Lead Software Engineer in Manchester

UK CITIZENSHIP REQUIRED FOR THIS POSITION: Yes

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available

TRAVEL: Yes, 10% of the Time

Location: Manchester – hybrid

Salary: £58,000 - £86,000 DOE

Clearance: You must currently hold the highest level of UK Government clearance

Define Possible at Northrop Grumman UK

What’s your possible? At Northrop Grumman UK, you are part of a team driving innovation where it matters most – solving tomorrow’s challenges and shaping the technology solutions of the future. It’s what we call Defining Possible. This mind-set goes beyond our customer solutions; it’s the foundation for your career development and the impact we have within the community.

The Opportunity

This is more than just a job; it’s a mission. As a Lead Software Engineer, you will play a pivotal role in designing, developing and maintaining the critical infrastructure that powers our services. You’ll work across a variety of exciting, complex projects within a unique mission space, building elegant, stable solutions that have real‑world impact. You’ll also bring strong leadership, guiding your team through both technical and delivery challenges to ensure solutions meet customer needs.

What You’ll Do

• Take ownership of the team’s deliverables, working closely with the Scrum Master to define the best path forward.
• Contribute across the entire software development lifecycle, from requirements and design through implementation, testing and deployment.
• Collaborate with product teams, front‑end engineers and QA to deliver high‑quality solutions.
• Mentor and guide junior developers, contributing to team capability and skill growth.

What We’re Looking For

• Experience as a Software Developer with strong focus on one of the following:
• Backend Java development (Spring Boot, Maven)
• Frontend development (React, npm)
• Proven experience designing, developing and deploying scalable backend systems.
• Familiarity with CI/CD, containerisation, deployment technologies and cloud platforms (Jenkins, Kubernetes, Docker, AWS).
• Excellent communication, collaboration and problem‑solving skills, ideally gained in an agile environment.
• If you don’t meet every requirement, we still encourage you to apply. We value potential, curiosity and a willingness to grow.

Security Clearance

Due to the nature of our work, you must be British National for this clearance type. You must be able to currently hold the Highest Level of UK Government security clearance.

Benefits

• Flexible working options, including hybrid working and an optional compressed fortnight
• Private healthcare
• Cash health plan
• Holiday buy/sell scheme
• Career development programmes and specialist training
• Performance‑based bonuses

Why Join Us?

A Mission to Believe In: Every day we help build a more secure and connected world across land, sea, air, space and cyberspace. The work we do together matters.

A Place to Belong and Thrive: Every voice matters. You can bring your authentic self to work and be part of an inclusive community supported by employee‑led groups and partnerships that champion diversity, mental health and service leavers.

Your Career, Your Way: Shape your career with diverse roles, mentoring, training opportunities and the flexibility to balance your professional and personal life. We invest in your wellbeing, growth and future.

Northrop Grumman is committed to hiring and retaining a diverse workforce, and encourages individuals from all backgrounds and all abilities to apply and consider becoming a part of our diverse and inclusive workforce.

We are a pioneering company. With careers across all areas: air, cyber, land, sea and space – our 90,000 employees work as one to defend and define the future. Northrop Grumman careers and internships are as varied as your interests, with a lifetime of potential that will give you every opportunity to do your best work. Working together with people from many backgrounds, personal passions and disciplines, we share a drive to push the boundaries of science, technology and engineering to meet the ever evolving needs of our customers worldwide.