At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead and influence engineering teams to deliver modern digital services at scale.
- Company: Join DWP Digital, one of the UK's largest digital organisations with a focus on health and disability.
- Benefits: Competitive pay, generous leave, flexible working, and a fantastic pension scheme.
- Other info: Award-winning culture with strong focus on diversity and professional development.
- Why this job: Shape the future of digital services and make a real impact on citizens' lives.
- Qualifications: Experience in leading teams, modern programming languages, and cloud platforms.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 80000 £ per year.
Are you ready to lead and influence engineering at scale, shaping how software is built across one of the UK's largest digital organisations? As a Lead Software Engineer, you'll join our Health & Disability area at DWP Digital, playing a critical leadership role in shaping how we build and deliver modern digital services. You'll lead a blend of DWP and supplier engineers across multiple teams, setting direction, establishing engineering standards, and driving consistency, quality, and pace across delivery. You'll be at the forefront of transforming our engineering capability, helping to embed modern practices and approaches such as microservices and event-driven architecture. This is a strategic leadership role where your work will directly impact how we design and deliver services supporting citizens at key moments in their lives. The scale of what we do is extraordinary, and our purpose is unique. We'd love you to join us.
What skills, knowledge and experience will you need?
- You can lead multiple engineering teams, guiding how they work and helping them improve how they deliver software.
- You're highly skilled in modern programming languages like Java or JavaScript/Node, and understand how to apply them at scale.
- You've worked extensively with cloud platforms such as AWS or Azure, building and running services in live environments.
- You understand Test-Driven Development and use it to improve quality, reliability, and confidence in software.
- You're comfortable working with both relational and non-relational databases like Postgres, MySQL, or MongoDB.
- You can influence and communicate complex technical ideas clearly to non-technical stakeholders, including senior leaders.
You and your role
As a Lead Software Engineer, you'll lead approx. 5 engineering teams, working alongside other senior leaders in Health and Disability to shape direction, strategy and delivery. This isn't a role focused on hands-on coding - it's about leading engineering excellence across multiple teams, ensuring the right practices and standards are consistently applied. By aligning ways of working, removing blockers, and encouraging reuse and collaboration, you'll enable teams to deliver high-quality services at pace. You'll sit as part of the senior leadership team for your area, influencing long-term technology strategy and helping to define how DWP continues to modernise its digital estate. You'll bring teams on that journey - coaching, mentoring and building capability so that engineering communities grow stronger and more effective over time. Your work will directly support the shift towards modern architectures, including microservices and event-driven design, ensuring services are scalable, resilient and able to meet the needs of millions of users. You'll succeed if you care deeply about engineering excellence, enjoy developing others, and want to shape how one of the UK's largest digital organisations delivers services in the future.
Details. Wages. Perks.
Location: You'll join us in one of our brilliant digital hubs in Blackpool, Leeds, Manchester, or Newcastle, whichever is most convenient for you.
Hybrid Working: We work a hybrid model - you'll spend some time working at home and some time collaborating face to face in a hub.
Pay: We offer pay up to £92,522. That's £80,267 salary plus a Digital Allowance of up to £12,255 subject to our assessment of your capability at interview.
Pension: You'll get a brilliant civil service pension with employer contributions worth 28.97%, worth up to £21,735 per year.
Holidays: A generous leave package starting at 26 days rising to 31 days over time. You can also take up to 3 extra days off a month on flexi-time. You'll also get all the usual public holidays.
We have a broad benefits package built around your work-life balance which includes:
- Flexible working including flexible hours and flex-friendly policies.
- Time off volunteering and charitable giving.
- Bring your authentic self to work with 'I Can Be Me in DWP'.
- Discounts and savings on shopping, fun days out and more.
- Interest-free loans to buy a bike or a season ticket, so it's even easier for you to get to work and start making a difference.
- Sports and social activities.
- Professional development, coaching, mentoring and career progression opportunities.
And we have an award-winning environment and culture:
- DWP have been recognised as 2024 Diversity Employer of the Year at the Computing Women in Tech Excellence awards.
- Diverse and Inclusive Leadership at Digital Leaders Awards 2024.
- Commended as Best Place to Work in Digital category in the Computing Digital Technology Leaders awards 2025.
- Recognised as one of the Best Public Sector Employers at 2025 Women In Tech Employer Awards.
Process
We know your time is valuable so our application and selection process is just two stages:
- Apply: complete your application on Civil Service Jobs. There'll be full instructions when you click through.
- Interview: one face to face interview at your local digital hub.
Click APPLY for more information and to start your application.
Lead Software Engineer in Glasgow employer: DWP Digital
DWP Digital is an exceptional employer, offering a unique opportunity to lead engineering excellence within one of the UK's largest digital organisations. With a strong focus on employee growth, our hybrid working model, generous leave package, and commitment to diversity and inclusion create a supportive work culture where you can thrive. Join us in our vibrant digital hubs across Blackpool, Leeds, Manchester, or Newcastle, and be part of a team that is transforming public services for millions of citizens.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Lead Software Engineer in Glasgow
✨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 DWP Digital 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 DWP Digital.
✨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 DWP Digital.
✨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 DWP Digital 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 Glasgow
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 DWP Digital.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at DWP Digital 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 DWP Digital
✨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 DWP Digital 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.
