Tech Lead

Work setup: We operate in a hybrid work environment, and we encourage applicants who are open to working in the office two days a week to apply.

Work schedule: Monday to Friday, 3PM to 11PM Manila time, overlaps with UK operating hours

Employment type: Permanent

Location: Makati City, Metro Manila

Pay range: Php 104,000 to 142,000

We value transparency and want to ensure a good fit for both parties. We encourage applicants who are comfortable with this salary range to apply.

Discover a world of endless possibilities with Cambridge University Press & Assessment, a distinguished global academic publisher and assessment organization proudly affiliated with the prestigious University of Cambridge.

We're looking for a Tech Lead to play a pivotal role in evolving our IELTS digital platforms—designing scalable systems, mentoring engineers, and helping teams solve complex technical challenges at scale. 

As a Tech Lead, you'll sit at the intersection of technology, product, and delivery—shaping the architecture and engineering practices that underpin mission-critical systems. 

You'll help teams move fast without compromising long-term system health, ensuring our platforms are secure, scalable, and built to evolve. 

Why Cambridge?

Cambridge University Press & Assessment is a world-renowned not-for-profit academic publisher and assessment organisation, proudly part of the prestigious University of Cambridge. With a legacy rooted in over 800 years of educational excellence, we are dedicated to unlocking the potential of learners and educators across the globe.

Joining Cambridge's second largest global office in the Philippines —operating for over 22 years with 1,300+ colleagues— means becoming a part of an extraordinary institution renowned worldwide. We are recognised as a Great Place to Work® for three consecutive years, reflecting our inclusive culture, strong sense of purpose, and commitment to the professional growth and well-being of our people. At Cambridge, we don't just publish books or deliver tests—we empower progress, inspire curiosity, and champion the pursuit of knowledge.

What can you get from Cambridge?

At Cambridge, you'll become a part of a vibrant and forward-thinking community that transcends tradition, fostering a culture of continuous growth and personal development. Here, we provide the right environment for you to thrive, supporting your professional journey and empowering you to reach your highest potential, that is why our pay philosophy is intricately tied to your skills and competencies, ensuring that your compensation aligns with the unique value you bring to the role you are applying for.

The organization offers a wide range of benefits and opportunities including:

• Regular Employment on Day 1
• HMO Coverage and Life Insurance on Day 1
• Paid Annual Leaves (Vacation, Well-being, Flexible, Holiday, and Volunteering leaves)
• Vesting/Retirement package
• Opportunities for career growth and development
• Access to well-being programs
• Flexible schedule, hybrid work arrangement and work-life balance
• Opportunity to collaborate with colleagues from diverse branches that will expand your horizons and enrich your understanding of different cultures

What will you do as a Tech Lead? 

Guide technical direction 

• Guide the implementation of technical strategy in collaboration with architecture and engineering leadership 
• Balance short-term delivery with long-term sustainability and system integrity 
• Drive innovation, scalability, and resilience across platforms 

Design modern, scalable systems 

• Lead the design of cloud-native, API-first architectures 
• Ensure systems are secure, performant, and built for extensibility 
• Navigate trade-offs clearly and make sound architectural decisions 

Enable high-quality engineering 

• Support teams to deliver clean, maintainable code across the stack 
• Embed DevOps, CI/CD, and automation practices to improve delivery flow 
• Reduce technical debt through pragmatic, continuous improvement 

Improve performance and reliability 

• Drive observability (logging, metrics, tracing) and data-driven decisions 
• Optimise performance using techniques such as load testing and caching 
• Ensure systems meet reliability, security, and scalability expectations 

Grow people and teams 

• Mentor engineers and raise the bar for engineering excellence 
• Foster a culture of learning, experimentation, and accountability 
• Help teams make confident, informed technical decisions 

Collaborate across the organisation 

• Partner with Product, Security, Architecture, and Operations 
• Align technical decisions with business outcomes 
• Communicate complex ideas clearly to technical and non-technical stakeholders 

Please review the attached job description for further details on the role. 

What makes you the ideal candidate for this role?

An ideal candidate has the following qualities:
Essential:

Experience 

• Proven experience designing and evolving scalable, production-grade systems 
• Strong background in cloud platforms (AWS and/or Azure) 
• Experience with microservices, event-driven architectures, and API-first delivery 
• Hands-on experience with CI/CD, DevOps practices, and distributed systems 
• A track record of improving system performance, reliability, and maintainability 

Technical expertise 

• Deep understanding of cloud-native architecture and modern engineering practices 
• Knowledge of security, compliance, and secure-by-design principles 
• Experience implementing observability (metrics, logging, tracing) 
• Familiarity with containerisation and orchestration (e.g. Docker, Kubernetes) 

Leadership and mindset 

• Strong technical decision-making and systems thinking 
• Ability to balance delivery pressure with long-term platform health 
• A collaborative approach, with excellent communication and stakeholder engagement 
• Passion for mentoring and developing engineers 

Desirable:

• Line management experience

This role requires excellent written and verbal communication skills. As part of the selection process, you will complete an English test to assess your ability in the English language, plus a practical task prior to interview which will be sent via email so, check your inbox/spam for this.

Interview process

There will be two virtual interviews:

1. Exploring your technical expertise (60 mins)
2. Exploring your leadership and soft skills, as well as your cultural fit within our team (60 mins)

Are you driven by desire to be part of a globally renowned institution that celebrates innovation, embraces inclusion, and empowers learners? Then, we invite you to Pursue your Potential with us.

Only applications received through the system will be reviewed on a rolling basis. The vacancy may close once sufficient applications are received. Therefore, if you are interested, tailor-fit your CV (advantageous if you submit one with a Cover Letter) and submit as early as possible.

Please ensure to upload correct and updated details and documents as these cannot be changed once submitted. Learn more about our hiring process by going through our Candidate Application Guide. 

#LI-Hybrid #PursuingPotential #CambridgeManila