Lead Developer

ITSS Recruitment; England; Hybrid; GBP 55,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

A large property technology and marketing company in Wokingham is seeking a Lead Developer to spearhead the development of their Laravel and React applications. The role involves optimizing AWS infrastructure, establishing coding standards, and providing technical leadership. The ideal candidate will have deep JavaScript expertise, strong PHP background, and proven leadership experience. This position is hybrid, emphasizing direct impact in a small, agile environment, with competitive compensation in the range of £55,000 - £65,000.

Qualifications

• Deep knowledge of JavaScript and experience with React/Redux.
• Experience leading development teams and working independently.
• Strong understanding of AWS DevOps practices.

Responsibilities

• Lead development of the Laravel + React web app from concept through deployment.
• Optimize AWS infrastructure and DevOps pipelines for security and scalability.
• Establish coding standards and technical documentation.

Skills

Deep JavaScript expertise - React/Redux essential; Vue.js or Angular a plus

Strong background in PHP & Laravel (or Python/Django, Node.js)

Proven leadership experience in small teams or solo development

Comprehensive AWS DevOps skills

Monitoring, logging, and alerting (CloudWatch mastery)

Backup, disaster recovery, and business continuity planning experience

RESTful API design & integration

Git (GitHub/Bitbucket)

Modern, scalable CSS (SASS, CSS Modules)

Database experience (MySQL via AWS RDS)

Mobile development exposure (React Native, iOS/Android)

Excellent communicator, proactive problem-solver, and team builder

Job description

We are looking for a highly motivated Lead Developer to join a large property technology and marketing company based in Wokingham.

£55,000 - £65,000 - hybrid working - Immediate start!

Are you a seasoned JavaScript developer ready to take the lead in building cutting‑edge technology for the property sector? This company is a leading property marketing company and they are looking for a hands‑on Lead Developer to spearhead their next‑generation platforms.

As the first hire in a new engineering team, you'll be the sole technical lead on the ground, working independently at first while onboarding. This pivotal role will see you take full ownership of projects end‑to‑end, and over time, help shape and grow the engineering team, setting the technical standards that scale.

This is a chance to work in a small, agile environment where your decisions have direct impact, while collaborating with their product and tech leads on an ambitious proptech roadmap.

What You'll Bring

• Deep JavaScript expertise - React/Redux essential; Vue.js or Angular a plus.
• Strong background in PHP & Laravel (or Python/Django, Node.js).
• Proven leadership experience in small teams or solo development.
• Comprehensive AWS DevOps skills: CI/CD, Terraform/CloudFormation, scalable infrastructure design, and AWS security best practices.
• Monitoring, logging, and alerting (CloudWatch mastery) to ensure top performance.
• Backup, disaster recovery, and business continuity planning experience.
• RESTful API design & integration.
• Git (GitHub/Bitbucket).
• Modern, scalable CSS (SASS, CSS Modules).
• Database experience (MySQL via AWS RDS).
• Mobile development exposure (React Native, iOS/Android) a bonus.
• Willingness to travel to the UK (including an extended onboarding period).
• Excellent communicator, proactive problem‑solver, and team builder.

What You'll Do

• Lead development of our Laravel + React web app from concept through deployment.
• Own and optimise their AWS infrastructure and DevOps pipelines, ensuring security, scalability, and cost‑effectiveness.
• Provide technical leadership across web and mobile platforms (supporting their React Native iOS app when needed).
• Establish coding standards and best practices; lead technical decision‑making.
• Produce clear, maintainable technical documentation.
• Collaborate with UK IT Lead to define product strategy and technical roadmaps.
• Take ownership of strategic projects from day one, such as reviewing PHP and Laravel versioning to ensure long‑term stability, security, and upgrade readiness.

This role will require you to work on a hybrid basis in the office in Wokingham so you must be commuting distance from that location.

Sponsorship will not be provided for this position.

We are interviewing currently so apply now for immediate consideration for the Lead Developer position or contact Stuart Barnes at ITSS Recruitment for further information.

Job Info

• Job Title: Lead Developer
• Company: ITSS Recruitment
• Location: Wokingham
• Posted: Jan 16th 2026
• Closes: Feb 16th 2026
• Sector: IT
• Contract: Permanent
• Hours: Full Time