At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead a squad in developing AI-enabled software solutions and mentor engineers.
- Company: Join Haven, the UK's leading holiday operator with a vibrant team culture.
- Benefits: Enjoy 25 days holiday, annual bonuses, and exclusive discounts on holidays.
- Other info: Dynamic remote-first environment with opportunities for personal and professional growth.
- Why this job: Shape the future of AI in engineering while working remotely and making a real impact.
- Qualifications: Proven experience in software engineering and leadership, especially in AI practices.
The predicted salary is between 72000 - 88000 £ per year.
Remote-first with occasional visits to Hemel Hempstead or on Park. Permanent | Full Time. Competitive salary + bonus and benefits.
About the role
Are you an experienced software engineering leader passionate about AI-enabled ways of working? If so, we want to hear from you! Haven is looking for a Lead Engineer to join our growing Technology team, taking joint ownership of the direction and output of a delivery squad alongside a Product Manager and UX Designer.
You will set the technical direction, define the architecture, and be the key technical contact for squad stakeholders and the wider business. You'll shape how the squad adopts and continually improves AI-enabled engineering practices, ensuring work is well-structured, appropriately supported, and delivered to a high standard of quality, security, reliability, and maintainability. This is a strongly hands-on role suited to a technical leader who thrives on building capable teams, coaching engineers, and staying close to the code. Typically you'll spend around 80% of your time hands-on in smaller teams (and 60% in larger ones), balancing leadership, mentoring, and stakeholder engagement across the software delivery lifecycle.
You will also commit to being part of our Engineering Lead community, actively contributing to developing the overall engineering standards across Haven, discussing and solving architectural challenges and providing peer support as appropriate.
Your Opportunity
- Set the technical direction and architecture for your squad.
- Define and evolve the squad's backlog alongside the Product Manager and UX Designer, ensuring work is well understood and structured.
- Lead by example in the design and implementation of high-quality solutions.
- Own the squad's engineering practice, embedding effective, sustainable, AI-enabled ways of working.
- Communicate progress, risks, difficulties, ideas, and decisions clearly to technical and non-technical audiences.
- Coach, mentor, and support the professional development of squad engineers.
- Collaborate with and support other squads, driving continual improvement across the wider engineering team.
- Act as the initial point of contact for issues affecting engineers' ability to deliver (access, tooling, third-party engagement).
- Contribute to the simplification of Haven's digital estate.
- Continue to develop your own software engineering capability.
What we'd like you to bring
- Extensive experience as a software engineer in a similar environment, using relevant technology.
- Proven experience in a Lead Engineer role, demonstrating the ability to foster a strong, collaborative and highly productive team.
- Excellent working knowledge of AI-enabled software engineering, including AI tooling, context management, prompting, agentic workflows, appropriate human validation, and common limitations.
- Excellent working knowledge of one of C#, Dart, or TypeScript, paired with one of .Net, Flutter, React, or Node.js.
- Strong grounding in software design principles (SOLID, Clean Code), TDD, and other testing practices.
- Excellent solution architecture skills across discovery, domain modelling, tool selection, systems architecture, and solution definition.
- Solid working knowledge of Agile, Lean, and OKRs practices and principles.
- Good working knowledge of DevOps and SRE (CI/CD, logging, monitoring, alerting), plus AWS or Azure.
- Good working knowledge of relevant security concerns (e.g. OWASP Top 10).
- Strong coaching, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
- Ability to work autonomously, manage your time well, and switch context frequently in a remote setting.
Why Haven?
Haven is the UK's leading holiday operator, welcoming around 4 million guests every year to our 38 parks and 3 exclusive owners-only sites. From Scotland to Cornwall, Norfolk to Wales, our parks are dotted along some of the most breath-taking parts of the great British coastline.
A career here is more than just a job. We're one great team of up to 12,500 during peak season, united by a passion for creating experiences and memories that last a lifetime — for guests, owners and each other. It's what we call our Breath of Fresh Air culture: valuing and supporting every team member to be their authentic self and putting people at the heart of every decision we make.
This role is remote-first. You'll be based from home most of the time, with occasional visits to our Hemel Hempstead head office or Haven parks — typically around three days on Park per quarter — for team collaboration, workshops and external events.
What's In It For You?
- 25 Days Holiday + Bank Holidays + Holiday Buy Scheme.
- Discretionary annual bonus.
- 20% discount on both Haven and Warner Hotels holiday for you, family and friends.
- One 4-night Haven break discounted 75%, per year.
- Comprehensive wellbeing support.
- Health Cash Plan.
- Exclusive discounts with corporate partners.
- Exciting career pathways, including Learning and Development opportunities such as Apprenticeships and Degrees.
- Enhanced family friendly policies and pay (eligibility criteria applied).
What can you expect during the recruitment process?
Our interview process depends on the role but is up to 3 stages and may contain a presentation or skills test. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are at the heart of who we are and what we do. Our commitment to these values is unwavering and they are central to our mission. We encourage applications from all backgrounds, communities and industries and we are happy to discuss any reasonable adjustments or flexibility that you may require, including whether a role can be part-time or a job-share.
We genuinely care about every candidate's experience during the recruitment process and are here to provide support where we can. If you require any assistance or reasonable adjustments while applying, please don't hesitate to reach out to us at resourcingteam@bourne-leisure.co.uk.
How to Apply
We’re committed to fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace, and we encourage applicants of all backgrounds to apply. To get started, click apply now and answer a few quick questions, which should take 5 minutes. Once submitted, a member of our team will be in touch.
Lead Engineer in Hemel Hempstead employer: Leisure Employment Services
Leisure Employment Services is an excellent employer, offering a supportive work environment where team members can thrive while ensuring guest safety and satisfaction. With opportunities for training and development, as well as exclusive perks like discounts on dining and holidays, employees can enjoy a rewarding experience in a vibrant holiday park setting in the UK.
Contact Details:
Leisure Employment Services Recruitment Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Lead Engineer in Hemel Hempstead
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We think you need these skills to ace Lead Engineer in Hemel Hempstead
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 Leisure Employment Services.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Leisure Employment Services 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 Leisure Employment Services
✨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 Leisure Employment Services 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.
