Lead Developer

ANS Group; Manchester; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A technology solutions provider in Manchester is seeking a Lead Developer to manage and mentor a team, providing technical leadership and contributing code to various projects. The ideal candidate should have expertise in JavaScript or PHP, and a strong understanding of Agile methodologies. This role offers the chance to work with cutting-edge technologies and mentor developers to grow their skills.

Qualifications

• Experience in a commercial software developer role delivering high-quality code.
• Expert level proficiency in JavaScript or PHP.
• Experience leading or mentoring developers.

Responsibilities

• Manage and mentor a team of developers with varied skillsets.
• Offer technical leadership and coaching to junior team members.
• Contribute code for at least 50% of your time.

Skills

JavaScript

PHP

DevOps

Agile methodologies

Cloud Native principles

AI integration

Tools

AWS

Azure

GCP

Kanban boards

Job description

As a Lead Developer at ANS, you will be empowered to make wide ranging and impactful technology decisions that both you, and your team deliver against for ANS' products and services. You will be given the opportunity to work on a wide range of exciting projects, using the latest technologies and advancements, and lead a team of developers of varied experience levels. You will spend around half of your time 'on the tools', cutting code, reviewing peers and your teams work, and contributing to projects in all ways. The remainder of your time will be spent leading your team, supporting their development, ensuring we make the most of our toolsets, and implementing identified improvements from CI.

What will I be doing?

• Manage and mentor a multi-skilled team of developers, including line management of up to eight individuals with varied skillsets (Front End development, Mobile development, Back End development, Full Stack development, etc).
• Offer Technical leadership within the team, share knowledge, take time to explain, and coach junior team members.
• Support modeling career pathways and nurture talent within the team to create a safe and encouraging environment for personal growth.
• Keep close to the technology market and be aware of changes and direction of travel of the industry, to support ANS' in keeping ahead.
• Understand the impact of technical decisions on both projects and departmental practices and take responsibility for your decisions.
• Be confident enough to admit when you don't know something and be passionate about finding solutions.
• Be an effective delegator to empower team members, encouraging shared responsibility and fostering trust within the team.
• Be a good judge of criticality, prioritising tasks and projects accordingly.
• Support the definition and adoption of best practices and standards and ensure effective governance to uphold those standards.
• Understand that "done is better than perfect" to maintain productivity and progress.
• Contribute to planning sessions in an Agile fashion using Kanban boards.
• Actively contribute code for at least 50% of your time.
• Help create / update supporting documentation for new and existing products.
• Ensure security risks are considered, identified, reduced, and mitigated when designing, developing, testing, and implementing new products & services.

Qualifications

• Previous experience working in a commercial software developer role and the capability to deliver high quality, well principled code quickly.
• Previous experience in JavaScript and PHP, with expert level proficiency in at least one of these languages.
• Prior experience of leading, coaching or mentoring other developers.
• Demonstrate an understanding of agile principles and methodologies like Scrum or Kanban.
• Solid understanding of DevOps skills and methodologies.
• Exposure to a broad technology landscape - understanding when to build vs use off the shelf capabilities.
• Public and Private cloud experience, (AWS, Azure, GCP, VMware & others).
• Demonstrate a proactive mindset towards integrating AI tools into the development workflow.
• Encourage team adoption of AI-assisted development practices and stays informed on emerging AI trends.
• Understanding of Cloud Native principles and approach.
• Collaboration experience working with the team to understand project requirements and specifications.