Software Engineering Manager

Head Office Permanent Full  time

High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire Competitive, bonus, hybrid and flexible working

The Role The job:

We`re looking for an Engineering Manager to join our Ecommerce Team based in Loudwater, Buckinghamshire. As Engineering Manager for Ecommerce Front-End & QA, you are the day-to-day technology deputy to the Head of Ecommerce. You lead our front-end engineering and test teams to deliver a stable, high-performing ecommerce experience while improving delivery predictability, release confidence and quality. This role is critical to steering our front-end modernisation / migration programme.

You are technically credible and able to guide engineering direction, challenge approaches, and make pragmatic trade-offs. You are a strong people manager who builds a high-performing team and reduces reliance on the Head of Ecommerce for operational oversight.

Ready to skip the snooze button and get stuck in? Here`s a taste of what you`ll be doing day-to-day...Provide technical leadership on FE standards and ways of working so delivery is consistent, maintainable, and doesn`t create long-term risk.

Lead the team through the front-end migration/modernisation programme: set the approach, sequence the work sensibly, and ensure delivery remains safe throughout.

Work closely with Product to challenge briefs, shape solutions, and ensure the team delivers the best customer experience outcomes.

Ensure releases are "ready to ship" with strong test discipline, clear defect management, and visible sign-off.

Coach, develop and performance-manage engineers and QA colleagues to build a strong, motivated and accountable team.

Delivery Support with Front-End and QA: supporting the delivery manager with planning, prioritisation, capacity, dependencies, and clear reporting of progress, risks and blockers.

Engineering Leadership & Delivery Ownership Own delivery outcomes for FE engineering and QA: predictable throughput, release readiness, incident/defect ownership, and continuous improvement in how the team plans and delivers.

Establish and maintain strong engineering ways of working.

Identify technical delivery risks early (dependencies, resourcing, technical constraints) and actively remove blockers.

Balance "run the business" work with roadmap delivery and technical debt reduction to protect site stability and future change velocity.

Front-End Modernisation / Migration Leadership Steer the front-end migration programme end-to-end from an execution perspective: sequencing, approach, and delivery governance to ensure progress without destabilising trading

Set and maintain FE standards and patterns: framework usage, Type Script standards, state management, component structure/reuse, testing strategy and performance best practices.

Make key migration decisions visible and understandable: document major trade-offs and decisions and ensure alignment across stakeholders.

Ensure the team maintains a sustainable architecture direction.

Quality & Test Leadership (via Test Manager)
Line-manage and support the Test Manager to create and execute effective test strategies, plans and scripts across releases and change programmes.

Ensure robust coverage across testing types: exploratory, feature, pre/post release, integration, regression, and performance testing; primarily manual with pragmatic automation where it adds value.

Drive strong defect management: triage, prioritisation, clear ownership, and fast resolution - especially for live issues impacting customers/trading.

Maintain clear release sign-off processes and communication so stakeholders understand confidence and risk.

Stakeholder & Partner Management Actively question project briefs and contribute to shaping solutions to ensure optimum outcomes and reduce delivery roadblocks.

Translate business goals into engineering delivery plans and communicate clearly to non-technical stakeholders.

Coordinate with third-party partners (development and QA) to ensure alignment on standards, quality expectations, and delivery timelines.

People Leadership & Team Development Build a strong engineering and QA culture focused on ownership, quality, continuous improvement, and collaboration.

Set…