Careers Technical Lead

Cambridge University Press & Assessment; Hartford; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading academic publisher based in the United Kingdom seeks a Tech Lead to oversee the migration of legacy applications to cloud-native architectures on AWS. The role requires strong leadership and collaboration skills to guide teams through transformation, ensuring scalability and reliability in application design. The ideal candidate demonstrates expertise in microservices, CI/CD practices, and has a proven ability to engage and mentor technical teams while adapting to evolving project priorities. Benefits include private medical care and a generous leave allowance.

Benefits

28 days annual leave plus bank holidays

Private medical and Permanent Health Insurance

Discretionary annual bonus

Group personal pension scheme

Life assurance up to 4 x annual salary

Green travel schemes

Qualifications

• Proficiency in microservices, serverless, and containerization.
• Experience with observability, security standards, and Infrastructure as Code.
• Strong technical leadership and mentoring skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead the migration of legacy applications to AWS.
• Implement observability frameworks for system performance.
• Design systems for event-driven architecture.

Skills

Leadership and Mentoring

Communication

Adaptability

Problem-Solving

Collaboration

Tools

AWS

Microservices

Containerization

CI/CD

Job description

Overview

The Tech Lead at Cambridge University Press and Assessment plays a pivotal role in delivering high-quality, scalable, and resilient applications that support the global spectrum of education needs. By providing technical leadership across the full technology stack, the Tech Lead ensures systems are designed for maintainability, extensibility, and long-term success, empowering teams to unlock potential, and deliver transformative solutions for learners, teachers, and researchers. We're seeking a hands‑on Tech Lead with strong leadership and collaboration skills to guide the migration of legacy 3‑tier enterprise applications to scalable, cloud‑native architectures on AWS, balancing technical innovation with effective stakeholder engagement.

Responsibilities

• Shape Cloud‑Native Architecture: Lead the migration of legacy applications to AWS, designing scalable, resilient architectures using approaches like microservices, serverless, and containerization, while communicating design rationale to diverse stakeholders for buy‑in and feedback.
• Drive Observability: Implement robust observability frameworks to ensure system performance, reliability, and proactive issue resolution, fostering a team culture of shared accountability and continuous improvement.
• Prepare for Event‑Driven Architecture: Design systems with flexibility for EDA patterns, collaborating with cross‑functional groups to identify opportunities for decoupled, scalable solutions.
• Build Web‑App Solutions: Develop responsive, high‑performance web applications using modern frameworks integrated with cloud‑native backends, adapting to user feedback and business priorities through iterative collaboration.
• Optimise Cloud Deployments: Leverage cloud services and Infrastructure as Code to ensure cost‑effective, scalable solutions, while mentoring teams on best practices and facilitating knowledge‑sharing sessions.
• Ensure Security and Compliance: Champion secure practices aligned with industry standards, influencing stakeholders to prioritize security in decision‑making processes.
• Lead Automation and CI/CD: Drive automation through CI/CD pipelines to accelerate delivery and minimise technical debt, promoting agile ways of working that encourage team input and adaptability.
• Mentor and Collaborate: Guide engineers, foster a culture of learning and inclusivity, and collaborate with product teams, architects, and stakeholders to align technical solutions with business goals, using strong communication skills to bridge technical and non‑technical perspectives.
• Facilitate Stakeholder Engagement: Act as a key liaison in stakeholder groups, translating technical concepts into actionable insights, resolving conflicts, and building consensus to ensure project success.

Soft Skills

• Leadership and Mentoring: Proven track record of guiding teams, fostering collaboration, and promoting a growth mindset to unlock team potential.
• Communication and Stakeholder Management: Skilled at articulating complex technical ideas to non‑technical audiences, facilitating workshops, and building relationships to align on shared goals.
• Adaptability and Collaboration: Thrive in dynamic settings, adapting to evolving priorities while collaborating across functions to drive innovation and resolve challenges.
• Problem‑Solving and Resilience: Approach issues with a holistic, user‑centred mindset, balancing technical feasibility with business impact.

Technical Skills

On the technical side, you'll have proficiency in areas like microservices, serverless, containerisation, and building web applications, with experience in observability, security standards, Infrastructure as Code, and CI/CD practices. We value transferable skills over specific tool expertise, as technical depth can be developed through our supportive learning environment. Ideally, you're also keen to explore event‑driven architecture (EDA) and Domain‑Driven Design (DDD), with a background that equips you to address industry‑specific challenges in education and publishing.

Company Information & Sponsorship

We are Cambridge University Press & Assessment, a world‑leading academic publisher and assessment organisation and a proud part of the University of Cambridge. Cambridge University Press & Assessment is an approved UK employer for the sponsorship of eligible roles and applicants under the Skilled Worker visa route. Please refer to the gov.uk website for guidance to understand the eligibility based on the role you are applying for. We are committed to being a place where anyone can enjoy a successful career, where it's safe to speak up, and where we learn continuously to improve together. We welcome applications from all candidates, regardless of demographic characteristics (age, disability, educational attainment, ethnicity, gender, marital status, neurodiversity, religion, sex, gender identity and sexual identity), cultural, or social class/background. We believe better outcomes come through diversity of thought, background and approach. We welcome applications from people from all backgrounds and communities, actively seeking to employ people from a wide range of different communities.

Benefits

• 28 days annual leave plus bank holidays
• Private medical and Permanent Health Insurance
• Discretionary annual bonus
• Group personal pension scheme
• Life assurance up to 4 x annual salary
• Green travel schemes