Lead Software Developer

The Role

• If you’ve spent years writing code and are ready to start shaping how a whole team writes it, this one’s worth a proper look.
• You’ll be the technical anchor for a cross-functional development squad, building full stack web and API solutions from the database up to the UI. This isn’t a role where you trade your keyboard for a whiteboard. You’ll still be deep in the code, reviewing pull requests, unblocking your team and making the calls on architecture that the business will live with for years. Think player-coach, not manager watching from the sidelines.
• You’ll be joining a business that operates in a regulated, high-availability environment, where the software genuinely has to hold up under pressure. It’s a place for someone who takes pride in doing things properly, not just quickly.
• Core tech: .NET/C#, Node.js or Java on the back end. Angular, React, Next.js, Vue or Svelte on the front end. TypeScript, modern JavaScript, Azure and/or AWS, Docker, Kubernetes, CI/CD pipelines. Bonus points for hands-on experience building AI-powered features (RAG, embeddings, prompt engineering) and using tools like GitHub Copilot, Claude Code or Cursor in your day to day.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Designing, building and shipping end-to-end features across front end, back end, API and database layers
• Owning technical solution design for your features, from data modelling to API contracts to UI patterns
• Setting and enforcing coding standards, testing practices and definition of done across the team
• Leading architectural decisions and keeping the reference architecture scalable, secure and maintainable
• Running code reviews and pairing sessions that actually raise the bar, not just tick a box
• Mentoring senior, intermediate and junior engineers through 1:1s, reviews and day-to-day support
• Partnering with QA, Product and DevOps to keep delivery secure, tested and on track
• Championing sensible, safe use of AI tooling across the team, from coding assistants to production AI features
• Communicating risks, trade-offs and progress clearly to leadership and other stakeholders

What You’ll Need

• A degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, IT or similar. Cloud or Agile certifications are a bonus, not a barrier
• 10+ years’ experience building full stack web applications across front end, back end, API and database layers
• At least 3 years leading technically: code reviews, mentorship, setting technical direction
• Solid, recent experience with modern back-end (.NET/C#, Node.js or Java) and front-end (Angular, React, Vue or Svelte) stacks
• Strong TypeScript and modern JavaScript fundamentals, plus experience with state management and component-driven architecture
• Real cloud delivery experience on Azure and/or AWS, with containers and CI/CD as second nature
• Experience in financial technology, banking or another regulated, high-availability environment is a strong plus
• Comfort using AI-assisted development tools day to day, and ideally some experience integrating AI/LLM capabilities into production applications