Senior Engineering Manager

At Zego, we know that traditional motor insurance holds good drivers back. It’s too complicated, too expensive, and it doesn’t take into account how well you actually drive. That’s why, since 2016, we’ve been on a mission to change all of that. Our mission at Zego is to offer the lowest priced insurance for good drivers. From van drivers and gig workers to everyday car drivers, our customers are our driving force - they’re at the heart of everything we do. We’ve sold tens of millions of policies so far, and raised over $200 million in funding. And we’re only just getting started.

About the role: We’re looking for a Senior Engineering Manager to lead multiple teams across Zego’s core technology areas. In this role, you’ll support Engineering Managers, Tech Leads, and Staff+ Engineers, overseeing an org of 15-20 people with room to scale as we grow. You’ll lead across three high-impact areas:

• Core Platform - The backend powering all our insurance products.
• Developer Platform - The driver of our Engineering productivity in the AI age.
• AI Platform - The foundations that help us scale AI throughout the company.

This role sits at the heart of our product portfolio, giving you the opportunity to expand Zego’s competitive advantage in building insurance products that reward great driving, powered by AI. While this is not a hands-on coding role, you’ll bring strong technical experience and a background as a backend-focused senior engineer, with bonus points for AI or ML exposure.

What you will be doing:

• Lead multiple cross-functional engineering teams in a high-growth environment.
• Set a high bar for engineering and operational excellence, ensuring system quality, performance, and maintainability.
• Drive architectural decisions and technical direction, partnering closely with Tech Leads and Staff Engineers.
• Own delivery outcomes, collaborating with Product, Data, Marketing, and Strategy to set product vision and execute.
• Operate as a business leader - your role goes beyond engineering delivery. Expect direct engagement with senior leadership and C-level to shape company strategy.
• Provide exceptional people leadership - coaching, developing, and growing Engineering Managers and Tech Leads.
• Continually improve product team maturity, ways of working, and decision-making frameworks.

About you:

• Impact-Driven - You focus on outcomes, not just output. You prioritise initiatives that move the business needle and create user value, helping teams iterate and achieve measurable goals.
• Technical Depth - Strong background as a senior engineer in distributed systems and backend development (dynamic and statically typed languages). Comfortable supporting mobile teams; exposure to AI & ML engineering is a plus.
• Product Focus - You bring a strong product mindset, working closely with Product to shape strategy and maximise impact for users and the business.
• Accountable for Delivery - You own execution and delivery. You know when to escalate, how to unblock your teams, and how to balance speed with quality.
• Engineering Excellence Champion - You’re accountable for technical outcomes and individual engineer growth. You challenge, review, and guide technical decisions—especially at Staff+ levels.
• Experienced People Leader - You’ve managed 1-2+ Engineering Managers or Tech Leads and led orgs of 15-30 engineers. You develop talent through coaching, 1:1s, and feedback.
• Exceptional Communicator - You simplify complex technical topics for non-technical stakeholders. You help others weigh trade-offs and make sound decisions quickly.
• Strong Stakeholder Partner - You build trusted relationships across Product, Data, and Strategy. You help improve collaboration and organisational alignment.
• Organisational Impact - You contribute to company-wide best practices, influencing both managerial and technical standards.
• AI - You will be someone who’s actively curious about how AI can enhance your work - keen to experiment, learn quickly, and apply tools that improve productivity, streamline tasks, or unlock new ways of thinking.

What it’s like to work at Zego: Joining Zego is a career-defining move. People go further here, reaching their full potential to achieve extraordinary things. We’re spread throughout the UK and Europe, and united by our drive to get things done. We’re proud of our company and our culture - a friendly and inclusive space where we can lift each other up and celebrate our wins every day. Together, we’re setting the bar higher, delivering exceptional work that makes a difference. Our people are the most important part of our story, and everyone here plays a role. There’s loads of room to learn and grow, and you’ll get the freedom to steer your career wherever you want. You’ll work alongside a talented group who embrace each other’s differences and aren’t afraid of a challenge. We recognise our achievements, learn from our mistakes, and help each other to be the best we can be. Together, we’re making insurance matter.

How we work: We believe that teams work better when they have time to collaborate and space to get things done. We call it Zego Hybrid. We ask you to spend at least one day a week in our central London office. We think it’s a good mix of collaborative face time and flexible home-working, setting us up to achieve the right balance between work and life.

Our approach to AI: We believe in the power of AI to meaningfully improve how we work - helping us move faster, think differently, and focus on what matters most. At Zego, we encourage people to stay curious and intentional about how AI is leveraged in their work and teams to drive practical impact every day. This is your chance to do the most meaningful work of your career - and we’ll provide you with the tools, support, and freedom to do it well.

We reward our people well. Join us and you’ll get a market-competitive salary, private medical insurance, company share options, generous holiday allowance, and a whole lot of wellbeing benefits. We also offer an annual flexible hybrid working contribution, which you can use to support with your travel to the office or towards your own personal development. And that’s just for starters!

We’re an equal opportunity employer and we value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, or disability status.