Engineering Manager - Kafka Platform

Why join us 

 
Joining Sainsbury's Tech means becoming part of an inclusive and driven team that is passionate about creating innovative solutions. As an Engineering Manager, you will play a pivotal role in leading and coaching talented engineering teams, driving the delivery of impactful solutions that drive efficiency and enhance performance across the business. With a focus on continuous improvement, you will have the opportunity to shape a world-class engineering function and contribute to the development of cutting-edge processes and technologies. At Sainsbury's, we value collaboration, diversity, and inclusivity, and offer a supportive and inspiring environment where you can make a purposeful contribution. Join us to be a part of an organisation that fosters technical excellence and embraces the power of diversity to shape the technology landscape of a leading UK retailer. 

As an Engineering Manager, you will play a pivotal role in the strategic direction of kafka, leading and coaching talented engineering team members to drive engineering efficiencies using automation, while consolidating and maintaining multiple kafka platforms across the organisation.  

 
What you'll do 

• You will play a vital role in maintaining high-availability clusters for kafka, monitoring clusters, identifying and resolving performance issues proactively 

• Develop and support connectors for seamless data flow between various sources 

• You will line manage and guide a multi-skilled engineering team, ensuring they have the necessary resources and skills to support and maintain in-house built kafka platforms, as well as the administration of Confluent Cloud.  

• Your responsibilities include mentoring and coaching your team members, recruiting diverse and talented individuals, and promoting a culture of collaboration, learning, and respect.  

• You will work closely with Product Managers and Engineers to define the vision and technical direction of the products, as well as manage multiple deliveries and take end-to-end ownership of your products, including change management and service management.  

• Driving the development of new features, promoting best engineering practises, and advocating for agile / lean delivery methodologies are also essential aspects of your role.  

• Additionally, you will manage initiative-level budgets, ensure adherence to processes and standards, and demonstrate positive attitudes and behaviours that contribute to a culture of excellence and inclusivity. 

Who you are 
  

• In-depth knowledge of Kafka architecture (and the eco system e.g. Kafka-Connect, Schema Registry, KSQL), administration skills including configuration, tuning and monitoring.  

• You are a passionate and experienced leader with a deep understanding of engineering practises and a talent for coaching and developing teams.  

• With a hands-on approach, you lead by example and inspire your colleagues, fostering a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement.  

• Your technical expertise and previous experience managing and operating Kafka clusters combined with your ability to prioritise and manage multiple deliveries, enables you to drive the successful development and delivery of large-scale platforms.  

• You excel in making well-informed technical decisions and implementing best practises, while also managing Capex and Opex responsibilities.  

• With your strong leadership and communication skills, you build strong relationships at all levels and contribute to the inclusive and diverse culture that Sainsbury's Tech values.