Software Engineering Manager / Senior Leader (Python/Backend) - Remote - Reporting to the UK CTO – Award-Winning UK Telecoms Company - Premium salary!

An exceptional opportunity has opened for a Software Engineering Manager / Senior Engineering Leader with deep backend Python expertise to join the senior technology leadership team of an awardwinning UK telecoms scaleup (35+ industry awards), founded by a highly respected UK entrepreneur

Critical Requirement - This role requires an experienced senior engineering leader who actively uses AI tools in their workflow AND can drive AI adoption across the entire backend team with the architectural depth to design, evolve, and scale distributed systems, and the leadership capability to lift the team to the next level in efficiency, quality, and modern engineering practice.

We are looking for someone who is:

• Forwardthinking and proactive in adopting modern AIenhanced engineering practices
• Able to champion AI usage across the team to deliver a stepchange in engineering efficiency
• Comfortable leading cultural and workflow transformation, not resisting it
• This is a core leadership requirement, not a nicetohave.

Role Overview

This is a senior engineering management role, reporting directly to the UKbased CTO, with responsibility for:

• Leading and developing a global backend engineering team
• Setting technical direction and architectural standards
• Driving platform evolution and backend strategy
• Embedding AIenhanced engineering workflows across the team
• Maintaining handson technical credibility while operating at a senior leadership level

The company is uniquely positioned to support the 3 million UK businesses migrating to VoIP ahead of the BT 2027 copper switchoff. You will help shape the next generation of their zerotouch digital VoIP platform, built on automation, modern integrations, and AIdriven engineering.

Required Experience (Tech Stack & Tools)

• Languages & Frameworks: Python, Django, Flask
• GCP: Cloud Run, Pub/Sub, BigQuery
• CI/CD: Jenkins
• Databases: MySQL, Google Cloud Datastore
• Caching: Valkey (Redis)
• VoIP (nice to have): Asterisk, Wazo

Core Leadership & Technical Requirements (MustHaves)

• Proven experience managing or leading a backend engineering team (global or multitime-zone preferred)
• Strong handson experience using AI tools and the ability to drive AI adoption across the team
• Deep expertise in Python, Django, Flask
• Strong architectural thinking; experience designing scalable, distributed systems
• Ability to set engineering direction, standards, and best practices
• Handson leadership style able to contribute to the codebase when needed
• Experience influencing platform strategy and crossteam technical decisions
• Strong communication and confidence engaging at senior leadership level
• Proactive, assertive mindset comfortable challenging assumptions and driving change

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, mentor, and develop a global backend engineering team
• Implement structured 1:1s, performance frameworks, and clear ownership across services
• Collaborate closely with teams in the UK and South Africa
• Provide clear technical direction and elevate engineering standards
• Maintain handson involvement in the codebase where appropriate
• Drive architectural decisions and longterm platform evolution
• Embed AIenhanced engineering workflows across the team
• Champion modern AI tools to improve quality, speed, and consistency
• Represent backend engineering in leadership discussions and sprint ceremonies
• Improve code quality, testing discipline, documentation, and delivery processes
• Identify and eliminate bottlenecks in the development lifecycle
• Increase unit test coverage and reduce QA rejections
• Champion a culture of continuous improvement and engineering excellence

Interviews are taking place this week and next and were actively identifying top talent. If you believe you have the expertise to excel in this role, wed love to hear from you.

Please kindly note that due to the high volume of applications, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. We genuinely appreciate the time taken to apply and wish you every success in your ongoing search.