Lead Software Engineer in London

Lead Software Engineer in London

London Full-Time 60000 - 80000 £ / year (est.) Home office (partial)
ASCENT PROFESSIONAL SERVICES LTD

At a Glance

  • Tasks: Lead full stack engineering projects and drive technical excellence.
  • Company: Join a forward-thinking tech company with a collaborative spirit.
  • Benefits: Competitive salary, remote work, and opportunities for professional growth.
  • Other info: Dynamic team culture focused on innovation and continuous learning.
  • Why this job: Shape the future of technology while making a real impact.
  • Qualifications: 5+ years in full-stack development with strong AWS and Node.js skills.

The predicted salary is between 60000 - 80000 £ per year.

£70,000 - £80,000 Base + Benefits

Remote Based with occasional team meets in Manchester region.

About the Role

We're looking for an experienced engineering leader who combines strong technical expertise with a proactive, ownership-driven mindset. As a Lead Engineer, you'll play a pivotal role within the Engineering team, providing technical leadership, influencing architectural direction, and setting high standards for engineering excellence. This is a hands-on leadership position where you'll work closely with the Director of Product Engineering to shape the technical strategy, establish engineering best practices, and tackle the complex challenges that have the greatest impact on the platform and customers. It's an exciting time to join the Organisation. We've established a solid platform, have a clear vision for the future, and are looking for someone who is excited to help drive the next stage of growth. The successful candidate will be experienced in full stack engineering utilising Java, AWS, and Node.js.

Responsibilities Include:

  • Technical Leadership & Architecture
    • Lead architectural decision-making to ensure the platform remains scalable, secure, maintainable and resilient.
    • Serve as the technical authority for complex engineering challenges, providing hands-on leadership and guidance.
    • Advocate for modern software engineering practices, including AI-assisted development, automation and continuous improvement.
    • Establish and maintain high standards for code quality, engineering processes and peer review across the team.
  • Delivery & Engineering Excellence
    • Remain actively involved in development by designing, writing, reviewing and maintaining production code.
    • Improve engineering efficiency through better tooling, reusable patterns and simplified technical approaches.
    • Contribute to delivery planning and estimation, ensuring technical considerations support predictable outcomes.
    • Identify, prioritise and reduce technical debt using a pragmatic and commercially balanced approach.
  • Collaboration & Product Influence
    • Partner closely with the Director of Product Engineering to translate product strategy into scalable technical solutions.
    • Collaborate with Product Management to evaluate technical feasibility, communicate trade-offs and influence roadmap planning.
    • Work directly with customers when appropriate to better understand product usage, technical challenges and future requirements.
  • Team Development
    • Mentor and support engineers across the team, helping to develop technical capability and confidence.
    • Foster a culture centred around accountability, engineering quality, collaboration and continuous learning.

What We're Looking For

Essential Experience

  • 5+ years' experience in full-stack software development, including significant experience operating at Senior or Lead Engineer level.
  • Experience designing and developing serverless solutions on AWS.
  • Commercial experience in Node.js.
  • Demonstrated ability to independently lead technical initiatives across multiple teams or workstreams with minimal supervision.
  • Experience designing, implementing and owning architecture decisions within production environments.
  • A proven track record of improving engineering quality and delivery through practical, iterative improvements.
  • Experience adopting and promoting modern engineering practices, including AI-assisted development tools such as GitHub Copilot, Cursor or Claude Code.
  • Comfortable working within fast-paced environments where priorities evolve and pragmatic decision-making is essential.

Nice to Have

  • Familiarity with vector databases and Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) architectures.
  • Experience working with containerised applications and modern CI/CD pipelines.
  • AWS certifications, including Solutions Architect or Machine Learning Specialty.

Lead Software Engineer in London employer: ASCENT PROFESSIONAL SERVICES LTD

Join a dynamic finance team in Ulverston, where we prioritise employee growth and development in a supportive work culture. As a part-time Senior Accountant, you'll enjoy a competitive salary and the opportunity to contribute to our exciting transformation while balancing your professional and personal life.

ASCENT PROFESSIONAL SERVICES LTD

Contact Details:

ASCENT PROFESSIONAL SERVICES LTD Recruitment Team

StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫

We think this is how you could land Lead Software Engineer in London

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 ASCENT PROFESSIONAL SERVICES LTD 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 ASCENT PROFESSIONAL SERVICES LTD.

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 ASCENT PROFESSIONAL SERVICES LTD.

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 ASCENT PROFESSIONAL SERVICES LTD 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 Software Engineer in London

Technical Leadership
Full Stack Engineering
Java
AWS
Node.js
Architectural Decision-Making
Code Quality Standards

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 ASCENT PROFESSIONAL SERVICES LTD.

Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at ASCENT PROFESSIONAL SERVICES LTD 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 ASCENT PROFESSIONAL SERVICES LTD

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 ASCENT PROFESSIONAL SERVICES LTD 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.