Senior Head of Software Engineering - Customer Domain

As a senior leader, you'll develop and lead engineering teams in creating high-quality digital experiences that position M&S as a leading retailer. Working as an equal partner with Product, Platform and Delivery teams, you'll deliver sophisticated and robust solutions while collaborating with our 3rd party technology partners to ensure consistent development standards across all teams.

As both a leader and deliverer, you'll need to combine visionary leadership with hands-on problem-solving capabilities. You'll be a best practice advocate, championing our customers and colleagues while building on core technology and team-building skills to influence others across the organisation and consistently deliver the highest possible quality.

You should be an exceptional engineering leader capable of driving strategic direction and technical excellence across M&S's Product Portfolios. You'll shape and implement long-term technical vision while leading large-scale engineering teams, establishing robust frameworks and standards for high-quality software delivery.

What You'll Do

Your key accountabilities will include:

• Accountable for delivery of strategic vision, direction, OKRs and priorities of the software engineering discipline to meet the needs of internal and external customers and colleagues
• Own the long-term technical strategy of software engineering in Product Portfolios, including technology selection alongside Architecture, building, support, and updates aligned with M&S business objectives
• Own and deliver initiatives to advance M&S Software Engineering by challenging status quo
• Lead Product Portfolios of senior engineers and engineering managers to build and maintain high quality and reliable software (leading very large teams, sometimes numbering in the hundreds)
• Lead development of strategic vision and roadmaps for Engineering within a Tribe and represent these roadmaps through cross-Tribe alignment sessions to ensure we are identifying dependencies early and working to an aligned strategy across D&T
• Design, develop and deliver frameworks governing technology standards and design principles for all customer and colleague-facing M&S products
• Evaluate and recommend new technologies, tools and platforms to improve engineering process and software quality
• Build and maintain high-performing teams through hiring, training, mentoring, talent management and performance management
• Make appropriate decisions on partner versus internal capability use to maintain efficient team size
• Monitor progress and take corrective action when required, Being in third-party brands, working on things M&S hasn't done before… that plays to my sweet spot. I've worked in many organisations throughout my career, and it's rare to see such cause and effect in your work. The way we're structured means you're encouraged to solve problems and you have the autonomy to make progress quickly. Halford (He / Him) | Head of Technical Program Management Read full storyEnd of quote slider carousel Make Your Mark Upcoming projects

Take part in our M&S Digital & Tech team days. Grow your digital and data skills through our BEAM Academy. Or challenge yourself at one of our business-wide hackathons. We also partner with Women in Data, Databricks and Cajigo to increase opportunities for women in digital and data. Opportunities to be heard

Your voice and your ideas matter here. Our 8 colleague networks are places to find support, listen to each other and encourage debate. You can pitch ideas 'Straight to Stuart', our CEO, or get involved in our BIG (Business involvement Group). Colleague Networks

We want you to feel supported, no matter what. Cancer Network

Fostering a supportive and inclusive workplace culture, addressing stigma, providing guidance and raising awareness to empower and assist colleagues affected by cancer. LGBTQ+ Network

Proactively representing LGBTQ+ issues and opportunities to deliver a truly inclusive place to work and shop for our colleagues and customers. Menopause Network

Initiating and encouraging open conversations about menopause by offering support and sharing experiences. Family & Carers Network

A support network for parents and carers, offering a space for colleagues to share experiences, exchange ideas, and access useful resources. Culture and Heritage Network

Raising awareness of various religions and cultures through events and comms, to educate others and better represent our M&S colleagues and customers. Forces Community Network

Supporting colleagues connected to the Armed Forces, aiding their transition to civilian life, and ensuring that they thrive in the workplace. Gender Equality Network

Addressing gender-related challenges, raising awareness, and driving action to ensure equal opportunities for all. Health and Wellbeing Network

Providing a safe space for colleagues with all types of health conditions or disabilities and supporting with business initiatives to ensure our stores are truly accessible for our customers. Cancer Network

Fostering a supportive and inclusive workplace culture, addressing stigma, providing guidance and raising awareness to empower and assist colleagues affected by cancer. LGBTQ+ Network

Proactively representing LGBTQ+ issues and opportunities to deliver a truly inclusive place to work and shop for our colleagues and customers. Menopause Network

Initiating and encouraging open conversations about menopause by offering support and sharing experiences. Family & Carers Network

A support network for parents and carers, offering a space for colleagues to share experiences, exchange ideas, and access useful resources. Culture and Heritage Network

