Lead Software Engineer

easyJet holidays; Luton; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Private medical insurance

Staff travel benefits

Flexible benefits package including eS

25 days holiday

Job summary

easyJet is seeking a Lead Software Engineer in Luton for a hybrid role. You’ll lead a small engineering squad, design and build production software, and champion best practices across CI/CD, cloud-native AWS services, and modern tech stacks. You’ll mentor engineers while contributing code and shaping technical direction.

The role emphasizes architectural leadership, collaboration with Product Owner, and delivering scalable cloud solutions that impact airline technology across the organization.

Qualifications

• Strong software engineering background with hands-on delivery experience.
• Ability to lead technical work while remaining hands-on.
• Experience coaching and mentoring engineers.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, test and operate production software in a hands-on role.
• Lead squad's technical delivery and architecture decisions.
• Coach up to four engineers and collaborate with Engineering Manager.

Tools

AWS

Java

DotNet

Kubernetes

Docker

CI/CD

AI tools

Job description

Lead Software Engineer (17310)

Luton | Full-time | Hybrid

We support hybrid working, and you’ll spend 60% of your time each month in the office.

You're a hands-on software engineer with strong expertise in .NET, Java and AWS who enjoys solving complex problems while helping others do their best work.

You combine deep technical knowledge with practical leadership, guiding engineers through delivery challenges while remaining close to the code. If you enjoy building scalable cloud-based solutions, shaping technical decisions and creating an environment where teams can thrive, this role gives you the opportunity to make a significant impact across easyJet's technology organisation

The opportunity

As Lead Software Engineer, you'll provide technical leadership within a squad while remaining a highly active contributor to software delivery. This is primarily a senior engineering role where you'll spend most of your time designing, building and operating production software while helping guide a small team of engineers.

You'll lead technical delivery, make squad-level architecture and engineering decisions, and work closely with your Engineering Manager and Product Owner to ensure technical solutions align with business priorities. You'll also support the development of up to four engineers, helping them grow while maintaining high standards of engineering quality and delivery.

"The best person for this role will be someone who loves writing software and solving problems but also enjoys helping other engineers succeed. You'll lead through technical expertise, practical coaching and a commitment to delivering high-quality solutions that make a real difference."

The team & culture

Engineering at easyJet is organised around Missions and Squads, bringing technology teams closer to the parts of the business they support. You'll work with Engineering Leads, Senior Engineers, Product teams and Mission leadership to ensure squads remain healthy, effective and focused on delivering value.

It's a role for someone who enjoys coaching leaders, building strong relationships and driving continuous improvement. You'll work closely with other Engineering Managers to share best practices, align standards and strengthen engineering culture across the organisation.

What you’ll be doing

You'll design, build, test and operate software in a genuinely hands-on role, spending the majority of your time contributing directly to production systems.

You'll lead the squad's technical delivery, helping break down complex problems, align engineers on the right approach and maintain momentum through to successful delivery.

You'll coach and support up to four engineers, providing guidance, feedback and day-to-day technical leadership while partnering with your Engineering Manager on development and performance conversations.

You'll also:

Set and uphold engineering standards through code reviews, testing and operational ownership.

Improve engineering practices across CI/CD, automated testing, observability and production operations.

Encourage continuous learning, experimentation and technical improvement across the squad.

Explore and embed AI-assisted engineering tools to improve productivity and software delivery.

Work closely with Product Owners and stakeholders to deliver practical solutions to business challenges.

What we’re looking for

You'll bring strong software engineering experience and a track record of building, shipping and operating production systems.

You'll have experience leading technical work while remaining hands-on, with the ability to influence technical direction through credibility, collaboration and expertise.

You'll be comfortable mentoring and supporting other engineers, helping them grow while maintaining high standards across delivery and engineering quality.

You'll also bring:

Strong Java engineering experience within modern software delivery environments.

Experience designing, building and operating cloud-native solutions on AWS.

Experience with microservices architecture, APIs and distributed systems.

Strong software engineering fundamentals and experience working within modern development environments.

Experience with CI/CD pipelines, automated testing and production support.

Broad technical knowledge across multiple technologies, languages or frameworks, alongside deeper expertise in at least one area e.g .NET, Spring & React.

Experience coaching, mentoring or supporting engineers.

Experienced & opinionated in AI-assisted engineering tools such as Claude Code, Codex or similar technologies.

Strong communication and stakeholder management skills.

Desirable experience includes working within regulated or operationally complex environments, particularly airlines, airports or other high-availability industries, as well as experience with Kubernetes, Docker and AWS serverless technologies.

What you’ll get

• Competitive base salary + up to 20% bonus
• Private medical insurance
• 25 days holiday + bank holidays
• Annual credit towards an easyJet holiday
• Excellent staff travel benefits
• Flexible benefits package including share schemes

Diversity isn't a checkbox - it's how we fly

Different perspectives help us create better products, solve complex problems and build stronger engineering teams. We welcome people from all backgrounds who enjoy collaborating with others, challenging thinking and helping create technology that serves millions of customers across Europe.

Reasonable Adjustments

At easyJet, we are dedicated to fostering an inclusive workplace that reflects the diverse customers we serve across Europe. We welcome candidates from all backgrounds. If you require specific adjustments or support during the application or recruitment process, such as extra time for assessments or accessible interview locations, please contact us at [e-mail]. We are committed to providing reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process to ensure accessibility and accommodation.