Engineering Lead - Build Scalable Web Apps & Mentor Team in Manchester

WPP is the trusted growth partner for the world’s leading brands. With exceptional talent, trusted data and intelligence, and world-class partnerships – all united by our pioneering agentic marketing platform, WPP Open – we help clients navigate change, capture opportunity, and deliver transformational growth. WPP Media is WPP's AI-driven media operating unit, bringing together media, data, and partnerships to deliver creative personalisation at scale. Connected through WPP Open and powered by Open Intelligence, clients see exactly where, how, and why their media investment is working. Data, Technology and Analytics is WPP’s global data products and technology company. We’re on a mission to transform marketing by building the fastest, most connected data platform that bridges marketing strategy to scaled activation. We work with agencies and clients to transform the value of data by bringing together technology, data and analytics capabilities. We deliver this through the Open Media Studio, an AI-enabled media and data platform for the next era of advertising.

As an Engineering Lead, you’ll lead a product delivery team responsible for building and evolving modern digital platforms. This is a hands‑on engineering leadership role, where you’ll balance writing production code with guiding architecture, mentoring engineers and helping the team deliver well‑engineered software. You’ll line manage a small group of engineers, mentor developers across the team and help create an environment where people can do their best work. Alongside delivery managers, design leads, principal engineers and client stakeholders, you’ll help shape technical direction and ensure the team delivers high‑quality software through iterative and incremental delivery. You’ll be comfortable operating with a high degree of autonomy, able to balance pragmatism with engineering quality while guiding your team through technical decisions and delivery challenges. Our teams build distributed, composable web applications using modern technologies and architectural approaches, and you’ll play a key role in guiding how those systems are designed, built and evolved.

Skills and Experience

• Lead, mentor and support a team of 4–5 software engineers, running regular 1:1s and helping engineers grow in their careers.
• Provide technical leadership for your team, guiding architecture and implementation decisions to ensure systems are scalable, maintainable and well engineered.
• Remain hands‑on with engineering, contributing production code, reviewing pull requests and supporting technical design discussions.
• Work closely with delivery managers, design leads, principal engineers and client stakeholders to scope, size, prioritise and deliver work within a product delivery team.
• Support predictable delivery by helping the team plan effectively, remove blockers and manage technical complexity.
• Promote strong engineering practices across the team, including testing, CI/CD, code quality, observability and documentation.
• Help teams build distributed, composable web applications, typically following modern architectural approaches such as MACH principles.
• Collaborate with cross-disciplinary teams including product, design, strategy and DevOps to deliver accessible, secure, performant and scalable applications.
• Contribute to the wider engineering discipline at Code by sharing knowledge, improving practices and influencing how we build and deliver technology.
• Experience acting as a technical lead or senior engineer within a product delivery team.
• Strong experience building modern web applications using TypeScript and frameworks such as Next.js.
• Experience working with Node.js and modern backend architectures.
• Experience designing and building distributed or composable web applications.
• Experience working within cross-disciplinary product teams, collaborating with designers, delivery managers and stakeholders.
• Experience establishing and maintaining engineering practices such as automated testing, CI/CD, code quality standards and observability.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to work effectively with both engineers and non-technical stakeholders.
• A passion for mentoring engineers and helping teams improve how they build and deliver software.
• Experience with C# / .NET or similar backend technologies is desirable but not required.
• Engineers with either a frontend or backend background are encouraged to apply.

Life at WPP Media & Benefits

Our passion for shaping the next era of media is powered by our commitment to Be Extraordinary, investing in our employees to inspire transformational creativity. We also Lead Optimistically, firmly believing in and Championing Growth and Development for every individual. This commitment allows WPP Media employees to leverage the extensive global WPP Media & WPP networks to pursue their passions, build vital professional connections, and learn at the cutting edge of marketing and advertising. We Create an Open environment built on trust and respect, where everyone feels they belong and has opportunities to progress. This inclusive culture is fostered through a variety of employee resource groups and frequent in‑office events showcasing team wins, sharing thought leadership, and celebrating holidays and milestone events. Our comprehensive benefits package reflects this commitment, including competitive medical, group retirement plans, vision, and dental insurance, significant paid time off, preferential partner discounts, and employee mental health awareness days. WPP Media is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to characteristics. We believe the best work happens when we’re together, fostering creativity, collaboration, and connection in this open and supportive environment. That’s why we’ve adopted a hybrid approach, with teams in the office around four days a week. If you require accommodations or flexibility, please discuss this with the hiring team during the interview process. Please note this is a UK based role and requires individuals to have the right to work in this location.