Lead Software Developer — AI-Driven Public Sector

Government Digital & Data; England; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Government Digital & Data is looking for a Lead Developer to join Defra's digital and data transformation teams. You will own complex software development across modern stacks, review peer work, lead integration across systems, and champion secure, maintainable solutions.

The role emphasizes AI-assisted coding tools, code quality, and rapid delivery. You will work with multidisciplinary teams, engage senior stakeholders, and help shape modern development practices across government, including

Qualifications

• Leadership experience leading software teams and mentoring junior developers.
• Ability to translate requirements into viable system designs.
• Strong understanding of secure software development practices.
• Experience with AI-assisted development tools and code review.
• Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines and modern DevOps practices.

Responsibilities

• Lead a team of software developers and coordinate with suppliers.
• Translate requirements into viable system designs and architectures.
• Review colleagues' design and development thinking for quality and security.
• Promote open-by-default code and reuse across projects.
• Collaborate with senior stakeholders and ensure secure, maintainable solutions.

Skills

Leadership

Clear communication

Task refinement

Software architecture

AI assisted coding tools

CI/CD

Tools

GitHub Copilot

Git

Docker

Kubernetes

Azure DevOps

Jenkins

Jira

PostgreSQL

Node.js

Job description

Government Digital & Data is looking for a Lead Developer to join Defra's digital and data transformation teams. You will own complex software development across modern stacks, review peer work, lead integration across systems, and champion secure, maintainable solutions.

The role emphasizes AI-assisted coding tools, code quality, and rapid delivery. You will work with multidisciplinary teams, engage senior stakeholders, and help shape modern development practices across government, including