Engineering Manager - Payments (BACS & Chaps)

We built ClearBank on the belief that banking infrastructure would no longer slow down progress. Instead, it would be a catalyst that unlocks the potential to innovate. It would adapt to different needs so a new era in financial services could begin. We’re here to challenge the status quo in banking, are you?

We all know that transforming banking forever is not an easy mission, but we’re more than ready to rise to that challenge. We all do it every day; navigating new, unexpected and sometimes even daunting challenges. But we believe in ourselves and trust we can do it. Want to innovate? Go for it. Push for a better way? You Can. If you think you have it in you, this is Where You Can.

About Us

We’re ClearBank – a technology-enabled bank with a mission to transform banking infrastructure. Our cloud-native platform powers payments and banking services for financial institutions, fintechs and regulated clients.

We operate with a strong focus on trust, collaboration and delivering meaningful outcomes for our clients, creating an environment where teams can innovate and move with pace.

Role Purpose

As an Engineering Manager in our Payments team, you will lead a set of teams responsible for building and operating critical UK payment systems, including BACS, CHAPS and SWIFT.

You will be accountable for delivering reliable, scalable and secure payment capabilities while creating a high-performance environment where engineers can thrive.

This role brings together technical leadership, delivery ownership and people leadership, ensuring both strong outcomes and a collaborative, high-trust way of working.

Key Responsibilities

• Deliver and continuously improve payment services across UK payment rails (BACS, CHAPS, SWIFT).

• Ensure systems meet high standards for availability, resilience, security and regulatory compliance.

• Own delivery outcomes in partnership with Product, Technology, Risk and Operations.

• Lead, coach and develop a team of engineers, supporting both performance and growth.

• Establish clear priorities and ensure focus on high-impact outcomes.

• Drive engineering excellence in system design, testing, deployment and observability.

• Identify risks and dependencies early, taking action to maintain delivery momentum.

• Foster strong collaboration across teams, ensuring alignment and effective communication.

• Own operational performance, including incident management and continuous improvement.

• Promote a strong ownership mindset across the team for production systems.

What success looks like in the role

• Payment systems are highly reliable, resilient and meet regulatory and operational expectations.

• The team consistently delivers high-quality outcomes aligned to business priorities.

• Engineers are engaged, growing and performing at a high level.

• Cross-functional collaboration is strong, with clear communication and alignment.

• Continuous improvements are made to system performance, scalability and delivery practices.

Skills & Experience (must-have)

• Experience leading engineering teams in an ambitious technology environment.

• Strong understanding of distributed systems, APIs and cloud-native architectures.

• Knowledge of DevOps practices and CI/CD.

• Proven track record delivering and operating high-availability production systems.

• Ability to balance technical depth with delivery focus and pragmatism.

• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills.

• Experience working in regulated environments or complex operational settings.

• Ability to build and maintain high-performing, inclusive and collaborative teams.

• Strong problem-solving skills and ownership mindset.

• Good awareness of agile delivery practices and a pragmatic approach to implementation.

Nice-to-have

• Experience with UK payment schemes (such as BACS, CHAPS and SWIFT).

• Experience in banking, fintech or payments environments.

• Familiarity with Azure and modern cloud platforms.

• Experience with event-driven architecture and scalable systems.

Ways of Working & Culture

• We succeed as one: collaborate openly, value different perspectives and focus on shared outcomes.

• We build trust: act with transparency, take ownership and follow through on commitments.

• We care about outcomes: prioritise meaningful impact over activity.

• We grow together: seek feedback, learn continuously and support others to develop.

A little bit more about us!

ClearBank is Where You Can belong:

At ClearBank we think about Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) a lot. Not because we think we should. But because we know we should – how else can we build a happy workforce and be successful as a business. We’re committed to making sure our teams reflect society. And we put energy and effort into making this a place where everyone feels at home, where they’re given the trust and encouragement to do their very best work. Here are some of the things we’re most proud of:

• 42% of our senior management roles are held by women

• Our enhanced family leave policies

• Launching our partnership with Code First Girls

• Increasing awareness of neurodiversity in the workplace through our partnership with the Inclusive Group

Our hiring process and what you can expect:

Application: a member of our talent acquisition team will review your application against the key requirements for the role and let you know within two weeks whether you’re moving forward to the next stage;

Screening: You’ll spend 30-45 minutes speaking to one of our recruiters learning more about the role and ClearBank, and we’ll get it know more about you, your experience and how your skills align with the role (this will be via phone or Teams video call). You can expect to hear back from us within seven days following this meeting (if things are taking longer than expected, we’ll let you know that too);

First Interview: You’ll spend one hour with a member of our hiring team focusing on your skills, competencies and your ways of working at the same time we’ll give you time to ask more questions about the role, the team and learn more about the ClearBank culture. This will be via Teams.

Second Interview: This will be a competency-based interview with one or more members of our team.

Final Stage: You will have a final meeting with the Head of Department. This will be around 45-60 minutes.

Offer: Congratulations! Get ready to transform banking forever!

Our commitment to you as a candidate:

We will always try our best to get back to you within seven days of your interview whether you’ve been successful or not and provide you with feedback. Sometimes things take a little longer, so we may not have a decision to share but we will get it touch to let you know we need a little more time.

We’re unable to provide specific individual feedback at the application or screening stage but know that your application was reviewed and considered carefully.

We wish you the best of luck with your application and maybe we’ll be celebrating your new role at ClearBank soon!

Equal Opportunities

ClearBank is committed to ensuring equal opportunities throughout every stage of the recruitment process. ClearBank recognises that diversity is vital to the long-term success of the business in the communities and markets in which it operates. ClearBank is also a firm believer that an inclusive culture fosters greater employee engagement and collaboration.

ClearBank strives for diversity and inclusion of all forms, including (but not limited to): gender, age, educational and professional background, disability, gender reassignment, marital or civil partner status, pregnancy or maternity, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief and sexual orientation.

As part of the Company’s commitment to equal employment opportunity, we provide reasonable adjustments, to candidates during the recruitment process, including to individuals with disabilities. We want to create a safe space that welcomes everyone so please let us know how we can accommodate you. In case you have any accessibility requirements you can share that with our Talent Acquisition team prior to your interview stage, if applicable.

The legal bit

By submitting your CV to ClearBank Limited you are providing your consent for us to use the information you provide for recruitment purposes. For more information on how we manage your data go and check out our Candidate Privacy Notice on the ClearBank website to see how we process, manage and look after your data. You are also allowing us to communicate with you by email and telephone for recruitment purposes.