Lead Developer (£59,816 - £82,430)

Government Recruitment Service; Leeds; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 82,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension 28.97%

Annual leave 25 days (plus holidays)

Flexible working

Job summary

Government Recruitment Service in Leeds is seeking a Lead Developer to lead the Digital Delivery Software Development and Quality Assurance capability for the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA). The role focuses on technical leadership, direction, and inspiring a team of software developers and QA engineers to deliver value to digital services.

You will assist the principal developer with recruitment, development, and performance management, while shaping the departmental technical

Responsibilities

• Act as Technical Lead for high-value initiatives driving development and test standards and continuous improvement through Scrum.
• Use industry best practice and knowledge to make agency policy decisions relating to technical tool selection based on analysis of requirements.
• Create a culture that proactively manages the risks of technical debt by ensuring continual software improvement.
• Lead technical teams in relation to problem solving and technical optioneering, driving and supporting teams to make technical recommendations based on sound analysis and knowledge.
• Work closely with Delivery Leads and Lead Developer management to ensure appropriately skilled technical expertise is in place across Digital Services, owning a resource requirement pipeline against skillset is managed.

Job description

Lead Developer (£59,816 - £82,430)

Company: Government Recruitment Service Salary: £59,816 to £59,816 a year Hours: Full-time Location: Leeds Job type: Permanent Posting date: 28 Oct 2026 Closing date: 11 Nov 2026

The successful candidate will lead the Digital Delivery Software Development and Quality Assurance technical capability for the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA).

They will provide technical leadership, direction, and inspiration to their team of software developers and software quality assurance engineers and will be focused on delivering value to the respective digital services.

They will assist the principal developer with team organisation, motivation, and assessment. This will include recruitment, development, and performance management of team members.

Joining our department comes with many benefits, including:

• Employer pension contribution of 28.97% of your salary. Read more about Civil Service Pensions here
• 25 days annual leave, increasing by 1 day each year of service (up to a maximum of 30 days annual leave), plus 8 bank holidays a privilege day for the King’s birthday
• Flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance.

Read more in the Benefits section below!

Find out more about what it's like working at Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency - Department for Transport Careers

As part of the technical steering team the role holder will also manage the definition and implementation of departmental technical development and test strategy to drive Digital plans across all DVSA customer facing services.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Act as Technical Lead for high-value initiatives driving development and test standards and continuous improvement through Scrum.
• Use industry best practice and knowledge to make agency policy decisions relating to technical tool selection based on analysis of requirements.
• Create a culture that proactively manages the risks of technical debt by ensuring continual software improvement.
• Lead technical teams in relation to problem solving and technical optioneering, driving and supporting teams to make technical recommendations based on sound analysis and knowledge.
• Work closely with Delivery Leads and Lead Developer management to ensure appropriately skilled technical expertise is in place across Digital Services, owning a resource requirement pipeline against skillset is managed.

Great line management is important to us as an organisation, and we will equip and support line managers to develop the skills they need. We aim to empower line managers to create teams where people can flourish and deliver excellent outcomes for the public.

For further information on the role, please read the attached role profile. Please note that the role profile is for information purposes only - whilst all elements are relevant to the role, they may not all be assessed during the recruitment process. This job advert will detail exactly what will be assessed during the recruitment process.

Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme

About Disability Confident

Disability Confident is a government scheme. It encourages employers to recruit and retain disabled people and those with long term health conditions.