Lead Software Engineer

Sadler Recruitment; Cardiff; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work arrangement

Central Cardiff office

Job summary

Sadler Recruitment seeks a Lead Developer in Cardiff to shape technical standards, lead a development team, and challenge directors when needed. The role focuses on building scalable, accessible software and modernising legacy systems.

You will work with REST/GraphQL APIs, relational databases like PostgreSQL and MongoDB, and AWS-based serverless architecture. This senior position requires strong leadership and stakeholder communication in a hybrid setup.

Qualifications

• Senior or lead development experience with set technical standards.
• Hands-on React experience.
• Experience with REST and GraphQL APIs; databases PostgreSQL and MongoDB.
• Git workflows and CI/CD pipelines experience.
• Familiarity with AWS and Agile using JIRA.

Responsibilities

• Define technical direction with focus on performance, scalability, accessibility and long-term maintainability.
• Enforce coding standards via structured code reviews.
• Monitor React ecosystem trends and advise adoption.
• Lead and mentor developers to grow capability.
• Deliver projects with cross-functional collaboration and translate strategy to working digital products.
• Communicate status, technical decisions and risks to stakeholders including directors and clients.

Skills

React

REST APIs

GraphQL APIs

PostgreSQL

MongoDB

Git workflows

CI/CD pipelines

AWS Cloud

JIRA

Agile methodologies

Job description

Salary: Salary based on experience (circa £80,000)

Location: Central Cardiff (3 days in the office / 2 days from home)

About the Role

We are looking for a Lead Developer who has held a genuinely senior or lead position, has set technical standards from scratch, and has the confidence to challenge directors and stakeholders when the technical or commercial case demands it.

The team builds with Cursor day to day, planning changes, comparing approaches, generating tests, and regenerating legacy apps into modern codebases.

Supported by a cloud consultancy they use aServerless-native AWS, clean build on S3/CloudFront, API Gateway, Lambda, Cognito and have a very cool product surface, In-app video via the Zoom SDK plus real-time bookings.

Key Responsibilities

Technical Leadership & Standards

• Defining the technical direction across all development projects, with a clear focus on performance, scalability, accessibility and long-term maintainability
• Setting and enforcing coding standards through structured, consistent code reviews
• Monitoring emerging technologies, particularly within the React ecosystem, and making informed recommendations on adoption
• Leading and mentoring a team of developers, with a genuine commitment to building capability and creating an environment where people are supported to grow

Project Delivery & Stakeholder Communication

• Taking professional accountability for delivery; identifying risks early, communicating them clearly and working to resolve them rather than absorbing problems silently
• Collaborating with designers, project managers and clients to translate strategic intent into functional, user-centred digital products
• Communicating project status, technical decisions and risks clearly and confidently to stakeholders at all levels, including directors and clients

Experience required

• Proven experience in a senior or lead development role where you have set technical standards
• Hands-on experience with React
• Hands-on experience with REST and GraphQL APIs, and solid working knowledge of relational databases including Postgres and MongoDB
• Practical experience with Git workflows and establishing CI/CD pipelines for automated testing and deployment
• Familiarity with AWS cloud services and experience working within Agile methodologies using tools such as JIRA

What's on Offer

• A lead role with real influence over technical direction and the standards the team works to
• Work with some of the UK's leading sports organisations on complex, high-profile digital products
• Cloud infrastructure supported through an established AWS relationship, keeping the focus on product and people
• Office-based in Cardiff with a collaborative team of developers, designers and strategists
• Competitive salary reflective of the seniority and experience the role requires