Lead Software Engineer (MI6)

Requirements

• You’re always looking for the best way to do things that means spotting opportunities to improve, simplify and strengthen how software is built and run
• You bring solid experience as a Software Engineer, grounded in modern engineering practices, and you’ve made practical use of AI across the development lifecycle
• You understand how to use it well, generating code where it adds value while applying the right level of scrutiny to ensure it is secure, reliable and fit for purpose. Reviewing both AI-generated and peer code is something you’ve done before and you always approach this with clarity and care
• You’ll be confident setting direction and reviewing system design and integration, comfortable connecting services and thinking end to end. Experience with Model Context Protocol would be beneficial for this role, particularly if you have practical experience. Above all, you stay curious, keeping pace with new approaches and adapting when priorities shift
• Finally, you’ll have experience leading a team of engineers, including setting a clear direction and providing guidance to junior engineers. And you’ll have experience building strong relationships with stakeholders
• To work at MI6, you need to be a British citizen or hold dual British nationality

What the job involves

• Enhancing how we operate today will better prepare us for the challenges of tomorrow. That’s why we’re creating dedicated teams focused on bringing Artificial Intelligence (AI) into some of our most mission critical areas
• As a Lead Software Engineer, you’ll work right at the heart of this, shaping how we harness today’s AI capability into meaningful, lasting impact
• You’ll lead a team of engineers with purpose, setting a clear direction, championing technical excellence and helping less-experienced colleagues grow their skills and confidence along the way
• Day to day, you'll make key technical decisions, take ownership of important areas, and lead the transformation of existing software and engineering approaches toward AI-native ways of working
• This means building and enabling AI platforms that other engineering teams can rely on, embedding within those teams where needed, and giving guidance to junior engineers
• Working closely with stakeholders across MI6 and beyond, you'll bring clarity to complex problems, build strong relationships, and make sure technical direction is well understood and effectively delivered
• Being in a product-led environment you’ll work across a broad and evolving technology stack, including Typescript, Python, Helm, and Terraform, and you’ll deploy solutions across a range of environments, from standalone systems through to large-scale Kubernetes clusters in cloud platforms