Software Engineering Manager

Location: Brand: RS Group Function: Digital & Technology Work Location: Virtual Location : This is a remote role, offering the flexibility to work virtually from anywhere within the UK. Contract Type : Permanent The Opportunity We are seeking an experienced Software Engineering Manager to lead one of our API teams. This role is pivotal in delivering product features and engineering output at pace, while fostering a pragmatic, delivery-focused culture. The manager will evangelise a clear technical vision, experiment with smarter ways of working, and ensure high-quality engineering standards within a product domain environment. The Software Engineering Manager leads one agile engineering team, with line management responsibility for approximately 6-10 engineers. This role is a key member of the API function, reporting to the Head of API Platforms. What You'll Be Doing Line Management: Direct line management of the API engineering team, providing mentorship, guidance, and performance management. Technical Leadership: Lead technical design and delivery within the assigned Product domains, ensuring alignment with architectural standards and business objectives. Cross-Functional Collaboration: Collaborate effectively with agile teams, domains, architects, the engineering practice, scrum masters, and product owners to drive integrated solutions. Operational Excellence: Coordinate the observability and operational support of production infrastructure, ensuring system reliability and performance. Quality Assurance: Review engineering output for quality, completeness, and adherence to best practices. Production Support: Provide occasional out-of-hours support for systems owned by the team. Team Empowerment: Empower the team to deliver at pace, take ownership of features, and contribute to a positive engineering culture. What You'll Bring 10+ years' experience in software engineering and technology development, including 3+ years leading engineering teams within an agile, product-focused environment. Proven experience delivering cloud-native solutions, continuous delivery, and modern back-end architectures, including event-driven systems. Strong hands-on expertise with Java, Node.js, AWS services (Lambda, SNS, SQS, IAM, DynamoDB), and API technologies such as GraphQL and Postman. Experience with Infrastructure as Code, automation, and CI/CD pipelines using tools such as Terraform and GitLab CI. Knowledge of cloud platform tooling including HashiCorp Vault, Nomad, Kong API Gateway, and observability platforms such as Datadog. Solid understanding of application security, performance optimisation, caching technologies (e.g. Redis), and test automation. Demonstrated knowledge of solution architecture, emerging technologies, and industry trends. Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to translate complex technical concepts for both technical and non-technical audiences. Strong collaboration, relationship-building, and influencing skills, with the ability to work effectively across technology and business functions. Analytical and strategic mindset, with a proven ability to lead change, solve complex problems, and drive actionable outcomes. We Are RS At RS, we are making amazing happen for a better world. As a global product and service solutions provider, we help industrial customers operate more efficiently and sustainably. Operating in 33 markets, we support around one million customers worldwide with more than 875,000 stocked products, access to over five million additional products, and a range of service solutions designed to help businesses thrive. What sets us apart is our people. More than 8,500 colleagues around the world bring technical expertise, digital innovation, and a customer first mindset to everything we do. Guided by our values – we are one team, we deliver brilliantly, we do the right thing, and we make every day better, we're creating an environment where our people can grow, contribute and make a meaningful impact. Join us and help make amazing happen. Rewards Our Reward Strategy Philosophy is designed to offer market competitive base salaries and provide all of our people the opportunity to participate in a short-term incentive, enabling them to share in the success of the Company. Our total reward package is more than just the cash; our recognition and benefit offering provide the opportunity for us to recognise, reward and enable the wellbeing of our people at all stages of their journey with RS. Our rewards and benefits vary by country, but include: Financial - pension/retirement; life assurance; salary finance (payroll deduction loan scheme) Wellbeing - medical plans; health screening; critical illness; disability insurance; holiday / paid time off; employee assistance programme; discounted gym/health club membership Lifestyle - transportation assistance schemes (e.g., cycle to work, travel loans, car leasing); onsite catering/lunch vouchers; retail discounts Spotlight – our global recognition programme provides a platform to highlight and recognise people role modelling our values Ready to Make Amazing Happen? Join over 8,500 colleagues and help us shape the future of our industry. Whoever you are, wherever you are — it all starts here. Apply now and make RS a part of your journey. #LI-REMOTE #LI-BM1