Enso Recruitmentis delighted to be working with a brand new FDI organisation who are setting up a team in Belfast. As part of this exciting expansion, their first key technical hire will be the Software Engineering Manager (Site Lead).

This position is a classic hybrid of both a technical and operational leadership role. Candidates will need to come from a strong software engineering background and have the capacity to lead and grow a mid-sized engineering team in Northern Ireland.

This is a rare opportunity to build something from the ground up while remaining technically hands-on.

The Opportunity

Youll play a foundational role in establishing and scaling the Belfast engineering function, working closely with global leadership while shaping local culture, delivery standards, and technical direction.

This organisation delivers high-quality cloud, data, and API-driven systems for enterprise and high-growth clients. Youll operate as a player-coach; balancing hands-on technical contribution with team leadership, hiring, delivery oversight, and operational growth.

Youll have genuine influence across:

• Technical architecture and engineering standards
• Hiring and team scaling strategy
• Delivery methodology and client engagement
• Culture-building and long-term growth of the NI operation

Key Responsibilities

Team & Site Leadership

• Establish and grow the Belfast engineering function
• Lead, mentor, and support a team of backend and frontend engineers
• Conduct regular 1:1s, development planning, and performance reviews
• Drive hiring, onboarding, and capability building locally
• Foster a culture of ownership, collaboration, and engineering excellence

Technical & Delivery Oversight

• Lead technical decision-making across client projects
• Contribute hands-on to backend services, APIs, and architectural design
• Ensure delivery of scalable, high-quality cloud-native systems
• Collaborate with product and client stakeholders to shape delivery roadmaps
• Uphold best practices across testing, CI/CD, deployment, and code quality

Operational & Strategic Impact

• Optimise agile delivery workflows and sprint processes
• Remove blockers and ensure delivery consistency
• Represent the Belfast site within the wider global organisation
• Build sustainable processes that support long-term team growth

About You

• 8+ years professional software engineering experience
• 2+ years in a technical leadership or people management role
• Strong backend expertise (Java, Python, and Spring)
• Experience working with modern frontend technologies (React, JavaScript)
• Solid understanding of system design, APIs, and scalable web architectures
• Experience working with relational and non-relational databases (e.g. PostgreSQL, MongoDB)
• Comfortable leading projects end-to-end while remaining technically credible
• Strong communication skills with the ability to build trust across teams
• Experience operating in fast-paced, high-growth environments

Benefits

• Opportunity to be the foundational technical leader in a brand new Belfast FDI
• Hybrid working model
• Fantastic PTO and holidays
• Home office equipment provided
• Private healthcare including dental plan
• Regular social events and wellness activities

To find out more about this opportunity, hit Apply or reach out to a member of the Enso Recruitment team today!

Skills:
Java Python Spring React