---
title: 'Engineering Manager at Sotheby''s'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/engineering-manager-sotheby-s-london-rpxwhhtznq3m'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-07'
---

# Engineering Manager at Sotheby's

- **Company:** Sotheby's
- **Location:** London, United Kingdom
- **Work type:** remote
- **Posted:** 2026-07-21
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-07
- **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/sothebys/jobs/6121918004

## Job description

## ABOUT SOTHEBY'S

Established in 1744, Sotheby’s promotes access and ownership of exceptional art and luxury objects through auctions, private sales and retail. Our deep expertise across 70 selling categories is supported by a leading technology platform and a global network of specialists spanning 40 countries. Selling categories include Contemporary Art, Modern and Impressionist Art, Old Masters, Chinese Works of Art, Jewelry, Watches, Wine and Spirits and Design, as well as collectible cars and real estate through RM Sotheby’s and Concierge. Sotheby’s Financial Services is a leading art lender and provides capital solutions for collectors around the world, having originated more than $12 billion in loans since its inception. Sotheby’s new global headquarters is now open at the iconic Breuer building at 945 Madison Avenue in New York City.

## THE ROLE

Established in 1744, Sotheby’s is the world’s premier destination for art and luxury. The engineering that powers it today reflects that same ambition, built on modern technologies and modern practices.

Auctions are the most visible part of what we do, but every sale that runs through Sotheby’s is backed by the entire engineering organisation. The work starts months before a lot crosses the block, from the systems that support how we acquire and value inventory, through to the platforms our clients and specialists interact with daily, the identity and compliance infrastructure that keeps it all trustworthy, and the services that make the live event itself possible.

That breadth is what makes the engineering here different. Whether you’re working on internal tooling, client-facing products, platform infrastructure, or the real-time systems behind a sale moving hundreds of millions of dollars, your work connects to something tangible.

We’re looking for engineering managers who can build and lead the teams that own these systems. People who care as much about the engineers they work with as the software those engineers produce, and who are curious enough to learn a domain that will surprise them.

Our engineering teams are remote-first and globally distributed. It’s how we’re built, and it’s how we intend to stay.

We’re not async-only. There are regular calls, cross-team meetings, and plenty of direct collaboration alongside the written communication you’d expect from a distributed organisation. The balance works because the people here are good at both.

This role is London or remote within the UK.

## IDEAL EXPERIENCE & COMPETENCIES

You’ve done this before. 3+ years managing teams of five or more engineers. You’ve hired, developed and retained good people. You know what a healthy team looks like and you know how to get there when it isn’t.

You have real technical depth. You don’t need to write code every day, but you can engage credibly with architectural decisions, review trade-offs, and spot when something is going sideways before it becomes an incident. Your engineers trust your judgment because you’ve earned it.

You deliver through others. You’re measured by what your team ships, not what you build yourself. You care about outcomes, not activity.

You communicate clearly and adapt to your audience. Whether that’s giving context to your team, presenting a plan to leadership, writing up a post-mortem, or navigating a difficult conversation with a direct report. You’re comfortable in all of those.

You create clarity in ambiguity. Priorities shift, dependencies tangle, and plans change. You’re the kind of leader who absorbs that complexity and gives your team something they can actually act on.

Required:

- Proven engineering management experience with distributed or remote-first teams across multiple time zones
- A strong technical background in software engineering, with enough depth to guide architectural and infrastructure decisions
- Experience partnering with product management to define priorities and deliver meaningful outcomes
- Track record of hiring well, onboarding effectively, and building teams that retain good people
- A focus on engineering quality: observability, analytics and reporting, testing practices, and ensuring the team ships work they can stand behind

Useful:

- Familiarity with our core stack: Go, Scala, React/TypeScript, Next.js, GraphQL, gRPC
- Experience with cloud infrastructure (AWS) and container orchestration (Kubernetes)
- Background in real-time, event-driven, or high-value transaction systems
- Experience establishing engineering standards, governance, or communities of practice
- E-commerce, marketplace, or auction domain experience

## RESPONSIBLITIES

- Own the health, output and growth of an engineering team distributed across time zones, from hiring through to career development and performance
- Partner with product management to shape your team’s roadmap, balancing feature delivery, technical investment and operational health
- Set and maintain the quality bar for your team’s area of the platform, including engineering practices, observability, reliability and how work gets reviewed
- Run the delivery cadence: planning, prioritisation, retrospectives, and the day-to-day work of keeping things moving and unblocked
- Manage dependencies and communication across teams, reducing coordination overhead and making sure nothing falls between the cracks
- Contribute to engineering-wide initiatives, whether that’s standards, tooling, process improvement, or how we grow engineers across the organisation
- Handle incidents and operational issues alongside your team, own the follow-up, and make sure the right things get fixed
- Give your engineers regular, honest feedback and create real opportunities for them to grow

## WHAT WE OFFER

- Competitive salary with discretionary bonus
- Private health insurance
- Health cash plan and dental insurance
- Workplace nursery benefit
- Generous holiday allowance, Christmas shutdown, summer Fridays, and volunteer and wellbeing days
- Great hardware
- Cycle to work scheme and eye care vouchers
- Regular social events, meetups, and use of our London space (the summer and Christmas parties are worth showing up for)

To view our Candidate Privacy Notice for the US, please [click here](https://www.sothebys.com/en/docs/pdf/candidate-privacy-notice.pdf).

