Senior Software Engineering Manager : Data & AI Applications & Solutions (BT Digital)

Job Description

Flexible Hybrid working, 3 days a week together in our Birmingham/Snowhill Digital Hub (flexible 2 days remote wherever).

Why this job matters

Our Digital unit is responsible for leading BT’s digital transformation, delivering brilliant customer experiences and creating the innovative products and services our customers need.

The Software Engineer Manager leads the implementation and deployment of data & AI applications focusing on embedding software engineering principles into the data and AI products, and brings significant benefits to data and AI solution engineering to be robust, scalable, and maintainable.

The role works in strong collaboration with our Data & AI Core Engineering/CoE central teams and embeds key skills in the product squads that drive value in the organization, while directly working on our foundational capabilities for business.

You'll have the following accountabilities

• Build data ingestion pipelines using tools like Dataflow, Cloud Pub/Sub, or Apache Beam.
• Implement ETL/ELT processes to transform and load into operational datastore.
• Set up storage solutions, such as BigQuery for analytical queries, Cloud Storage for raw data, or Cloud SQL for structured data.
• Develop APIs or query interfaces for data access by downstream applications and users.
• Create monitoring and alerting mechanisms to ensure data pipelines are running smoothly.
• Perform unit, integration, and performance testing of data pipelines and storage solutions.
• Validate data accuracy, consistency, and completeness.
• Conduct load testing to ensure the system can handle expected data volumes and query loads.
• Implement user acceptance testing (UAT) to ensure that the operational datastore meets business requirements.
• Deploy to the production environment, ensuring minimal disruption to existing systems.
• Configure networking, access controls, and security policies in GCP.
• Set up disaster recovery and backup strategies.
• Optimize the system for cost, performance, and scalability.
• Manage and resolve incidents, including data quality issues, pipeline failures, and performance bottlenecks.
• Implement data governance practices, including data cataloging, lineage tracking, and access management.
• Ensure compliance with data security, privacy, and industry regulations (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA).

The qualifications, capabilities, and skills you will need

• Extensive experience in Python development.
• Proficiency in at least one additional programming language such as Java, C, C++, C#, or Go.
• Strong understanding and application of industry-standard technology strategies and best practices.
• Familiarity with unit-testing frameworks and Behavior-Driven Development (BDD) / Test-Driven Development (TDD).
• Solid grasp of Agile and Lean methodologies for prioritizing and managing software engineering teams.
• Hands-on experience with Python frameworks like Django or Flask.
• Practical experience in LLMs and LangChain framework
• Knowledge of big data technologies such as Spark, and Kafka for handling large-scale data processing and real-time data streams.
• Proven track record in leading and managing software engineering teams.
• Ability to guide, coach, and align teams to achieve strategic objectives.
• Experience in hiring, developing, and recognizing engineering talent.
• Deep knowledge of IT systems within the services industry.
• Practical experience with cloud-native technologies.
• Background in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, or a related field, with strong expertise in technology disciplines.

Preferred qualifications, capabilities, and skills

• Degree in Software Engineering or a related discipline.
• Experience with document databases such as Cloud Datastore, Cloud spanner
• Experience with google cloud search, BigQuery search, Elesticsearch on GCP
• Hands-on experience in architecting and developing applications or platforms on major public cloud providers (AWS, Google Cloud, Azure). Cloud certifications are a plus.
• Practical experience with infrastructure-as-code tools like Terraform, Ansible, Puppet, and/or Salt

Leadership standards

Looking in:

Leading inclusively and Safely

I inspire and build trust through self-awareness, honesty and integrity.

Owning outcomes

I take the right decisions that benefit the broader organisation.

Looking out:

Delivering for the customer

I execute brilliantly on clear priorities that add value to our customers and the wider business.

Commercially savvy

I demonstrate strong commercial focus, bringing an external perspective to decision-making.

Looking to the future:

Growth mindset

I experiment and identify opportunities for growth for both myself and the organisation.

Building for the future

I build diverse future-ready teams where all individuals can be at their best.

Benefits

• Competitive salary
• 25 days annual leave (plus bank holidays)
• 15% on target bonus
• Company car cash allowance
• Life Assurance
• Pension scheme
• Private Medical cover
• Direct share scheme
• 50% off EE mobile pay monthly or SIM only plans
• Exclusive colleague discounts on our latest and greatest BT broadband packages
• BT TV with TNT Sports and NOW Entertainment
• 50% discount for friends and family on EE SIM Only plans & airtime element off a Flex Pay plan

About BT

BT has a key role in British society, fostering change and leading technology innovation. From delivering the Olympics, to supporting the emergency services, to investing more into research than any other UK technology company, we take pride in everything we do - and in the people who work here.

We're now a global company operating at the forefront of the information age, employing 90,000 people in 180 countries. And we're on a mission. Guided by our core values of Personal, Simple and Brilliant our goal is to help customers, communities and businesses overcome barriers and release their potential.

Diversity & Inclusion

We hire for culture add, not culture fit. We embrace and encourage everyone to bring their unique personalities to the team, fostering an environment where they can freely express themselves with confidence and support. Our commitment to hiring people from diverse backgrounds enhances our team's values and enriches the quality of our work, allowing us to collectively achieve more than the sum of our individual contributions.

How to Apply

It's easy to apply online; you just need a copy of your up-to-date CV and to follow the step-by step process. Don't worry if you need to make changes - you'll have the opportunity to review and edit your work on the final page. We look forward to receiving your application!