Manager, Software Engineering - Innovation Engineering

Job Title - Manager, Software Engineering (Innovation Engineering)

Description - Lead the engineering team at Pearson Labs, bringing focus, energy and technical judgement to a live portfolio of experiments shaping the future of learning. Also known in the market as: Innovation Engineering Manager; R&D Engineering Manager; Engineering Manager, Applied Research; Prototyping Engineering Manager.

About the Role

Pearson Labs is the applied R&D function within the Office of the CTO. We explore, experiment with and prototype emerging technologies that could transform how people learn, are assessed and work. Our portfolio spans areas including AI tutoring, agentic systems, immersive environments, knowledge graphs, voice agents and novel hardware.

We are looking for a dedicated engineering manager whose day job is the team itself. You will run the day-to-day work of a small, globally distributed group of Innovation Engineers, helping them prioritise, collaborate, remove blockers and turn ambitious ideas into evidence-led, demo-ready prototypes.

This is not a conventional software-engineering management role. The roadmap is dynamic, the work ranges from short experiments to longer-term exploration, and progress is measured through validated learning. You will bring professionalism to ambiguity while protecting the curiosity, energy and enjoyment that make an innovation lab effective.

What You’ll Do

• Lead the day-to-day operation of the Labs engineering team and allocate work across a changing research portfolio.

• Coach and develop engineers through regular feedback, growth conversations, onboarding and AI-native ways of working.

• Create focus across concurrent experiments, remove blockers and bring engineers together on shared initiatives.

• Establish practical standards for prototyping, documentation, experimentation, evidence quality and demo readiness.

• Help teams frame hypotheses, define measurable objectives and reach explicit scale, pivot or stop decisions.

• Maintain an accurate view of portfolio health and communicate progress, risks and recommendations clearly.

• Coordinate customer sessions, showcases and executive demonstrations so the story travels as well as the work.

• Stay alert to emerging technology, changing business priorities and opportunities for Pearson Labs to explore next.

What We’re Looking For

• Experience leading software engineers day to day, with evidence of building a high-performing and genuinely positive team culture.

• A strong engineering background and the technical credibility to review prototypes, challenge architecture and work alongside engineers when useful.

• Comfort leading work designed to create learning quickly, including experiments that may be stopped or discarded.

• Strong prioritisation and organisation across multiple concurrent initiatives with changing levels of maturity.

• A practical, early and constructive approach to feedback, coaching and team development.

• Confidence engaging customers, clients and senior stakeholders and presenting technical work in an accessible way.

• An entrepreneurial mindset, with curiosity about what is changing in technology, learning and the wider business.

• Fluency with AI-augmented engineering, coding agents or agentic workflows, or a strong readiness to work this way.

• Experience leading distributed or international colleagues and creating cohesion across locations.

• Interest in education, learning science, EdTech, applied research, startups or innovation environments is helpful.

Location & Working Pattern

This role is based in London. Pearson Labs has a physical space at 80 Strand, and the manager needs to spend meaningful time with the team. Candidates should be comfortable working from the London office around three days per week, with flexibility around team and business needs. Some occasional national or international travel may be required for conferences, customer sessions or demonstrations.

Why Join Pearson?

You will help shape both the future of learning and how a global company does innovation. The role offers visibility across Pearson, access to senior leaders and customers, and the opportunity to build a management function around a team working at the technology frontier. You will join a group that values curiosity, creativity, evidence and collaboration, with the mandate to make the team even stronger.

Next Steps

Please submit your CV or résumé, together with a short response describing the best team culture you have built or been part of and what you did to make it effective. You may also share examples of talks, writing, projects, prototypes or teams you are proud of.