Team Lead - Software Engineering in Cambridge

We are managing this recruitment internally and respectfully request no agency inquiries. Secondmind is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to fair, equitable treatment throughout the recruitment process and beyond. We actively champion applications from all backgrounds because we believe the best work happens when people can bring their authentic, original, and best selves to the team. If you require accommodation or assistance throughout the interview process due to a disability, please contact hr@secondmind.ai; we are happy to help.

About Secondmind: Secondmind builds data-efficient Engineering AI software that helps teams make better design and performance optimization decisions faster. Our product reduces simulation and testing requirements without compromising quality, accelerating development and enabling more sustainable engineering teams. Our positive working culture is founded on a collaborative environment that encourages teamwork and innovation. We foster open communication and cross-functional collaboration, enabling diverse teams to work together to solve complex challenges. Our flexible workplace plan ensures a healthy work-life balance, accommodating various working styles and personal needs, whether through remote work options or adaptable schedules. We also prioritize personal and professional growth by offering development opportunities, including training and mentorship. This nurturing environment empowers our employees to thrive, continuously learn, and contribute meaningfully to advancing system design and calibration with our data-efficient machine learning solutions.

Founded in 2016 and supported by investors such as Mazda Motor Corporation, Amadeus Capital, Atlantic Bridge and Cambridge Innovation Capital, Secondmind was recently listed in the Barclays Eagle Labs Ones to Watch AI:100. As well as being recognized with the Automotive Testing Technology International 'Alternative Powertrain Test Innovation of the Year Award 2024'; selected for the Tech Nation Future Fifty scale-up program, and named by Bloomberg as one of the UK’s 25 Startups to Watch 2024.

About the role: You'll play a crucial role in a dynamic, agile team, heavily contributing to the design, implementation, and maintenance of our cloud-based SaaS products. As a Team Lead, you will combine deep technical expertise with people management, guiding a talented team of engineers, fostering their professional growth, and championing industry best practices across the engineering discipline. This role is ideal for someone who thrives in a fast-paced environment, has a passion for building robust, maintainable software, and excels at mentoring others to achieve engineering excellence.

What will you be responsible for?

• People Leadership & Management
• Squad Leadership: Act as a 'squad lead', taking accountability for cross-functional team leadership and actively managing the workflow, delivery, and alignment of different disciplines within your squad.
• Line Management: Act as the direct line manager for software engineers, conducting regular 1:1s, managing performance, and supporting career progression.
• Coaching & Mentoring: Actively coach and mentor team members, helping them develop their technical capabilities, engineering skills, and professional growth.
• Team Culture: Foster an inclusive, collaborative team environment aligned with Secondmind’s core values, promoting psychological safety and open feedback.
• Discipline Leadership & Engineering Practices
• Industry Best Practices: Act as a discipline lead to establish, champion, and enforce modern engineering best practices, including robust code quality and comprehensive testing frameworks.
• Develop and Maintain Software: Build and maintain production-quality cloud-based SaaS products. Write high-quality, maintainable software and adhere to security best practices.
• Technical Governance: Drive design discussions and comprehensive code reviews, ensuring the team delivers reliable, scalable, and secure cloud solutions.
• Project Delivery & Collaboration
• Lead Projects: Lead the implementation and delivery of complex projects, breaking down requirements into manageable tasks, and delivering valuable increments despite challenging deadlines.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Collaborate closely with Product Management to translate strategic product requirements into elegant, working software.
• Hybrid Working: Be present in the Cambridge office as part of our hybrid working environment.

What skills, experience, and qualifications do you need to succeed in this role?

Essential

• Software development experience in a commercial environment, including experience building and maintaining large-scale cloud-based SaaS products running in production.
• Proven experience in line management, team leadership, or serving as a technical discipline lead.
• Strong background in coaching and mentoring engineers of varying experience levels, with a track record of leveling up team capabilities.
• Experienced with agile working practices, iterative development, and the full software development life cycle.
• Proven ability to deliver projects against challenging deadlines, lead complex projects, and deliver value incrementally.
• Self-motivated, enthusiastic, and adept at identifying and solving problems.
• Proven ability to work effectively alongside others, emphasizing constructive feedback and continuous improvement.

Our Technical Stack

We prioritize fundamental engineering principles over specific tool familiarity. Our current environment includes:

• Core: Python (Backend) and TypeScript/React (Frontend).
• Infrastructure: GCP, Docker, Kubernetes, Terraform, Jenkins, and GitHub Actions.
• Data & Storage: PostgreSQL and Google Cloud Storage (GCS).
• Observability: ELK Stack, Prometheus, and Grafana.

What will help you thrive as a Team Lead

Our engineers do not just simplify problems - they make deep technical complexity navigable, scalable, and secure. You will thrive here if you possess deep technical expertise, are genuinely curious about cloud architectures, and feel comfortable driving technical governance and design discussions in a room full of specialists. We value leaders who are self-motivated, adept at solving problems, and capable of forming and defending architectural views while remaining open to constructive feedback and continuous improvement.

We value leaders who broker thoughtful compromises, hold their position when it comes to maintaining robust code quality and secure best practices, and let go when a pragmatic, iterative approach delivers value faster. You will excel if you influence using both cognitive and emotional intelligence - bringing positive energy to the team, promoting psychological safety, and passionately coaching, mentoring, and line-managing engineers to support their career progression.

We thrive together in a highly collaborative environment. We hire talented, genuinely helpful people who create a workplace where it’s safe to ask when you don’t know something or raise concerns when you spot a problem.

Our culture - What we can offer you

We offer a working environment that is inclusive, stimulates innovation and continuous learning, and that thrives on growth and change. Our culture is underpinned by our values; they are what we stand for, part of our DNA. They help us to attract and retain the right talent and customers, help us make the right decisions and clarify how we should all behave and treat one another, they are:

• Delight every customer (Customers)
• No bar too high (Excellence)
• Give more than take (Sustainability)
• Make the impossible, possible (Innovation)
• Celebrate differences, act as one (Inclusion)

We also offer a number of benefits including:

• Competitive salary - reviewed annually
• 25 days annual leave, plus statutory bank holidays
• TGIF: The last Friday of every month is a half day for our employees
• Enhanced family leave policies
• Salary Sacrifice Pension Scheme
• Life Assurance of 4x salary
• Private Medical Insurance
• Eyecare Policy
• Dental Cash Plan
• Stock Options (where applicable)
• Free 24 hour access on-site gym
• Discount Shopping & Wellbeing Platform
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Values Award Scheme
• Cambridge Botanic Garden membership
• Social events, game nights and sports groups