At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead software development and mentor engineering teams in a dynamic environment.
- Company: Respected organisation with a focus on innovation and collaboration.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, hybrid work model, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Join a culture of continuous improvement and technical leadership.
- Why this job: Shape the future of a core product and drive engineering excellence.
- Qualifications: Experience in leading software development and mentoring teams is essential.
Location: Milton Keynes (Hybrid approx. 1 day per month on-site)
Salary: £60,000 - £67,000
Network IT are working with a highly respected organisation to recruit a Lead Engineer. This is a senior engineering leadership opportunity, combining technical ownership, people leadership, and end-to-end software delivery responsibility within a modern product-led environment.
You will play a key role in shaping the technical direction of a core business product, working closely with Product, Delivery, and Engineering teams to ensure high-quality software is delivered, maintained, and continuously improved throughout its lifecycle.
Role Overview
As a Lead Engineer, you will take end-to-end ownership of software development for a key product, acting as the technical authority across design, development, testing, deployment, support, and ongoing evolution. You will become the subject matter expert for your product, collaborating closely with Product Managers, Delivery Managers, Architects, and Engineering teams to balance technical priorities with business objectives.
Whilst experience with technologies such as .NET, Azure, and React is highly desirable, the organisation is open to strong technical leaders from broader software engineering backgrounds who can quickly gain domain expertise and lead engineering teams effectively. This role requires someone who has successfully led software engineers and testers, developed technical capability within teams, and fostered a culture of engineering excellence, quality, and continuous improvement.
Key Responsibilities
- Take end-to-end ownership of software development, ensuring products are delivered, operated, supported, and continually improved throughout their lifecycle.
- Act as the technical lead and subject matter expert for a product, driving engineering standards and technical decision-making.
- Lead and mentor teams of Software Engineers and Testers, supporting their technical growth and development.
- Collaborate with Product, Delivery, and Design teams to align technical priorities with business objectives.
- Oversee the full software development lifecycle, including architecture, development, testing, deployment, support, and optimisation.
- Drive adoption of engineering best practices across coding, testing, automation, DevOps, and quality assurance.
- Work closely with architects to define scalable, secure, and maintainable technical solutions.
- Champion a build-run-own mindset, ensuring teams maintain accountability for products in production.
- Lead continuous improvement initiatives across engineering processes, tools, and delivery practices.
- Ensure solutions meet non-functional requirements including security, scalability, stability, performance, and cost efficiency.
- Manage technical risks, dependencies, and delivery challenges across the product lifecycle.
Essential Skills & Experience
- Proven experience in a Lead Engineer, Engineering Manager, Technical Lead, or similar role.
- Strong track record of leading end-to-end software development and product delivery.
- Experience managing and mentoring Software Engineers and QA/Test professionals.
- Excellent technical leadership skills with the ability to guide engineering teams and influence technical direction.
- Strong understanding of modern software engineering practices, including:
- DevOps
- CI/CD
- Automated Testing
- TDD
- Cloud-native development
- Infrastructure as Code
- Experience designing and delivering scalable, secure, and resilient software solutions.
- Strong stakeholder management skills with the ability to communicate technical concepts to non-technical audiences.
- Experience working within cross-functional product teams and balancing business and technical priorities.
- Strong knowledge of software architecture, distributed systems, APIs, and modern engineering principles.
- Experience operating within a build-run-own environment.
Lead Engineer in Milton Keynes employer: All The Top Bananas
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StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Lead Engineer in Milton Keynes
✨Join Local Tech Meetups
Get out there and mingle with fellow developers by joining local tech meetups. It’s a fantastic way to meet people who might be working at All The Top Bananas or know someone who does. Plus, you can pick up some trendy tech skills and trends while you're at it!
✨Contribute to Open Source Projects
Show off your coding chops by jumping into open-source projects. Not only does this give you practical experience, but it also gets you noticed in the dev community. You'll create a killer portfolio that speaks volumes about your skills to All The Top Bananas.
✨Tap into Online Developer Communities
Don’t underestimate the power of online developer communities like GitHub, Stack Overflow, and even Reddit. Participate in discussions, share your projects, and build your visibility. We can often find opportunities through these channels that can lead to a full-time gig at companies like All The Top Bananas.
✨Explore Job Boards Specifically for Tech Roles
Keep your eyes peeled on job boards that focus on tech roles. Sites like TechCareers or Stack Overflow Jobs can often have listings for companies like All The Top Bananas that might not show up on broader job sites. Make it a habit to check these regularly, and don’t hesitate to apply directly through our website!
We think you need these skills to ace Lead Engineer in Milton Keynes
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show off your coding skills:When applying for a software engineering role, it's super important to showcase your coding skills. Make sure your CV includes your tech stack, any relevant programming languages you’re comfortable with, and examples of projects you've worked on. If you have a GitHub profile, link it up! We love to see code in action.
Tailor your portfolio:For a full-time role, we’d expect to see some solid examples of your work in your portfolio. Make sure to include at least two or three projects that highlight your problem-solving skills and your ability to work with different technologies. Focus on the projects that are most relevant to the position at All The Top Bananas.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at All The Top Bananas and how your skills align with the role. Show us your passion for software development. We dig enthusiastic candidates who understand the value of collaboration and continuous learning!
Be clear and concise:When it comes to writing your CV and cover letter, clarity is key. Avoid jargon that could confuse us and stick to simple, direct language. Highlight your achievements with quantifiable results where possible, and keep everything easy to read. A well-organised application goes a long way!
How to prepare for a job interview at All The Top Bananas
✨Brush Up on Your Coding Skills
For a full-time software engineering role, it's crucial that we stay sharp with our coding abilities. Expect technical questions that might involve solving problems on the spot or discussing algorithms. Practise on platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank to get comfortable with the types of questions that often come up.
✨Know Your Tools and Frameworks
Make sure we’re well-acquainted with the tools and technologies listed in the job description. Familiarise ourselves with any specific frameworks or programming languages mentioned. If All The Top Bananas uses React or Node.js, for instance, be ready to discuss how we’ve used them in previous projects or coursework.
✨Showcase Your Projects
Bring along a portfolio that highlights our best work. This could be code samples, GitHub repositories, or any side projects we’ve built. Make sure we can talk through our thought process for each project, especially the challenges we faced and how we solved them—this shows our problem-solving skills in action.
✨Prepare for Behavioural Questions
While technical skills are key, full-time positions also require cultural fit. Be ready to discuss our previous experiences and how we handle teamwork, conflict, and deadlines. Brush up on the STAR method—Situation, Task, Action, Result—to clearly articulate our past experiences when discussing how we've contributed to a team.