Raising awareness of various religions and cultures through events and comms, to educate others and better represent our M&S colleagues and customers. Forces Community Network

Supporting colleagues connected to the Armed Forces, aiding their transition to civilian life, and ensuring that they thrive in the workplace. Gender Equality Network

Addressing gender-related challenges, raising awareness, and driving action to ensure equal opportunities for all. Health and Wellbeing Network

Providing a safe space for colleagues with all types of health conditions or disabilities and supporting with business initiatives to ensure our stores are truly accessible for our customers. Cancer Network

Fostering a supportive and inclusive workplace culture, addressing stigma, providing guidance and raising awareness to empower and assist colleagues affected by cancer. LGBTQ+ Network

Proactively representing LGBTQ+ issues and opportunities to deliver a truly inclusive place to work and shop for our colleagues and customers. Menopause Network

Initiating and encouraging open conversations about menopause by offering support and sharing experiences. Family & Carers Network

A support network for parents and carers, offering a space for colleagues to share experiences, exchange ideas, and access useful resources. Culture and Heritage Network

Raising awareness of various religions and cultures through events and comms, to educate others and better represent our M&S colleagues and customers. Forces Community Network

Supporting colleagues connected to the Armed Forces, aiding their transition to civilian life, and ensuring that they thrive in the workplace. Gender Equality Network

Addressing gender-related challenges, raising awareness, and driving action to ensure equal opportunities for all. Health and Wellbeing Network

Providing a safe space for colleagues with all types of health conditions or disabilities and supporting with business initiatives to ensure our stores are truly accessible for our customers. End of slider Colleague Networks carousel Benefits Wellbeing hub

Get access to resources to support your wellbeing, including a free virtual GP service.

• Wellbeing hub

• Wellbeing hub Get access to resources to support your wellbeing, including a free virtual GP service.

• Giving back

• Giving back Support your favourite charities by donating through your pay or even volunteering for them.

• Pay

A strong track record of people leadership skills, with experience of leading and managing teams of people demonstrating strong communication skills, coaching and development of others. Passionate about our customers and colleagues, with an ability to lead for the M&S behaviours and organisational culture.

• Ability to demonstrate strong coding ability in modern programming languages
• Demonstrable ability to discuss and reason about modern and legacy languages and frameworks
• Broad knowledge of current and emerging technologies
• Extensive experience with Scrum Agile Software Delivery framework, including Continuous Integration, Delivery, and Deployment
• Excellent knowledge of modern working practices, including security, delivery procedures, and governance
• Commercially aware with ability to balance customer solutions with business needs
• Experience in user-centred software delivery, working with researchers, designers, and users directly
• Proven track record leading large teams in varying locations with a mixed ratio of permanent/temporary employees and contractors in high-profile, high-volume software systems.
• Strong experience of setting development strategy at a senior level.
• Ability to influence people at senior levels across technical and non-technical domains.

Team Digital & Tech Store London Support Office Location London, Greater London Contract type Permanent Position type Full Time Salary Competitive + Benefits Closing date: 1st May 2026

• Intro

• About the role

• Meet the Team

• People Stories

• Make Your Mark

• Colleague Networks

• Benefits, Earn a competitive salary.

• Colleague discount

• Colleague discount After completing your probation period, you'll receive 20% colleague discount across all M&S products and many of our third-party brands for you and a member of your household. Please note only contracts of more than 12 weeks are eligible for this benefit.

• Time off

• Time off Competitive holiday entitlement with the potential to buy extra holiday days.

• Bonus

• Bonus We have discretionary bonus schemes depending on your role and our business performance.

• Life assurance

• Life assurance Get cover for twice your salary up to age 70 (double with our Pension Plan).

• Workplace savings

• Workplace savings We'll help you save through our Pension Savings Plan, Share Buy and Sharesave schemes.

• My Choices

• My Choices Save on everyday costs through discounts and offers and get access to great health benefits.

• Cycle to work

• Cycle to work Bike/accessory hire with Cycle to Work and save on tax and national insurance.

• Smart tech

• Smart tech Buy the latest technology with interest-free financing directly from your salary.

• Family friendly policy

• Family friendly policy Industry-leading maternity, paternity, adoption and neo-natal policies, providing support and flexibility for you and your family.

