New

Software Engineering Manager

Cardiff

The job in short

We are looking for a seasoned Software Engineering Manager to lead high-performing, cross-functional development teams. This role blends technical expertise, delivery excellence, and people leadership, ensuring that your teams build robust, scalable software that aligns with business goals.

As an AI-native leader, you’ll play a critical role in driving adoption of AI across our Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) and product strategy—ensuring our engineering practices remain modern, efficient, and future-ready.

Meet the job

People & Performance

  • Lead, coach, and grow multi-disciplinary Agile teams (typically 6–8 engineers per team);
  • Create an inclusive, engaging team environment with a strong engineering culture;
  • Drive performance and talent development with clear feedback, coaching, and formal reviews;
  • Manage local/global hiring and onboarding to build teams with the right technical competencies and seniority balance;
  • Address underperformance swiftly and constructively when needed.

Engineering Excellence

  • Champion high-quality software delivery through modern engineering practices (CI/CD, test automation, observability, quality gates);
  • Provide localised technical leadership to ensure guild guidelines are correctly implemented;
  • Act as Technical Leader for the output and direction of your team’s deliverables;
  • Lead teams in achieving production-readiness and robust release management practices.

Process & Delivery

  • Ensure teams are set up for success with the right processes, workflows, and tooling;
  • Deliver on-time commitments while enabling fast feedback loops with stakeholders;
  • Drive continuous improvement in delivery capability, operating models, and tooling;
  • Promote visibility and transparency through effective project tracking and communication.

Product & Value Focus

  • Collaborate with Product Managers and Domain Architects to translate business needs into technical outcomes;
  • Motivate delivery of high-value work that balances immediate needs and long-term strategic goals;
  • Champion customer-centricity through data-driven insights, feedback loops, and usability focus.

AI-Native Mindset

  • Proactively explore, experiment with, and apply AI tools and agentic frameworks (e.g. code generation, test automation, dev productivity);
  • Encourage AI adoption across engineering workflows and product capabilities;
  • Partner with AI/ML SMEs to embed AI in value delivery across our SDLC.

Skills & Competencies

Area

Description

Leadership

Sets a compelling direction, builds trust, holds accountability, and develops others.

Growth Mindset

Embraces learning and adapts in the face of change and feedback. Models resilience and curiosity.

Communication

Adjusts style for different audiences; confident presenter and listener who fosters open dialogue.

Delivery Management

Skilled in Agile methods (Scrum/Kanban); manages delivery risk, scope, and stakeholder expectations.

Customer Focus

Acts with customer empathy, champions internal/external satisfaction, and drives quality.

Engineering Fundamentals

Strong grounding in modern engineering tooling and practices, with the ability to pragmatically guide their adoption.

Problem Solving

Approaches problems systemically and strategically, balancing short- and long-term considerations.

AI Fluency

Familiarity with the AI tool ecosystem and how to drive AI adoption across engineering and product development.

How about you

  • BSc or MSc in Computer Science, Engineering or equivalent experience;
  • 7+ years in software engineering roles, including 2+ years in people management;
  • Proven experience with Agile delivery, CI/CD pipelines, and quality-focused development;
  • Track record of building and scaling teams, processes, and product impact;
  • Exposure to banking, payments, or SaaS is a plus;
  • Enthusiastic about leveraging AI to boost productivity and innovation.

What we offer

  • A mission-driven environment with smart, supportive colleagues;
  • Opportunities to influence our SDLC, team structures, and product strategy;
  • A front-row seat in our journey towards truly AI-augmented software engineering.

 

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EMEA Demographic questions

At Backbase, we recognise the importance of a diverse workforce and belonging. As part of our commitment to  a more inclusive environment, we gather some demographic questions during the recruitment process.

Any demographic questions asked during the application process are voluntary and will not influence hiring decisions. Your responses are completely anonymous and solely used for internal diversity initiatives. Backbase is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate. 

If you have any concerns or questions regarding the collection and use of demographic information, please feel free to contact our Human Resources department.

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