Lead Software Engineer (Technical Lead)

Leeds, Manchester, or Newcastle | 60% Office-Based (Hybrid)
12-Month Contract | Up to £750/day (Umbrella)

Make a Real Impact at a National Scale

Our client, one of the UK’s most high-profile government departments, are looking for someone to help shape the future of a critical public service supporting millions across the country.

We’re looking for an outstanding Lead Software Engineer (Technical Lead) to provide hands-on leadership to digital delivery teams building and supporting core citizen and agent-facing services. This is your chance to play a pivotal role in transforming monolithic legacy systems into scalable, modern microservice architectures, backed by a forward-looking tech strategy.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Lead agile teams developing digital products or shared platform capabilities.
• Shape and influence strategy while delivering hands-on engineering support.
• Ensure best practices in software engineering, version control, and secure development.
• Champion technical excellence and ensure alignment to engineering standards.
• Mentor and guide engineers, fostering a culture of innovation and collaboration.
• Drive continuous improvement in service design, infrastructure, and DevOps practices.
• Present technical direction clearly to stakeholders and executive leadership.

What You’ll Need

We’re looking for someone who is technically strong and a natural leader. You'll need:

Essential Skills:

• Significant experience in modern software engineering (e.g. Java, microservices, Hexagonal architecture, MongoDB, Kafka) or cloud/DevOps infrastructure (e.g. AWS, Terraform, GitLab CI, Jenkins).
• Proven experience leading engineering teams, including mentoring, code reviews, and setting best practices.
• Strong understanding of engineering assurance, version control, and secure design principles.
• Experience working in multi-disciplinary environments, engaging stakeholders and managing competing priorities.
• Strong communication, strategic thinking, and collaboration skills.

Desirable:

• Background in government or regulated environments.
• Familiarity with Agile, DevOps, CI/CD pipelines.
• Exposure to user-centred design, modern digital delivery practices, and scalable cloud-native architectures.

How to Apply

Ready to make a strategic impact?
FOR A CONFIDENTIAL CHAT PLEASE CALL Linda on <phone number removed> or just apply

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