Junior Technical Project Manager - Engine by Starling

At Engine by Starling, we are on a mission to find and work with leading banks all around the world who have the ambition to build rapid growth businesses, on our technology.

Engine is Starling's software-as-a-service (SaaS) business, the technology that was built to power Starling Bank, and a year ago we split out as a separate business.

Starling Bank has seen exceptional growth and success, and a large part of that is down to the fact that we have built our own modern technology from the ground up. The Engine technology platform is now available to banks and financial institutions all around the world, enabling them to benefit from the innovative digital features, and efficient back-office processes that has helped achieve Starling's success.

Our people are at the very heart of Engine and enjoy working in a fast-paced environment that is all about building things, creating new stuff, and disruptive technology that keeps us on the cutting edge of fintech. We operate a flat structure to empower you to make decisions regardless of what your primary responsibilities may be, innovation and collaboration will be at the core of everything you do. Help is never far away in our open culture, you will find support in your team and from across the business, we are in this together!

The way to thrive and shine within Engine is to be a self-driven individual and be able to take full ownership of everything around you: From building things, designing, and discovering to sharing knowledge with your colleagues and making sure all processes are efficient and productive to deliver the best possible results for our customers. Our purpose is underpinned by five values: Listen, Keep It Simple, Do The Right Thing, Own It, and Aim For Greatness.

Hybrid Working

We have a Hybrid approach to working here at Engine - our preference is that you're located within a commutable distance of London so that we're able to interact and collaborate in person.

About Engineering at Engine by Starling -

We are hiring a Technical Program Manager to join our Technology team at Engine. You will be responsible for delivering a critical, strategic programmes within a technical and product domain.
This role will involve technical understanding with complex strategic coordination in a multi-client environment. You will support product consultants, engineering leads and our account managers with planning and commitment setting, as we scale internationally and continue to grow our client base with competing needs.
Working closely with Engine’s Engineering and Product teams and reporting directly into Engineering, along with external payment schemes and technology providers, you will oversee the end-to-end implementation of a diverse range of complex projects across different areas of the business. Reporting directly to Engineering and collaborating closely with Engine’s Engineering and Product teams, your role will be to manage the end-to-end implementation of various complex projects. This will involve working across different business areas and engaging with external payment schemes and technology providers.

We're looking for someone who thrives delivering in a flexible environment; previous experience working in Financial Services or Technology companies would be an advantage. This role has room to grow, with opportunities to take on wider programme management of challenging inter-woven engineering and product deliveries.

If you’re interested, our main backend stack is; Java microservices in Kubernetes (EKS), on AWS & GCP using TeamCity for CI / CD (with multiple production releases per day) backed by Terraform and Grafana.

What You'll Do: Key Responsibilities

• Overall management and co-ordination of a technical programme, managing a portfolio of multiple complex, inter-dependent projects. You’ll serve as the key bridge between Engineering, Clients and our Delivery partners.
• Work closely with Engineering Leads to support the Software Development Lifecycle, understanding work dependencies and complexities. Collaborate across multiple teams to coordinate work and effort. Support Product and Engineering to produce an achievable plan.
• Working with Product Leads to maintain a clear, real-time understanding of all client competing needs against our internal capacity. Proactively identifying risks of over-commitment to ensure realistic delivery timelines.
• Owning relationships with external parties such as vendors and payment schemes. Ensuring service is provided to a high standard and holding them accountable where they play a key role in project delivery.
• Provide key reporting and metrics for delivery progress and tracking against plans.
• Continually monitor processes and implement improvements.

Requirements

Ideally you will have:

• End-to-end Project or Programme Management experience, ideally within a technology or financial services environment.
• Proven experience working directly with Engineering and Product teams to deliver complex technical solutions and experience in the software-as-a-service sector.
• A 'hands-on' and adaptable approach to programme delivery, with the ability to thrive in a flexible, fast-paced environment where priorities can shift.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with experience communicating complex technical topics.
• Strong interpersonal skills and a creative problem-solving ability to navigate ambiguity and technical hurdles.
• Technical skills and the ability to talk to Product and Engineering teams.
• Strong experience working on cards projects is highly desirable

Our interview process:

Interviewing is a two way process and we want you to have the time and opportunity to get to know us, as much as we are getting to know you! Our interviews are conversational and we want to get the best from you, so come with questions and be curious. In general you can expect the below, following a chat with one of our Talent Team:

1. First interview (60 mins) - with someone from the team to get to know you, discuss the role, your skills, and how we work at Engine.
2. Final interview (45 mins) - with the Technical Programme Manager and Engineering Director

Benefits

• 33 days holiday (including public holidays, which you can take when it works best for you)
• An extra day’s holiday for your birthday
• Annual leave is increased with length of service, and you can choose to buy or sell up to five extra days off
• 16 hours paid volunteering time a year
• Salary sacrifice, company enhanced pension scheme
• Life insurance at 4x your salary & group income protection
• Private Medical Insurance with VitalityHealth including mental health support and cancer care. Partner benefits include discounts with Waitrose, Mr&Mrs Smith and Peloton
• Generous family-friendly policies
• Incentives refer a friend scheme
• Perkbox membership giving access to retail discounts, a wellness platform for physical and mental health, and weekly free and boosted perks
• Access to initiatives like Cycle to Work, Salary Sacrificed Gym partnerships and Electric Vehicle (EV) leasing

About Us

You may be put off applying for a role because you don't tick every box. Forget that! While we can’t accommodate every flexible working request, we're always open to discussion. So, if you're excited about working with us, but aren’t sure if you're 100% there yet, get in touch anyway. We’re on a mission to radically reshape banking – and that starts with our brilliant team. Whatever came before, we’re proud to bring together people of all backgrounds and experiences who love working together to solve problems.

Engine by Starling is an equal opportunity employer, and we’re proud of our ongoing efforts to foster diversity & inclusion in the workplace. Individuals seeking employment at Engine by Starling are considered without regard to race, religion, national origin, age, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, medical condition, ancestry, physical or mental disability, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

When you provide us with this information, you are doing so at your own consent, with full knowledge that we will process this personal data in accordance with our Privacy Notice. By submitting your application, you agree that Engine by Starling and Starling will collect your personal data for recruiting and related purposes. Our Privacy Notice explains what personal information we will process, where we will process your personal information, its purposes for processing your personal information, and the rights you can exercise over our use of your personal information.