Lead Software Developer (C++)

Digital Waffle; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 63,000 - 77,000; Full time

Job summary

Digital Waffle in Birmingham is seeking a Lead Backend Engineer (C++) to own and evolve the backend, mentoring a team and guiding AI-powered development across the platform. The role combines hands-on coding with technical leadership to improve performance and reliability.

You will collaborate with Product, Front End and R&D teams to define requirements, drive architectural improvements and advance observability and development velocity. Hybrid role, 2–3 days onsite in Birmingham.

Qualifications

• Strong commercial experience as a Lead Backend Engineer or similar leadership role.
• Expert-level C++ experience with STL and algorithms.
• Experience designing and maintaining scalable backend services and APIs.
• Experience leading and mentoring software engineers.
• Hands-on experience with AI-powered development tools and frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and evolution of scalable backend systems and APIs.
• Take technical ownership of backend projects from planning through production delivery.
• Define technical requirements with Product, Architects and Engineers.
• Lead and mentor a team of backend engineers, supporting their development and progression.
• Drive improvements across architecture, performance, reliability and observability.
• Identify bottlenecks and optimise database queries, services and system performance.
• Evaluate and implement AI-powered tools to improve engineering productivity and quality.
• Shape adoption of LLMs and AI-assisted development practices.
• Lead sprint planning, stand-ups and retrospectives with Product and Delivery teams.
• Champion secure coding, testing, code review and engineering best practice.

Skills

C++ expert

Backend leadership

API design

Mentoring

Agile

AI adoption

Job description

A growing technology business is hiring a Lead Software Engineer (C++) to take ownership of its backend engineering function and help shape the next phase of its platform. This is a hands‑on leadership role for someone with deep C++ experience who enjoys combining technical delivery with mentoring, architecture and modern AI adoption. You'll work closely with Product, Front End and R&D teams to improve platform performance, engineering quality and development velocity.

Role: Lead Backend EngineerSalary: Up to £70k depending on experienceLocation: Birmingham, hybrid working, 2 to 3 days per week onsite

What you'll be doing

• Lead the development and evolution of scalable backend systems and APIs.
• Take technical ownership of backend projects from planning through to production delivery.
• Work closely with Product Managers, Architects and Engineers to define technical requirements.
• Lead and mentor a team of backend engineers, supporting their development and technical progression.
• Drive improvements across architecture, performance, reliability and observability.
• Identify bottlenecks and optimise database queries, services and system performance.
• Evaluate and implement AI-powered tools to improve engineering productivity and software quality.
• Help shape the adoption of LLMs, AI‑assisted development and modern AI engineering practices across the team.
• Lead sprint planning, stand‑ups and retrospectives alongside Product and Delivery teams.
• Champion secure coding, testing, code review and engineering best practice.

What you'll need

• Strong commercial experience as a Lead Backend Engineer, Senior Backend Engineer or similar technical leadership role.
• Expert‑level C++ experience with strong knowledge of the standard library, STL containers and algorithms.
• Experience designing and maintaining scalable backend services and APIs.
• Strong understanding of database systems and performance optimisation.
• Previous experience leading, mentoring or coaching software engineers.
• Experience working within Agile engineering environments.
• Hands‑on experience developing, integrating or deploying AI or Machine Learning‑powered solutions.
• Familiarity with LLMs, AI‑assisted development tools and modern AI frameworks.
• Understanding of AI architecture including prompt engineering, vector databases, RAG and AI service integration.
• Experience evaluating and introducing AI tools that improve developer productivity.
• Strong problem‑solving skills with a proactive and pragmatic approach to engineering.
• Nice to haveExperience contributing to hiring and onboarding technical teams.
• Exposure to hardware‑integrated software, access control, security or workforce management platforms.
• Experience improving engineering observability, reliability and secure development practices.

This role would suit an experienced C++ engineer who wants to combine hands‑on development with technical leadership and play a key role in introducing modern AI capabilities into an established engineering environment.