Engineering Manager
Ocho People | Technology Recruitment
At a Glance
– Engineering Manager role at a fast-growing, AI-first technology business in the civic and public sector
– Stack: TypeScript, AWS serverless (Lambda, CDK), ISO 27001-certified environment
– Hybrid . Derry/Londonderry, minimum three days per week on-site
– Competitive salary plus performance-related bonus
– The only senior engineering leader in the business real ownership, direct line to the CEO, genuine influence over how the team works
About the Company
Our client is a specialist technology business with a strong track record delivering software that operates at the heart of UK democratic and civic processes. Following the successful delivery of multiple high-profile campaigns, the business is entering a significant growth phase over the next twelve to eighteen months and needs its engineering function to scale with it. ISO 27001 certified, they build mission-critical software where reliability, security and performance are non-negotiable. This is a small, focused team with serious ambitions and an AI-first approach to how they build and ship software.
The Role
This is the senior engineering leadership role in the business, reporting directly to the CEO. You will own the day-to-day running of the engineering team setting standards, ensuring quality, and keeping delivery on track as the client base expands. While this is a management role, you will stay close to the work: contributing to architectural decisions, guiding code reviews, and leading by example in the adoption of AI tooling across the function. The expectation is that you are already using AI agents in your own workflow and can bring the team with you. You will be the engineering authority in the room someone who can translate between technical reality and business intent, push back when needed, and operate independently in a fast-moving environment where not everything is defined.
Key Responsibilities
– Drive AI adoption across the engineering function from daily coding practice through design, review and delivery, setting the standard and challenging engineers who are not using the tools effectively
– Lead the engineering team day to day run 1:1s, set performance expectations, hire, develop people and hold the line on quality
– Manage relationships with senior business leadership translate between engineering reality and business intent, negotiate scope and commitments without damaging trust
– Own engineering processes and tooling end to end CI/CD, code review, testing, observability and incident response, improving them in sensible sequence without breaking delivery
– Own the AWS spend and engineering capability budget, understanding the architectural levers behind cloud cost rather than just the bill
– Contribute to architectural decisions and technical direction, remaining close enough to the code to guide and challenge with credibility
– Set the cultural tone for the engineering function lead by example under pressure and create an environment of accountability, quality and psychological safety
– Operate independently in ambiguous situations own problems end to end, make sound calls when the answer is not obvious, and defend them
What You’ll Need
Essential:
– A track record managing engineers directly, with concrete examples of hiring, performance management and team development
– Hands-on engineering background with recent credibility in a modern web and cloud stack TypeScript and AWS experience preferred
– Demonstrable AI fluency in your own engineering workflow, with evidence of driving adoption across a team
– Experience working closely with non-technical executive leadership, translating between engineering and business
– Comfortable operating as the most senior engineering voice in a small, fast-moving startup environment
– Right to work in the UK
Nice to have:
– Experience in regulated or mission-critical software environments
– Ownership of an engineering or cloud budget line
– Experience managing third-party delivery partners
Why Apply?
– Competitive salary with a defined performance bonus confirm figure with client before posting
– Hybrid working three days per week in the Derry/Londonderry office with flexibility around the rest
– The most senior engineering role in the business direct influence over architecture, culture and direction from day one
– Work on software that matters mission-critical systems operating at the centre of UK democratic and civic processes
– Free food and drinks on-site, subsidised gym membership and bike-to-work scheme
– Flexible working including condensed working options
– AI-first culture a business that genuinely wants to push the boundaries of how software gets built, not one that pays lip service to it
Interested?
Reach out to Ryan at Ocho People, connect on LinkedIn or send your CV directly to .
Skills:Engineering Management
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