To view our Candidate Privacy Notice for the UK, Hong Kong, France and Switzerland, please [click here](https://www.sothebys.com/en/docs/pdf/final-v1-sothebys-recruitment-privacy-notice-uk-hk-france-and-switzerland-31-january-2022.pdf?locale=en).

The Company is an equal opportunity employer and considers all applicants for employment without regard to race (including, without limitation, traits historically associated with race, such as natural hair, hair texture, and protective and treated or untreated hairstyles), color, creed, religion, sex, sexual orientation, marital or civil partnership/union status, national origin, age, disability, pregnancy, genetic predisposition, genetic information, reproductive health decision, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, alienage or citizenship status, domestic violence victim status, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state/province or local law. The Company complies with applicable state and local laws prohibiting discrimination in employment in every jurisdiction in which it operates.

## About Sotheby's

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Sotheby’s is the world’s premier destination for art and luxury, providing access to exceptional objects through auctions, private sales, and e-commerce.
- **Entity Type**: Private (acquired by Patrick Drahi in 2019)
- **Headquarters**: New York City, USA (global headquarters at the Breuer building, 945 Madison Avenue) with a network spanning 40 countries
- **Founded**: 1744
- **Founders**: Samuel Baker (first auction under his name on 11 March 1744)

## Core Business
- Primary industry: Fine art and luxury auction house, art marketplace, and art-related financial services.
- Target customers: Collectors, art enthusiasts, institutions, and luxury consumers (B2C and B2B).
- Mission/purpose: “Promotes access to and ownership of exceptional art and luxury objects” and believes in the transformative power of art and culture, committed to inclusivity, sustainability, and collaboration.

## Products & Services
- **Auctions**: Live and hybrid digital auctions across 70 categories including Contemporary Art, Modern and Impressionist Art, Old Masters, Chinese Works of Art, Jewelry, Watches, Wine and Spirits, Design, collectible cars (via RM Sotheby’s), and real estate (via Concierge Auctions).
- **Private Sales**: Direct, confidential sales for clients seeking discretion.
- **BuyNow Marketplace**: E-commerce platform for immediate purchase of art and luxury items.
- **Sotheby’s Financial Services**: Art lending and capital solutions; has originated more than $12 billion in loans since inception.
- **Sotheby’s Advisory**: Strategic advisory for collectors and institutions.
- **Sotheby’s Institute**: Educational programs on art business and connoisseurship.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation**: Not publicly disclosed (privately held).
- **Key Metric**: Annual worldwide sales turnover in excess of $7 billion (as of recent reports).
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Owned by Patrick Drahi (media and telecom entrepreneur). No other major external investors disclosed.
- **Growth Signals**: First auction house to successfully shift to hybrid digital auction format during the pandemic; pioneered AI and scientific research in-house; expanded to 40 countries with 80 offices; continues to innovate with mobile and web experiences.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Heritage & Trust**: Oldest and largest internationally recognised fine art auction house (since 1744).
- **Global Reach**: Network of specialists in 40 countries and 80 offices covering 70 categories.
- **Innovation Track Record**: First to hold auctions in Asia (1973), first to use satellite bidding (1960s), first to sell a work for over $100 million (2004), and early adopter of e-commerce (2000) and AI (2018).
- **Integrated Services**: Only full-service art financing company (Sotheby’s Financial Services) combined with auctions, private sales, and retail.

## Strategic Focus
- Digital transformation and hybrid auction formats to capture online sales growth.
- Expansion into new luxury categories (e.g., collectible cars, real estate) and geographies (e.g., China).
- Deepening client relationships through data-driven insights and personalized experiences.
- Commitment to diversity, equity, and sustainability as core values.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: Entrepreneurial, client-first, passionate, and innovative. Values include “dream big, challenge the status quo, relentlessly pursue innovation.”
- **Diversity & Inclusion**: Strong commitment to equality and diverse backgrounds; endorsed by senior management.
- **Benefits**: Competitive compensation, health/dental/vision insurance, fertility and growing family support, 401(k) with company match, paid parental leave, gym reimbursement, education assistance, and access to world-class art museums and galleries.
- **Work Environment**: Hybrid/remote options available for some roles (e.g., Payroll Manager listed as New York/Remote). Offices in major cities globally.
- **Growth**: Internal mobility encouraged; opportunities for cross-functional exposure through Internship, Associates, and Mobility programs.

## Sources
1. [sothebys.com](https://www.sothebys.com/en/about) – About Us page (company description, mission, values)
2. [sothebys.com](https://www.sothebys.com/en/about/careers) – Careers page (benefits, values, social impact)
3. [sothebys.com](https://www.sothebys.com/en/about/our-history) – History page (founding, key milestones, acquisition by Drahi, sales turnover)
4. [greenhouse.io](https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/sothebys/jobs/5988535004) – Job listing page (global headquarters location, financial services stats, office locations)
5. [sothebys.com](https://www.sothebys.com/en/) – Homepage (overview of categories and services)

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