Lead Software Engineer

Lead Software Engineer | C# / React / Azure / AI | Up to £90,000 | Remote-First

Up to £90,000 + Benefits

Remote-first – office attendance only when required (typically once every 3 months) - Cheshire

I'm partnering with an established technology-led organisation looking to appoint an experienced Lead Software Engineer to take technical ownership of a key engineering team.

This is an opportunity for someone who still enjoys being close to the technology , but who also has the leadership experience to develop engineers, drive technical standards and ensure the team delivers high-quality software.

AI is an important part of the direction of the engineering function , so we're particularly interested in people who are already knowledgeable around AI and can demonstrate how they've used it to improve software engineering, development practices or product capability.

The Role

You'll provide both technical and people leadership , working closely with Software Engineers, Product, Architecture and Platform teams.

You'll help shape technical direction, challenge existing approaches and ensure solutions remain scalable, maintainable and fit for the future.

You'll be responsible for areas including:

• Leading and mentoring a team of Software Engineers
• Remaining hands-on and technically credible across the development lifecycle
• Driving engineering standards, architecture and technical best practice
• Championing the effective and responsible use of AI within software engineering
• Identifying and addressing technical debt
• Leading design and architecture discussions
• Supporting engineers through 1:1s, feedback, mentoring and career development
• Improving engineering quality, delivery and ways of working
• Working closely with Product and other technical teams
• Supporting accurate estimation and successful delivery
• Driving knowledge sharing and continuous improvement

The original brief places significant emphasis on genuine leadership experience alongside technical delivery, including mentoring, performance management, career development and accountability for team outcomes.

Technology

You'll be working across a modern Microsoft-focused environment including:

The environment makes extensive use of Azure services including Azure Functions, Service Bus, Blob Storage and Azure Apps .

What We're Looking For

We're looking for someone who can demonstrate strong experience across the following areas:

• Strong SQL / SQL Server knowledge
• Commercial experience with React
• Good understanding of modern architecture, APIs and software engineering principles
• Strong knowledge of AI and its application within modern software engineering
• Proven experience leading and developing Software Engineers
• Previous mentoring, coaching and technical leadership experience
• Ability to drive engineering standards and challenge technical decisions constructively
• Strong communication and stakeholder-management skills
• Experience delivering software within modern Agile / CI/CD / DevOps environments

The underlying requirement specifically calls for proven software‑engineering leadership alongside

deep C#/.NET, React, SQL and Azure experience.

The Person

This isn't a role for someone who wants to move completely away from technology.

Equally, we're not looking for a Senior Developer who has occasionally helped junior engineers and now wants their first leadership opportunity.

We're looking for someone who has proven they can lead a software engineering team , make strong technical decisions, develop people and create an environment where engineers can perform at their best.

You'll be interested in where software engineering is heading, particularly the impact of AI-assisted development , and comfortable helping a team adopt new technologies and working practices without compromising engineering quality.

Why Consider It?

Genuinely remote-first working

Office attendance only on a needs-must basis – approximately once every 3 months

Strong organisational focus on AI and modern engineering practices

Genuine technical ownership and influence

Opportunity to lead and develop an established engineering team

Remain close to hands-on technology while progressing as an engineering leader

If you're an experienced Lead Developer / Lead Software Engineer / Engineering Lead with strong C#, SQL, React and Azure experience, proven people leadership and a genuine interest in AI , I'd be keen to speak.