senior Engineering Manager, Developer Experience

Senior Engineering Manager, Developer Experience

Full-Time 80000 - 100000 £ / year (est.) No working from home possible
United States Digital Space LLC

At a Glance

  • Tasks: Lead a dynamic team to enhance developer experience and shape AI tooling.
  • Company: Join a global tech company committed to diversity and innovation.
  • Benefits: Enjoy competitive pay, stock options, generous leave, and health insurance.
  • Other info: Work in a vibrant London office with excellent career growth opportunities.
  • Why this job: Make a real impact on engineering productivity and drive exciting AI initiatives.
  • Qualifications: Proven leadership in platform teams and strong technical expertise in DevEx.

The predicted salary is between 80000 - 100000 £ per year.

About the team

The Developer Experience team owns the internal platform that every company engineer touches daily: CI/CD pipelines, observability tooling, our developer portal, and an emerging AI platform. It's a high-visibility role: the work you lead directly shapes the productivity of hundreds of engineers across the company. We're looking for an experienced Engineering Manager to take full ownership of this domain, grow a team of seven engineers, and define what great developer experience looks like at the company as we scale.

What you'll do

  • Lead and develop a growing team of 5+ highly motivated engineers across observability, CI/CD, developer portal (Backstage), and FinOps tooling — setting clear priorities and establishing strong ways of working.
  • Own and evolve the technical roadmap across all DevEx domains, communicating trade-offs clearly to engineering leadership and internal stakeholders.
  • Shape the AI Platform domain from the ground up — defining its charter and identifying where AI tooling adds real value for the company engineers.
  • Partner with product engineering managers and platform peers to drive measurable improvements in deploy frequency, onboarding time, and support load.
  • Build the case for how the team needs to grow, identifying skill gaps and preparing the organisation for a future where this role leads other engineering managers.

You'll be great for this role if…

  • You have proven experience leading platform, infrastructure, or internal tooling teams at a senior engineering manager level, with a track record of owning a technical domain end-to-end.
  • You bring strong technical foundation across the DevEx stack: CI/CD, observability (Prometheus, Grafana, or equivalent), Kubernetes-based platforms - sufficient to make sound architectural decisions and earn engineer trust.
  • You know how to lead through ambiguity and organisational change, including reorgs, scope shifts, or leadership transitions.
  • You can build and communicate a product-style roadmap for a platform domain, with clear prioritisation and a narrative that lands with both engineers and senior stakeholders.
  • You have a genuine curiosity about AI tooling in an engineering context and the confidence to lead a greenfield domain in this space.

Why you should join the company

  • Opportunity to work with a truly global, multicultural team from our central London office location - this involves an office-first setup.
  • Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion: be part of a workplace that values and promotes diversity, fostering an inclusive environment where everyone's perspectives are respected and embraced.
  • Enrolment onto our Virtual Stock Option programme: you will own a stake in the company's future success.
  • A dedicated annual L&D budget for attending conferences and/or advancing your career through further education.
  • Break4me: 1-month sabbatical after 3 years of service.
  • Referral Bonus: earn additional rewards by referring talented individuals to join the company team.
  • Generous time off: enjoy 28 days of paid leave, plus bank holidays and special leaves.
  • Health matters: private health insurance, including optical and dental.
  • Life made easier: salary-sacrifice commuter benefits via Gogeta.
  • Financial security: retirement scheme (the company matches 7% when you contribute 5%).
  • Peace of mind: life insurance from MetLife for 2× your salary.

The company is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer, actively seeking and embracing diversity in our workforce. We don't make hiring or employment decisions based on race, colour, religion or religious belief, ethnic or national origin, nationality, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, age or any other basis protected by applicable laws or prohibited by company policy. Our commitment extends beyond recruitment to creating a safe and respectful workplace where harassment of any form is strictly prohibited.

Senior Engineering Manager, Developer Experience employer: United States Digital Space LLC

Join a dynamic and innovative company as a Senior Engineering Manager in our Developer Experience team, where you'll lead a talented group of engineers in shaping the future of our internal platforms from our vibrant London office. We pride ourselves on fostering a diverse and inclusive work culture, offering generous benefits such as a dedicated learning budget, private health insurance, and a unique sabbatical programme, all while empowering you to make impactful decisions that enhance the productivity of hundreds of engineers. With a commitment to your professional growth and a stake in our success through our Virtual Stock Option programme, this is an exceptional opportunity for those looking to thrive in a collaborative and forward-thinking environment.

United States Digital Space LLC

Contact Details:

United States Digital Space LLC Recruitment Team

StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫

We think this is how you could land Senior Engineering Manager, Developer Experience

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 United States Digital Space LLC 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 United States Digital Space LLC.

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 United States Digital Space LLC.

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 United States Digital Space LLC 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 Senior Engineering Manager, Developer Experience

Team Leadership
Technical Roadmap Development
CI/CD
Observability Tools (Prometheus, Grafana)
Kubernetes
Architectural Decision-Making
Product Management

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 United States Digital Space LLC.

Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at United States Digital Space LLC 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 United States Digital Space LLC

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 United States Digital Space LLC 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.