Lead Software Engineer

develop; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

EMI scheme

25 days holiday

Birthday off

Christmas shutdown

MacBook + home office contribution

Job summary

develop is seeking a Lead Software Engineer to drive technical excellence across a rapid-growth B2B SaaS platform in the UK. You’ll balance architectural ownership with hands-on coding, mentoring engineers and shaping the platform's long‑term roadmap.

The role combines leadership with daily coding, focusing on React + Tailwind frontend, Node.js APIs, PostgreSQL, and Elasticsearch, with hybrid work including two days in London.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of software engineering experience.
• 2–3+ years in Lead, Staff, or Senior+ capacity.
• Proven experience building and scaling SaaS platforms.
• Experience leading architectural decisions and system design initiatives.
• Frontend: React and Tailwind.

Responsibilities

• Provide architectural oversight across frontend, backend, and data infrastructure.
• Set engineering standards for scalability, reliability, and maintainability.
• Lead complex system design discussions balancing speed and long-term scale.
• Shape the technical roadmap with product and data leaders.
• Mentor engineers through reviews and pairing; deliver high-quality features end‑to‑end.

Skills

Technical leadership

System design

SaaS platforms

Mentoring

Cross-functional collaboration

Tools

React

Tailwind

Node.js

Express

tRPC

PostgreSQL

Elasticsearch

Job description

Lead Software Engineer | Remote First/Hybrid - London | £90,000 – £110,000 DOE

We’re partnering with a high-growth B2B SaaS business that’s transforming how property professionals access and leverage land data across the UK.

In just a few years, the company has built one of the most advanced property data platforms in the market, integrating thousands of data sources and processing terabytes of information with sub-24-hour latency. With strong product-market fit, continued revenue growth, and ambitious scaling plans, they’re now hiring a Lead Software Engineer to help shape the next phase of the platform.

This is a hands-on leadership role within an engineering-led, collaborative environment, ideal for someone who enjoys balancing architectural ownership with meaningful day-to-day coding.

The Role

As Lead Software Engineer, you’ll combine deep technical expertise with strong leadership and architectural oversight. You’ll drive technical excellence across the organisation, mentor engineers, and influence the long-term direction of the platform.

This is not a purely managerial role, you’ll contribute to the codebase daily while also shaping standards, systems, and engineering culture.

What You’ll Be Doing

Technical Leadership & Architecture

• Provide architectural oversight across frontend, backend, and data infrastructure
• Set engineering standards and champion best practices in scalability, reliability, and maintainability
• Lead complex system design discussions, balancing speed, scope, and long‑term scale
• Shape the technical roadmap alongside product and data leaders
• Develop high-quality front-end features using React (Vite) + Tailwind
• Design and ship scalable, type-safe APIs using Node.js, Express, and tRPC
• Optimise and maintain PostgreSQL databases and query performance
• Collaborate with the data team to evolve Elasticsearch-driven architecture
• Own delivery of complex features from discovery through deployment and monitoring

Team Leadership & Cross‑Functional Impact

• Mentor senior and mid-level engineers through pairing, reviews, and coaching
• Foster a high‑performance engineering culture built on ownership and continuous improvement
• Work closely with product, design, and data stakeholders to ensure technical input shapes roadmap decisions
• Translate complex technical challenges into clear, actionable insights for non-technical teams

What We’re Looking For

• 7+ years’ experience in software engineering
• 2-3+ years operating in a Lead, Staff, or Senior+ capacity
• Proven experience building and scaling SaaS platforms
• Experience leading architectural decisions and system design initiatives
• Frontend: React, Tailwind

Why Apply?

• Hybrid working (2 days onsite in Central London)
• Competitive salary + EMI scheme
• 25 days holiday + bank holidays + birthday off + Christmas shutdown
• MacBook + home office contribution
• Collaborative, ambitious team culture with regular socials and company trips

Interview Process

• Initial video-based screening
• Technical task (React + Tailwind + tRPC + PostgreSQL)
• Technical walkthrough & system design interview
• Final interview with senior leadership

If you’re an experienced engineer who thrives on combining technical depth with leadership impact, and you want to help scale a genuinely high-impact data platform, we’d love to share more.