Engineering Lead (fullstack)

Fletchers Solicitors; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus scheme

35 days holiday

Pension scheme

Life Assurance

Medicash

Sick pay

Flexible working

Training & development

Job summary

Fletchers Solicitors is seeking an Engineering Lead to join our expanding AI team and drive full‑stack development for production AI services in the legal sector.

In a start-up style unit reporting to the executive team, you will design systems, own architecture, and mentor engineers while expanding the team from 10 to 20+. The role blends hybrid work with collaboration across product, data science, and client deployments.

Qualifications

• STEM degree from a top-tier university.
• Proven software development experience with ownership of production systems.
• Experience defining backend and frontend architecture and setting technical direction.
• Experience leading engineers and mentoring teammates.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills with users and customers.
• Comfortable in a fast-paced environment where requirements evolve.

Responsibilities

• Design and drive the build of AI apps (backend: Python, frontend: TypeScript/React) for production use.
• Build systems for deployment, testing, and scale of apps.
• Create scalable data integration pipelines from diverse sources (legacy systems, unstructured docs, PDFs, SQL).
• Own software architecture, infrastructure, and disaster recovery.
• Collaborate with infra, infosec, and cross‑functional teams across projects.

Skills

Software development leadership

Production systems ownership

Backend architecture

Frontend architecture

Code review & mentorship

Stakeholder communication

Working in fast-paced env

Education

STEM degree

Tools

Azure

Job description

Location: hybrid working model, options for primarily remote, or more in-person in Manchester or London.

Overview

We are looking for an Engineering Lead to join our expanding AI team at Fletchers Solicitors and lead on full stack development. This role sits within a fast‑paced, high‑autonomy environment where we are rapidly prototyping, iterating, and deploying state‑of‑the‑art AI products for use across Fletchers and the wider legal sector. The team operates as a start‑up‑style unit within the wider business, reporting directly to the executive team, with a clear mandate to move quickly from idea to production.

You will be responsible for designing and driving the build of the systems and apps at the heart of production AI services in the legal sector, and leading technical teams as we expand. We have strong demand internally and externally and so the demands on our apps, and team, will grow considerably in the next year.

Main Responsibilities

Engineering delivery, excellence and infrastructure

• Design and drive the build of the applications and services at the heart of production AI apps (backend: Python, frontend: TypeScript and React), ensuring performance and reliability
• Build the systems that deploy, test, and improve those apps while they’re used at scale
• Build efficient and scalable data integration pipelines from a range of sources (legacy legal case management systems, unstructured Word documents, PDF files, SQL DBs, etc.)
• Own software architecture across core projects and lead on infrastructure and architecture design decisions, with a strong understanding of the business problem
• Own infrastructure, site reliability, and disaster recovery for our production systems
• Work closely with our infra and infosec teams, within their frameworks while also constructively challenging and defining our own standards for AI

People, leadership, and collaboration

• Own the software development standards for software development, including how we use AI
• Review code, manage, and provide technical guidance and mentorship to other engineers and establish best practices across the team
• Grow the engineering team from 10 to 20+, with the right structures and processes in place to ensure technical excellence as we expand
• Work side‑by‑side with internal users and engage directly with external customers, across pre‑sale, setup and integrations
• Collaborate with and maintain close productive relationships with technical and non‑technical teams across multiple projects in parallel (product; data science; as well as legal; nursing, etc.)

Essential Qualifications, Skills And Experience

• Strong degree qualification(s) in a STEM subject from a top‑tier university
• Strong professional experience in software development (we prioritise general technical ability and leadership over specific skills)
• Track record of effectively owning production systems
• Experience defining backend and frontend architecture, standards, and setting technical direction
• Experience leading development efforts or acting as a technical lead, including reviewing code and mentoring other engineers
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills that make you comfortable working side by side with users and customers, including in pre‑sale, onboarding, and integration settings
• Comfortable operating in a fast‑paced environment where requirements may evolve rapidly
• Based near London or Manchester (although the role can be primarily remote, we anticipate meeting with the whole team twice/month in Manchester, and a local team two or three times/week in a London office)
• Fluency in English

Desirable Qualifications, Skills And Experience

• Start‑up experience (building backends and data environments completely from scratch)
• Previous experience with Azure (Container Apps, endpoints, and cloud deployment)
• Prior exposure to NLP, LLMs, and ML tools
• Experience in professional services domains

In Return Fletchers Offers

• Bonus scheme (subject to targets being met)
• 35 days holiday a year including bank holidays and Christmas Closure, you also have an option to purchase up to 3 extra days’ holiday per year, until your long service award the 3 days after your 5th, 7th, and 9th full year of employment
• Pension scheme with NI-efficient salary sacrifice option
• Life Assurance Policy
• Medicash policy to cover some dental, optical and other medical expenses
• Company sick pay
• Enhanced Maternity, Paternity and IVF schemes
• Flexible, agile working environment with a positive work-life balance
• Varied calendar of funded company social events (check out Fletchers Group on LinkedIn)
• Monthly voucher awards for winning nomineesA genuinely supportive and friendly culture
• Ongoing training and professional development opportunities

Fletchers Group is an inclusive employer with a diverse workforce: we welcome applications from any and all backgrounds. We’re committed to providing a culture and environment where everyone can thrive, understanding and celebrating that no colleague is the same. We’re proud of our work on the Disability Confident scheme, signed up to BITC’s Race at Work charter, and working towards Henpicked’s Menopause and Menstrual Friendly accreditations.