• Wellbeing hub

• Giving back

• Pay

• Colleague discount

• Time off

• Bonus

• Life assurance

• Workplace savings

• My Choices

• Cycle to work

• Smart tech

• Family friendly policy

As a Senior Head of Engineering at M&S, you'll be joining a well-loved historic brand that's transforming into a digital-first, engineering-led organisation. You'll be setting the vision and strategic priorities for solutions that serve millions of loyal customers and thousands of colleagues, with engineering excellence as a key differentiator in our transformation journey., Working at M&S means being part of something bigger - helping to deliver quality, value and service to millions of customers every day. We're inclusive, fast-moving and always evolving, with a strong sense of purpose and a focus on doing the right thing. Here are just a few of the benefits that make working here even more rewarding: * 20% colleague discount on all M&S products and many third-party brands for you and someone in your household, available once you've completed your probation * Competitive holiday allowance with the option to buy more * Discretionary bonus schemes linked to your performance and ours * Strong pension and life assurance to help plan for the future * Tailored induction and training to support your development from day one * Exclusive perks and savings through our M&S Choices portal * Market-leading family policies, including parental, adoption and neonatal leave * 24/7 wellbeing support, including virtual GP access and mental health services * One paid volunteer day a year to support a cause that matters to you Everyone's Welcome We are ambitious about the future of retail. We're disrupting, innovating and leading the industry into a more conscientious, inspiring digital era. We're transforming how we work together and offering our most exciting opportunities yet. Marks & Spencer strives to be an inclusive organisation, trusted and admired by our colleagues, customers and suppliers. Join us and make change happen. We are committed to building diverse and representative teams, where everyone can bring their whole selves to work and be at their best. We support each other and work together to win together. If you feel you'd benefit from any support or reasonable adjustments during any stage of the recruitment process, please don't hesitate to let us know when completing your application. This information will be picked up by our team, so we can try and put steps in place to help you be at your best through this process. #LI-Hybrid #LI-JE1 Meet the Team Being an in-person business We're at our best when we're close to customers, and for many of us at M&S, that means working in store every day. To stay close to customers, our support teams are in the office three days a week as we believe that skills are developed through collaboration, and that spending time together makes us more creative and connected. It also means we can solve problems as soon as they arise, learn and grow as a team, build trust, and get closer to our colleagues. JanakDeepakHalfordJanakDeepakHalfordJanakDeepakHalford I think all engineers just love solving puzzles and problems. At M&S, we're constantly learning new things, whether it's mastering Swift UI or understanding how customers interact with technology. But this is also a business that listens to engineers and values what we bring to the table. That's different, believe me. Janak (He / Him) | Staff iOS Engineer Read full story At M&S, we have Data Scientists, Analysts, and Technical Product Managers, who all share a genuine passion for harnessing data to improve people's lives. And we're in a unique position where we can actually help many different kinds of people, from our customers to our colleagues in store and in our support centre. Deepak (He / Him) | Data Scientist Read full story Being in third-party brands, working on things M&S hasn't done before… that plays to my sweet spot. I've worked in many organisations throughout my career, and it's rare to see such cause and effect in your work. The way we're structured means you're encouraged to solve problems and you have the autonomy to make progress quickly. Halford (He / Him) | Head of Technical Program Management Read full story I think all engineers just love solving puzzles and problems. At M&S, we're constantly learning new things, whether it's mastering Swift UI or understanding how customers interact with technology. But this is also a business that listens to engineers and values what we bring to the table. That's different, believe me. Janak (He / Him) | Staff iOS Engineer Read full story At M&S, we have Data Scientists, Analysts, and Technical Product Managers, who all share a genuine passion for harnessing data to improve people's lives. And we're in a unique position where we can actually help many different kinds of people, from our customers to our colleagues in store and in our support centre. Deepak (He / Him) | Data Scientist Read full story Being in third-party brands, working on things M&S hasn't done before… that plays to my sweet spot. I've worked in many organisations throughout my career, and it's rare to see such cause and effect in your work. The way we're structured means you're encouraged to solve problems and you have the autonomy to make progress quickly. Halford (He / Him) | Head of Technical Program Management Read full story I think all engineers just love solving puzzles and problems. At M&S, we're constantly learning new things, whether it's mastering Swift UI or understanding how customers interact with technology. But this is also a business that listens to engineers and values what we bring to the table. That's different, believe me. Janak (He / Him) | Staff iOS Engineer Read full story At M&S, we have Data Scientists, Analysts, and Technical Product Managers, who all share a genuine passion for harnessing data to improve people's lives. And we're in a unique position where we can actually help many different kinds of people, from our customers to our colleagues in store and in our support centre.