Senior Engineering Manager – In-Store Fulfilment Cluster

We are looking for a highly capable and experienced Senior Engineering Manager to lead the engineering function for the In-Store Fulfilment (ISF) cluster. This role will be accountable for the end-to-end delivery of a large-scale, multi-layered system comprising mobile and web applications, distributed backends (in SCALA and JAVA), and orchestration layers. You will lead four engineering team leaders and their teams, ensuring technical excellence, delivery reliability, and alignment with our strategic goals.

What is our mission

We are part of the Mobile Fulfilment Systems department, and we fulfill customer orders in retail stores and dark stores (Manual Customer Fulfilment Centers). Our product,  In-Store Fulfilment (ISF), is part of the Ocado Smart Platform that allows retailers to quickly enter the online grocery market without the need to invest in building large automated Customer Fulfilment Centres. We manage the whole lifecycle from getting goods into the store and managing the inventory through accepting customer orders, planning and facilitating the execution of their picking, to buffering and dispatching them for delivery. In this journey, we leverage the functional programming paradigm with SCALA, backend orchestration JAVA services, front-end systems, and progressive web applications.

What You Will Do

• Lead a team of engineering managers and their teams and be overall responsible for every aspect of the software delivery process and the objectives, timelines and the product outcomes.
• Own and continuously refine the system’s architecture, making high-level architectural decisions in collaboration with our senior technical staff.
• Proactively identify and advocate for technological and process improvements, backed by data and aligned to strategic goals.
• Be cost-conscious by driving budget efficiency and cost optimisations without compromising delivery or quality.
• Balance technical priorities with product strategy, providing thoughtful, data-informed prioritisation.
• Own and ensure end-to-end product quality, defining and applying data-driven decision making using metrics, standards, and artefacts.
• Build and grow a high-performing engineering organisation, nurturing talent, knowledge sharing, and technical excellence.
• Align closely with Ocado Technology and the set Department goals, and ensure strong cross-team and cross-stream collaboration.
• Be an active leader at the site level, working with central teams to drive impactful local contributions.
• Collaborate with peers and product leadership to define and drive the ISF product strategy by gaining a deep understanding of customers’ needs.
• Develop and execute the team staffing strategy, shaping optimal team structure and distribution of responsibilities.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, candor, and meritocracy, where teams support each other and celebrate collective success.
• Represent the In-Store Fulfilment cluster internally and externally with clarity, credibility, and influence.

What You Will Bring

• A positive, can-do attitude that thrives in fast-paced, evolving environments.
• Proven track record of successfully leading three or more software engineering teams in complex delivery environments.
• Strong technical background with experience in developing and operating full-stack, large-scale business applications.
• Familiarity with software quality frameworks and standards, including their practical application.
• Deep understanding of end-to-end software development methodologies and tools, including SCRUM, Kanban, XP, and Waterfall.
• A holistic, data-driven mindset with the ability to make pragmatic decisions that balance technical, product, and business factors.
• Solid grasp of observability best practices, including monitoring, alerting, and logging for high-availability, distributed systems
• Demonstrated ability to manage and shape expectations proactively in communication with customer and C-level-facing roles.
• Ability to communicate complex technical concepts clearly and engagingly, including to non-technical audiences and large groups.
• Demonstrated experience with value-based leadership, promoting integrity, transparency, and shared success.

Bonus points for hands-on experience in:

• Deep expertise in mobile application development.
• Practical experience in Java-based distributed backend systems.
• Experience with OKRs or similar outcome-focused frameworks.
• Strong understanding of cloud technologies (especially AWS and GCP).
• Certifications in Project Management or Quality Management (e.g., PMP, PRINCE2, SixSigma).

In return we can offer you …

• Hybrid office attendance policy that sees you onsite 40% of your time
• 30 days of “Work from anywhere” program
• 30 days of annual leave
• Share plan program
• 300 BGN additional monthly allowance
• Enhanced maternity and paternity leave policy
• Medical plan including health & dental coverage
• Life and disability insurance
• Employee assistance program

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