Lead Software Engineer

Inara; Leeds; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Inara is seeking a Lead Engineer to bridge great engineering with solid client outcomes. You’ll lead from the front, shape solutions, mentor engineers and ensure delivery of what’s designed.

You’ll own technical delivery across discovery to production, collaborate with client stakeholders, and stay hands-on with C# and .NET while leveraging Azure and modern CI/CD. Experience in consultancy and healthcare/defence sectors is valued.

Qualifications

• Proven experience as a Lead Engineer or equivalent with client-facing delivery.
• Hands-on C# and modern .NET development background.
• Led teams or workstreams with delivery responsibility.
• Strong software architecture and design fundamentals.
• Experience with Azure or major cloud platforms.
• Knowledge of CI/CD, containerisation and modern practices.
• Committed to automated testing and quality.
• Excellent communication across technical and non-technical audiences.
• Experience in consultancy, client-facing or product-focused environments.
• Commercial awareness of how technical decisions impact clients and delivery.
• React/TypeScript experience is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Taking technical ownership of projects from discovery through production.
• Lead and mentor engineers, raise engineering standards.
• Make pragmatic architectural and technical decisions across delivery lifecycle.
• Work with client stakeholders translating complex concepts into clear actions.
• Challenge requirements to deliver real client needs, not just requests.
• Contribute to design, architecture, estimation and delivery planning.
• Stay hands-on with C# and .NET while guiding the team.
• Work with Azure and modern CI/CD and containerised environments.
• Champion automated testing and continuous improvement.
• Navigate ambiguity and deliver practical client-focused solutions.
• Think commercially to achieve the right outcomes for the client.

Skills

Lead Engineer

C# and .NET

Team leadership

Software architecture

Azure

CI/CD

Automated testing

Communication

Consultancy / client-facing

Commercial awareness

React/TypeScript

Job description

We’re looking for a Lead Engineer who enjoys being the person who can bridge the gap between great engineering, good technical decisions and successful client outcomes.

You’ll be joining a growing technology consultancy that works with organisations across sectors including healthcare, defence and the wider public and private sectors, helping them solve complex problems and build better digital products and services.

This isn’t a role where you’ll disappear into a technical silo.

You’ll be expected to lead from the front, shaping solutions, supporting engineers, working directly with clients and making sure what gets designed actually gets delivered.

What you’ll be doing

• Taking technical ownership of projects, products or engineering work-streams from discovery and design through to production
• Leading and mentoring engineers, helping raise engineering standards and developing those around you
• Making pragmatic architectural and technical decisions across the full delivery lifecycle
• Working directly with technical and non-technical client stakeholders, translating complex technical concepts into clear conversations and decisions
• Challenging requirements and helping clients understand what they actually need, rather than simply building what they initially ask for
• Contributing to technical design, architecture, estimation and delivery planning
• Remaining hands-on with C# and .NET, rather than moving entirely into management
• Working with cloud-native technologies, particularly Azure, alongside modern CI/CD and containerised environments
• Championing automated testing, engineering best practice and continuous improvement
• Helping teams navigate ambiguity and turning complex problems into practical solutions
• Thinking commercially, understanding that successful consultancy is about delivering the right outcome for the client, not just producing technically impressive software

What we’re looking for

You’ll ideally have:

• Strong commercial experience as a Lead Engineer, Technical Lead, Lead Developer or equivalent
• Deep hands-on experience with C# and modern .NET
• Experience leading a team, workstream or technical delivery — with the ability to bring engineers with you
• Strong understanding of software architecture and technical design
• Experience working with Azure or another major cloud platform
• Good knowledge of CI/CD, containerisation and modern engineering practices
• A strong approach to automated testing and quality
• Excellent communication skills with both technical and non-technical audiences
• Experience working in a consultancy, client-facing or product-focused environment
• The commercial awareness to understand how technical decisions affect clients, delivery and the wider business

React / TypeScript experience would be beneficial, as would experience within **healthcare, defence, public sector or technology consultancy.

The important bit…

We’re not just looking for the strongest coder in the room.

We’re looking for someone who can lead a technical team, influence a client, make good decisions when the answer isn't obvious and take responsibility for the outcome.

Someone who enjoys being hands-on, but is also thinking about the bigger picture.

Someone who can walk into a room with a CTO, Product Director or senior client stakeholder and confidently explain why something should be built, not just how to build it.

If that sounds like you, we’d love to hear from you.