Job Description

Software Engineering Manager

About IRIS Software Group

IRIS Software Group is a leading global provider of business software and services, and one of the UK’s largest privately held software companies. For over 45 years, we’ve helped organisations make better business decisions by delivering integrated software solutions that reduce administrative burden, streamline operations, and free up time for high-value work.

Today, we support more than 100,000 customers across 135 countries. Our solutions are trusted by over 50 of the Top 100 CPA firms in North America, 54 of the Top 100 US accounting firms, and 93 of the Top 100 UK firms.

• Nearly 1 million UK employees are managed through our HR software
• 1 in 6 UK employees are paid via IRIS payroll solutions
• We are the largest third-party online tax filer with the UK Government
• Over 12,000 schools and academies use our education platforms
• Almost 4 million UK families connect to schools through our apps

In 2024, we received multiple industry recognitions, including the Payroll Innovation Award (Global Payroll Association Awards), Best EdTech Product (Global EdTech Awards), and Microsoft Security Partner of the Year.

We are proud to be recognized as a Great Place to Work, including accolades for Best Workplaces in Tech, Wellbeing, and for Women.

The Role

IRIS is seeking a Software Engineering Manager to lead engineering delivery for our Practice Management platform within our US Accountancy portfolio.

This is a people-first leadership role focused on driving delivery excellence, architectural direction, and operational reliability across core Practice Management capabilities — including client management, workflows, billing, and firm operations.

You will lead a team of engineers, partner closely with senior technical leaders, and ensure the platform evolves to meet the needs of modern US accounting firms.

Key Responsibilities

Technical Leadership & Architecture

• Provide technical direction and architectural oversight (no direct coding requirement)
• Partner with Staff and Principal Engineers to define and evolve system architecture
• Ensure systems are scalable, secure, and aligned with modern SaaS and service-oriented principles
• Establish and uphold standards for:
• API design and integrations
• Data modeling and workflow systems
• Observability, monitoring, and incident response
• Guide architectural decisions and ensure consistency across services and platforms
• Own system reliability, performance, and long-term maintainability

Team Leadership & Development

• Lead, mentor, and grow a team of software engineers
• Foster a culture of accountability, ownership, and continuous improvement
• Set clear expectations for delivery, quality, and operational excellence
• Manage performance, provide feedback, and support career development
• Drive effective sprint planning, execution, and delivery tracking
• Build a collaborative, inclusive, and high-performing team environment

Product & Strategic Alignment

• Partner with Product Management to deliver Practice Management capabilities tailored to US accounting firms
• Translate business priorities into actionable engineering plans and milestones
• Develop strong domain knowledge across:
• Client lifecycle management
• Time and billing
• Practice workflows and job tracking
• Ensure alignment with compliance requirements and business goals
• Contribute to roadmap planning and sequencing to maximize impact
• Collaborate cross-functionally to support integrations across tax, payroll, and document management platforms

What We’re Looking For

Experience

• 5+ years in software engineering, including significant experience in engineering management or team leadership
• Proven experience delivering and operating SaaS platforms at scale
• Experience in business-critical domains such as accounting, ERP, or Practice Management strongly preferred
• Strong understanding of:
• Distributed systems and service-oriented architectures
• Event-driven and asynchronous systems
• Microservices-based platforms
• Experience designing and operating API-driven systems (RESTful services, integrations, data exchange patterns)
• Familiarity with complex data modeling and workflow systems (billing, client management, job tracking)
• Experience across the full software development lifecycle
• Knowledge of DevOps practices including CI/CD, monitoring, alerting, and incident management

Key Competencies

• Strong execution and delivery mindset
• Ability to operate effectively in cross-functional environments (Product, Design, Business)
• Clear communicator with both technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Balances technical excellence with business outcomes
• Committed to team health, accountability, and continuous improvement

If you’re a people-focused engineering leader who thrives at the intersection of architecture, delivery, and business impact, we’d love to hear from you.

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