Lead Developer AWS / .NET

Cox Automotive UK Limited; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work (2 days in-office)

Autonomy to shape your team

Opportunity to influence technicalRoad

Job summary

Cox Automotive Europe is seeking a Lead Developer to guide a newly formed engineering squad. You will build cloud-native products, champion modern practices, and mentor engineers across a multi-year transformation that replaces legacy systems.

The role blends hands-on coding with technical leadership in a hybrid setup. You'll work with AWS, Terraform, Docker, React, and AI-enabled tools to deliver scalable, secure applications and define engineering standards while partnering with Product,

Qualifications

• Experience leading software engineering teams within Agile environments.
• Hands-on expertise in .NET and cloud-based architectures.
• Experience building scalable, secure and resilient applications.
• Exposure to AWS and Infrastructure as Code (Terraform).
• Passion for developing people and guiding teams to perform at their best.
• Experience with transformation, re-platforming or modernisation programmes.
• Practical use of AI-powered development tools in real projects.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead a cross-functional team of engineers and quality specialists.
• Drive design and delivery of cloud-native applications on AWS.
• Shape engineering standards, architecture decisions, and development practices.
• Champion CI/CD, BDD/TDD, trunk-based development and IaC.
• Define responsible adoption of AI-assisted tooling within the team.
• Mentor engineers and support their career growth.
• Collaborate with Product, Architecture and Delivery to deliver outcomes.
• Play a key role in a multi-year transformation rebuilding core platforms.

Skills

Leadership in Agile teams

.NET development

Cloud-based architectures

AWS experience

Terraform / IaC

AI-powered development tools

Communication & stakeholder management

Transformation programmes

Tools

AWS

Terraform

Docker

AWS ECS & Lambda

Event-driven architecture

React

GitHub Enterprise & Actions

New Relic

Job description

Location: Leeds, Manchester or Bruntingthorpe (Hybrid, 2 days per week in-office)

Business Area: Enterprise Technology

Shape the Future of Automotive Technology!

At Cox Automotive Europe, we're transforming the technology that powers one of the UK's largest vehicle services operations. Every year, our Manheim Vehicle Services (MVS) teams support the preparation, refurbishment, storage and movement of more than 200,000 vehicles for manufacturers, fleet operators, finance providers and rental companies.

We're now looking for a Lead Developer to help lead the next stage of that transformation.

This is more than a leadership role. You'll build and lead a newly formed engineering squad focused on creating cloud-native products that replace legacy systems and redefine how our business operates. You'll work at the intersection of modern software engineering, AI-enabled development, and large-scale digital transformation.

If you're excited by building greenfield solutions, empowering engineers, and using AI to accelerate software delivery without compromising quality, we'd love to hear from you.

What You'll Be Doing

As a Lead Developer, you'll combine technical leadership with hands-on engineering expertise.

You'll:

• Lead and develop a cross-functional team of engineers and quality specialists.
• Drive the design and delivery of cloud-native applications on AWS.
• Shape engineering standards, architecture decisions, and development practices.
• Champion modern engineering approaches including CI/CD, BDD/TDD, trunk-based development and Infrastructure as Code.
• Define how AI-assisted and agentic development tools are adopted responsibly within your team.
• Mentor engineers, helping them grow their skills and careers.
• Collaborate closely with Product, Architecture and Delivery teams to deliver business-critical outcomes.
• Play a key role in a multi-year transformation programme that is rebuilding core MVS platforms from the ground up.

Your Impact

One of your first challenges will be leading the development of new customer-facing capabilities that replace legacy platforms and improve how customers review and authorise vehicle repair work. This is an opportunity to influence both the technical direction and the future operating model of the business.

We're building modern, scalable solutions using:

• AWS
• Terraform
• Docker
• AWS ECS & Lambda
• Event-driven architecture (SNS, SQS, EventBridge)
• React
• GitHub Enterprise & GitHub Actions
• New Relic

Experience across all technologies isn't essential. We're looking for strong engineering leaders who can learn, adapt and guide teams through change.

What We're Looking For

You’ll likely have:

• Experience leading software engineering teams within Agile environments.
• Strong hands-on expertise in .NET development and cloud-based architectures.
• Experience building scalable, secure and resilient applications.
• Exposure to AWS and Infrastructure as Code approaches such as Terraform.
• A passion for developing people and helping teams perform at their best.
• Experience working in transformation, re-platforming or modernisation programmes.
• A practical understanding of how AI is changing software engineering, ideally with real-world experience using AI-powered development tools.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.

Who You Are

We're looking for someone who:

• Loves solving complex problems.
• Thrives in ambiguity and change.
• Leads with empathy and authenticity.
• Enjoys building high-performing teams.
• Balances technical excellence with business value.
• Is curious about emerging technology and excited by the future of AI-enabled engineering.

Why Join Cox Automotive?

This is a rare opportunity to join a transformation programme at an early stage, influence the technical roadmap, and help define how software is built within a fast-evolving engineering organisation.

You'll work alongside talented engineers, have the autonomy to shape your team, and build technology that delivers real operational impact at scale.