About Tom Stirrop-Metcalfe
I am Tom Stirrop-Metcalfe, a Software Engineering Manager who builds calm, capable, fast-moving teams. I care about measurable impact, healthy delivery habits, and systems that scale quietly.
💡 Engineering should make life easier for everyone.
What guides my work
🧭Systems over heroes
Paved roads, clear defaults, boring tech that scales.
🤝Autonomy with alignment
Context, written decisions, honest retros.
📏Measure flow
Cycle time, deploy frequency, change fail rate.
Engineering Leadership Philosophy
My approach to Technical Leadership is rooted in Strategic Engineering and fostering a High-performing Engineering Culture. I believe that People Management is about more than just oversight; it's about mentoring, scaling teams, and creating an environment where everyone can thrive.
- Mentoring & Growth: I focus on coaching individuals to reach their full potential, empowering them with autonomy while providing clear alignment with business goals.
- Scaling Teams: I have experience in scaling engineering organisations by introducing sustainable processes and Scalable Systems that grow with the business.
- Engineering Culture: I advocate for Agile Management practices, psychological safety, and a culture of continuous improvement through honest retrospectives and measured progress.
- System Design: I ensure that technical decisions support long-term stability and sustainable delivery, avoiding "hero culture" in favour of quietly reliable systems.
How I work best
- 🏝 Fully remote. I enjoy on-site sessions for kick-offs, workshops, and show-and-tells.
- 🗓 Clear purpose, agendas, and ownership. I like decisions recorded and visible.
- 🔁 Short feedback loops. Ship small, learn fast, adjust.
- 📊 Transparency over performance and delivery metrics. Tell the real story.
- ☕️ Coffee-fuelled focus and fewer meetings than you think.
What I need from a team
- Structure, transparency, and passion for the problem.
- Feedback, early and often. I will always reciprocate.
- Clear priorities and space to do the work.
Right now
- Software Engineering Management at Amiqus.
- Improving engineering ways of working and delivery metrics.
- Building internal tools and automations.
📚 Books
- Lord of the Rings
- The Demonata
- The Saga of Darren Shan
- Radical Candor
- Ganbatte!
- Ikigai
📺 TV
- The Walking Dead
- Lost
- Firefly
- House
- Game of Thrones
- The Leftovers
- The Last Man on Earth
🎞 Films
- The Zero Theorem
- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
- The Lord of the Rings (extended)
- Hook
- Anything Marvel/DC
🕹 Games
- Days Gone
- The Last of Us
- Death Stranding
- Ghost of Tsushima
- The Legend of Zelda
- The Dark Pictures Anthology
🎧 Soundtracks
I code to instrumental game and film scores. My go-to playlist is here on Spotify.