Lead Software Engineer

ZipRecruiter; City of Edinburgh; Hybrid; GBP 75,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

A purpose-driven tech company in Edinburgh is seeking a Tech Lead to guide a dynamic engineering team. You will ensure secure and scalable systems while mentoring engineers. A strong background in Java, microservices, and AWS is required. This role offers a competitive salary of £75k – £85k, a 15-20% annual bonus, and 36 days of holiday. Join a supportive culture dedicated to impactful technology.

Benefits

15–20% Annual Bonus

15% Employer Pension

36 Days Holiday

Private Healthcare

Enhanced Parental Leave

Career progression pathways

Qualifications

• Strong background in Java & Spring Boot with front-end experience.
• Experience with microservices architecture and messaging tech.
• Solid knowledge of AWS, Kubernetes, and Docker.

Responsibilities

• Guide solution design while remaining hands-on.
• Coach and mentor other engineers.
• Ensure systems are secure, scalable, and resilient.

Skills

Java & Spring Boot

Microservices architecture

AWS, Kubernetes, Docker

Excellent communication skills

Mentoring engineers

Job description

Overview

Tech Lead – Purpose-Driven Tech for Good Company — Edinburgh, Hybrid (3 days per week).

Salary: £75k – £85k + 15–20% Bonus + 15% Pension + 36 Days Holiday.

We’ve got an incredible new opportunity in Edinburgh for a Tech Lead who loves guiding teams, shaping solutions, and staying close to the code. We’re partnered with a purpose-driven tech company who are making a real difference in people’s lives. They’re not just building software — they’re delivering products that have a genuine positive impact, with a strong people-first culture and commitment to employee wellbeing.

This is a chance to step into a stable, well-established organisation that still has the feel of an agile, collaborative tech team. You’ll join a supportive group of engineers who care about doing meaningful work, with strong progression and leadership opportunities. Due to a significant increase in work and new projects, they have been growing their engineering team over the past 2 months — this role is integral to help support some of the mid-weight engineers with their progression and skills.

The Role

As Tech Lead, you’ll remain hands-on while steering a talented engineering team. You’ll be guiding solution design, ensuring systems are secure, scalable and resilient, and working closely with product stakeholders to deliver impactful features. You’ll coach and mentor other engineers, foster collaboration, and play a key role in shaping how the product evolves.

What we’re looking for

• Strong background in Java & Spring Boot, plus front-end experience (React or similar)
• Microservices architecture and messaging tech (Kafka, RabbitMQ or ActiveMQ)
• Solid knowledge of AWS, Kubernetes, Docker
• Experience working in Agile product teams with Product Owners/Scrum Masters
• Proven experience leading projects and mentoring engineers
• Excellent communication skills — able to simplify the technical for all audiences
• Above all, a passion for leadership and people

Benefits

• 15–20% Annual Bonus
• 15% Employer Pension
• 36 Days Holiday (incl. Bank Holidays)
• Private Healthcare & Enhanced Parental Leave
• Brilliant career progression pathways

Interview process

• First stage conversation
• Take home tech test
• Final interview in the office!

If you’re looking for a Tech Lead role where you can make a real impact — in a supportive, collaborative, and people-first environment — this is it.