Software Engineering Manager

As part of the M&S Software Engineering team, you’ll be joining a well-loved historic brand, working on solutions that serve millions of loyal customers and thousands of colleagues. With ethical values at the heart of the business and technology leaders who truly understand software engineering, it’s an exciting time as we continue to redefine ourselves as a digital-first, engineering-led organisation.

We are seeking a passionate Software Engineering Manager who combines strong technical expertise with people leadership and delivery excellence. You’ll lead empowered, multidisciplinary engineering teams to design, build, release and operate robust, scalable products, working as an equal partner with Product and Delivery. You’ll play a key role in creating a best-in-class engineering culture, driving operational excellence, reliability and innovation while helping build a modern digital ecosystem., * Build, mentor and lead high-performing software engineering teams, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, accountability and continuous improvement while effectively managing people, resources and priorities.

• Oversee the planning and delivery of high-quality software solutions, ensuring alignment with business objectives, customer outcomes and timelines while proactively managing risks and dependencies.
• Provide technical leadership across complex initiatives, working with senior engineers to shape technical roadmaps, establish engineering standards and evaluate technologies that improve software quality and delivery.
• Drive operational excellence and team maturity, progressing towards or maintaining Elite DORA standards and embedding a strong Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) and “you build it, you run it” mindset.
• Ensure solutions are reliable, resilient and performant, with strong testing, observability, alerting and key metrics built into delivery to support effective incident management and continuous improvement.
• Partner closely with Product, Design, Delivery and wider technology teams, making effective use of shared platforms and balancing technical investment with commercial priorities to maximise business value.

• A strong hands-on software engineering background, ideally as a senior polyglot engineer, with experience delivering highly scalable web, backend and distributed software solutions.
• Proven experience building, leading and developing high-performing teams of senior software engineers that consistently deliver high-quality products and services.
• Excellent understanding of system design, software architecture, cloud engineering and modern software development practices across a variety of systems and technologies.
• Strong knowledge of DevOps, testing strategies, Site Reliability Engineering and operational excellence, with a clear commitment to owning software throughout its lifecycle.
• Excellent people leadership, communication, analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to influence senior technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• A collaborative, servant-leadership mindset, with the ability to lead senior engineers and technical partners towards successful outcomes without prescribing every detail.

Tech Stack

M&S uses a variety of technologies, including:

• React, Next.js and TypeScript
• Java
• Kotlin
• Swift
• GraphQL Federation
• Azure Cloud
• Dynatrace for observability

Desirable Experience

• Knowledge of software engineering approaches such as Domain-Driven Design, alongside advanced cloud engineering experience.
• Experience leading engineering communities, sharing technical knowledge through internal or external events, and an interest in open-source contribution, technology writing or speaking.
• Evidence of entrepreneurial thinking and innovation, with experience identifying opportunities and driving meaningful technical or organisational improvements.

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.