Senior Engineering Manager (AI)

Growing people, teams, and modern engineering capability in an AI-enabled world

We're looking for a Senior Engineering Manager (AI) to support, grow, and enable high-performing engineering teams, with a strong focus on AI-assisted development, engineering acceleration, and modern ways of working.

This is a senior, people-focused leadership role for someone who brings deep credibility from a software engineering background and is ready to lead through coaching, influence, and judgement rather than hands-on delivery. You'll play a key role in shaping how teams adopt AI in practice – focusing not just on tools, but on behaviours, standards, and sustainable delivery.

The organisation is building momentum in AI but remains at an early stage of maturity. This creates ambiguity, complexity, and genuine opportunity. The role suits someone curious, adaptable, and resilient, who enjoys helping teams learn, evolve, and perform better over time.

What you'll be doing

Your focus is on enabling people and teams, while helping the organisation use AI in a way that genuinely improves outcomes.

You will:

• Provide leadership, coaching, and support to engineering teams delivering AI-enabled products and platforms
• Act as a visible and approachable engineering leader, shaping team culture, collaboration, and professional standards
• Support the adoption of AI-assisted development practices, balancing acceleration with quality and sustainability
• Work closely with senior engineers and technical leads to influence technical direction without needing to be the most senior specialist in the room
• Help shape engineering ways of working, particularly where AI introduces new opportunities or constraints
• Support teams operating in secure or constrained environments, balancing governance with delivery pragmatism
• Translate technical concepts – including architecture, tooling, and AI-related workflows – for non-technical stakeholders
• Build strong relationships across engineering, product, and delivery communities
• Identify opportunities to improve productivity, resilience, and consistency through better practices and collaboration
• Support teams through change, ambiguity, and shifting priorities, keeping focus on outcomes

What we're looking for

This role is ideal for someone who has earned their credibility in engineering and now finds their impact through leadership and influence.

Essential experience:

• A strong background as a software engineer, with significant experience as an individual contributor
• Demonstrable experience leading, supporting, or influencing engineers in delivery environments
• Practical exposure to AI-enabled software development, including acceleration and experimentation
• At least 12 months' experience working in or alongside AI-focused teams
• Solid understanding of modern software engineering and infrastructure practices
• Comfortable operating where processes and patterns are still forming
• Able to balance technical realities with organisational and people considerations
• Clear, confident communicator with credibility across stakeholder groups
• Resilient, adaptable, and confident leading without complete certainty

Desirable experience

• Experience supporting or observing formal engineering management, even if not previously a full line manager
• Background in large-scale or complex engineering organisations
• Exposure to AI acceleration tools or emerging AI-assisted workflows
• Familiarity with Python and modern software or infrastructure stacks
• Experience working in secure, regulated, or restricted environments
• Background in areas such as platform engineering, infrastructure, FinOps, or large technology estates

If you care about how engineering teams work, enjoy leading through trust and credibility, and are motivated by helping others succeed in a changing technical landscape, this role offers real scope and impact.

Guidant, Carbon60, Lorien & SRG – The Impellam Group Portfolio are acting as an Employment Business in relation to this vacancy.