Software Engineering Manager

Engineering Manager (Hands-On | Software Delivery)

Belfast | Hybrid

MPA are partnering with an elite Canadian tech firm expanding into Belfast to hire a hands-on Engineering Manager to lead high-performing software teams delivering complex cloud and enterprise systems.

This is a player-coach role — ideal for someone who enjoys developing engineers, driving delivery, and still contributing technically when needed.

You’ll lead a team of backend and frontend engineers across active client projects, ensuring high-quality, scalable software delivery while fostering strong team culture and technical standards.

This is not a pure management role. You’ll be expected to influence architecture, guide technical decisions, and stay close to the codebase.

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of software engineers
• Conduct 1:1s, performance reviews, and career development planning
• Drive technical direction across backend services and APIs
• Contribute hands‑on to system design and key architectural decisions
• Collaborate with product and design to shape roadmaps and delivery plans
• Lead agile ceremonies and improve team delivery processes
• Ensure strong engineering standards across testing, CI/CD, and deployments

• 8+ years in software engineering, including 2+ years in a leadership or people management role
• Strong backend development experience (Java and/or Python, ideally Spring)
• Strong understanding of REST APIs, scalable system design, and web architecture
• Experience with relational and non-relational databases
• Proven ability to lead projects end‑to‑end while maintaining team engagement and morale
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills

• Experience in cloud‑native or containerised environments
• Exposure to data tooling or workflow orchestration (e.g., Airflow, dbt)
• Experience scaling teams or improving engineering processes
• Experience mentoring early- to mid‑career engineers

• Real ownership over both technical direction and team growth
• Influence hiring, architecture, and delivery standards
• High‑autonomy, fast‑paced engineering culture
• Highly competitive compensation and fantastic benefits package