Head of Software Engineering - Group Technology

Summary

We're seeking a Head of Software Engineering to bring technical expertise and operational excellence. In partnership with our Product and Delivery teams, you'll work with teams to design, build, and maintain robust solutions, while playing a crucial role in establishing a best-in-class software engineering culture.

All the details

The role
We're seeking a Head of Software Engineering to bring technical expertise and operational excellence. In partnership with our Product and Delivery teams, you'll work with teams to design, build, and maintain robust solutions, while playing a crucial role in establishing a best-in-class software engineering culture.

At the centre of our HR and Finance technology landscape, this role leads the engineering organisation responsible for the platforms and integrations that support core colleague and business processes. As Head of Software Engineering, you will lead around 30 engineers through 2-3 Engineering Managers, working across a mix of onshore and offshore teams and external partners. You will set direction, drive delivery and maintain stability across a complex estate that is central to how the business operates.

You will be responsible for engineering across HR and Finance systems, covering payroll, time and attendance, holiday management, enterprise resource planning and the integrations that connect them to wider business platforms. The role is focused on large-scale transformation and modernisation, while ensuring critical legacy and operational platforms continue to run securely and reliably.

We are in the process of modernising a number of core platforms, including:

• Migrating Finance from SAP ECC (Systems, Applications and Products Enterprise Central Component) to SAP S/4HANA Cloud (SAP Business Suite 4 SAP HANA)
• Moving parts of the estate through a wider cloud migration
• Rebuilding selected applications using modern Java and React-based architectures
• Simplifying and strengthening third-party and internal system integrations across HR and Finance

  The current platform landscape includes:

• Blue Yonder supporting core HR capabilities
• Systems covering Time and attendance, Holiday management, and Payroll
• SAP ECC across Finance, moving to SAP S/4HANA Cloud
• A mix of internal platforms, front-end applications and third-party integrations

What you will be doing

• Lead and develop Software Engineering Managers, driving high standards, capability growth, and alignment to technical strategy and North Star principles
• Partner closely with Product and Delivery teams to solve complex problems, prioritise effectively, and deliver customer value
• Define and drive the technology strategy and architecture for omni-channel order fulfilment, including roadmap planning and OKRs
• Champion engineering excellence through strong quality practices, DevOps adoption, and data-driven performance and reliability metrics
• Foster a culture of innovation, experimentation, and continuous improvement, while promoting ways of working and leading Communities of Practice
• Own talent strategy end-to-end, including hiring, onboarding, and strengthening the engineering brand
  

Who you are

• Deep domain expertise in retail order fulfilment, including order processing, inventory management, warehousing, distribution, and logistics
• Strong software engineering background with proven experience delivering microservices and event-driven architectures in production environments
• Expert in system design, software architecture, cloud technologies, and modern engineering best practices
• Proven leader in scaled agile environments, with experience building and guiding high-performing teams of engineering managers and senior engineers
• Strong focus on quality, with deep knowledge of testing strategies, reliability engineering, and DevOps practices (CI/CD, “you build it, you run it”)
• Exceptional communicator and influencer, able to engage and align stakeholders at all levels, including non-technical audiences

What’s In It For You

Being a part of M&S is exactly that – playing your part to bring the magic of M&S to our customers every day. We’re an inclusive, dynamic, exciting, and ever evolving business built on doing the right thing and bringing exceptional quality, value, service to every customer, whenever, wherever and however they want to shop with us.

Here are some of the benefits we offer that make working for M&S just that little bit more special…

After completing your probationary period, you’ll receive 20% colleague discount across all M&S products and many of our third-party brands for you and a member of your household.

• Competitive holiday entitlement with the potential to buy extra holiday days!
• Discretionary bonus schemes awarded based on how you achieve your personal objectives and our performance as a business.
• A generous Defined Contribution Pension Scheme and Life Assurance.
• A dedicated welcome to our teams with a tailored induction and a wide range of training programmes to develop your skills.
• Amazing perks and discounts via our M&S Choices portal to maximise your financial and personal wellbeing.
• Industry-leading parental, adoption and neonatal policies, providing support and flexibility for your family.
• Access to a fantastic range of wellbeing support for all colleagues including access to our 24/7 Virtual GP and PAM Assist to support you and your family.
• A charity volunteer day to support a charity or cause you're passionate about through a dedicated day away from work.

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.

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