Lead Software Engineer

United States Digital Space LLC; Luton; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive base salary

20% bonus potential

25 days holiday

Pension scheme

Life assurance

Staff travel discount

Work abroad 30 days

Job summary

The Lead Software Engineer – Enable Ground Crew role at the company in Luton offers a hybrid work arrangement. You will be responsible for hands-on software development while guiding a small squad of engineers, shaping technical direction, architecture, and delivery across cloud-native and mobile-first systems.

You’ll mentor engineers, drive best practices, and participate in design, code reviews, and production operations.

Qualifications

• Proven track record delivering production-grade software.
• Experience leading hands-on teams while staying technical.
• Full-stack across backend/frontend and cloud.
• Familiarity with AI-assisted development tools.
• Experience mentoring engineers.
• Experience in regulated or high-stakes environments is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, test, and operate production software.
• Lead the squad’s technical delivery and maintain momentum.
• Make squad-level technical decisions balancing speed and quality.
• Set engineering standards and ensure code quality.
• Improve CI/CD, observability, and production operations.
• Promote continuous improvement and technical curiosity.

Skills

Hands-on coding

Cloud architecture

Full-stack development

Mentoring engineers

Tools

CI/CD tooling

Cloud platforms

Job description

Lead Software Engineer – Enable Ground Crew

Luton/Hybrid

We are the company – a FTSE-250 listed, £multi-billion low-cost airline that serves tens of millions of customers every single year. If you’re reading this, you have probably already been an the company customer, and you’ll know that there is no more iconic (or Orange!) travel brand in Europe.

We fly more than 1,207 routes, connecting 38 countries across Europe, and employ more than 18,000 colleagues. We’re on a mission to make low-cost travel easy – and whatever your role here, you’ll connect millions of people to what they love using Europe’s best airline network, great value fares, and friendly service.

What makes us the company? Our Promise Behaviours – we are Safe, Bold, Welcoming and Challenging. Four Behaviours. One Spirit. One the company.

Elevate the Frontline Airport Experience

Imagine shaping the technology that keeps 150+ airports moving safely and efficiently. As our new Tech Lead for Enable Ground Crew, you will do exactly that.

You will own the technical strategy for critical, mission-critical systems.

This includes mobile-first tools, real-time communication feeds, and data ecosystems used daily by ground crews and frontline teams. If you love solving complex, high-stakes operational puzzles and mentoring talented engineers, this is your next destination.

Your Impact

Set the Technical Direction: Define the architecture for scalable, cloud-native, and mobile-first systems across a global airport network.

The position combines hands‑on software engineering with practical squad leadership, focusing on technical delivery, code quality, and supporting a small team of engineers.

Key Points

• The Lead Software Engineer is primarily a senior technical contributor with light leadership responsibilities.
• The role involves significant hands‑on coding (60%+), technical decision‑making, and guiding a squad of 1–4 engineers.
• Collaboration with the Engineering Manager and Product Owner is essential to align technical delivery with business priorities.
• The position requires strong engineering fundamentals, experience with modern practices (CI/CD, automated testing, cloud), and mentoring skills.
• AI‑assisted development tools are to be integrated into the squad’s workflow.
• Success is measured by predictable, high‑quality software delivery, team support and clarity, sound technical decisions, and continuous improvement.

Role Summary

• Lead Software Engineer role, focused on both hands‑on software engineering and squad leadership.
• Not a full people manager, but responsible for coaching and supporting 1–4 engineers.
• Works closely with the Engineering Manager (TBD) and Product Owner to ensure technical and business alignment.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, test, and operate production software in a hands‑on capacity.
• Lead the squad’s technical delivery: break down problems, align the team, and maintain momentum.
• Make squad‑scoped technical decisions, balancing speed, quality, maintainability, and sustainability.
• Set and uphold engineering standards through design, code review, testing discipline, and operational ownership.
• Strengthen engineering practices, including CI/CD, automated testing, observability, and reliable production operations.
• Encourage a culture of continuous improvement, learning, and technical curiosity.

Integrate AI‑assisted development tools into the squad’s workflow.* Collaborate with product, design, and other stakeholders to deliver practical solutions to business problems.

Requirements of the Role

Key Skills

• Strong software engineering fundamentals with a proven track record in building, shipping, and operating production systems.
• Experience leading technical work within a small team while remaining hands‑on.
• Full‑stack experience across backend, frontend, and cloud, in multiple languages/frameworks.
• Familiarity with modern engineering practices: CI/CD, automated testing, cloud infrastructure, and production support.
• Experience mentoring, coaching, or supporting other engineers, with strong interpersonal skills.
• Initiative in using AI‑assisted engineering tools (e.g., Cursor, Claude Code, Codex), with a formed perspective on their use.

Desirable

Experience with production systems in regulated or operationally complex environments (airport or airline operations is a strong plus).

Success Criteria

• The squad delivers meaningful software predictably and to a high standard of engineering quality.
• Engineers in the squad feel supported, challenged, and clear on expectations.
• Technical decisions at the squad level are sound, pragmatic, and well communicated.
• The codebase and engineering practices improve over time, not degrade under delivery pressure.
• AI‑assisted tools and Agentic SDLC are thoughtfully used to improve speed, quality, and effectiveness.

“Please note that this role does not meet the criteria for visa sponsorship, and we are therefore unable to consider applicants who require sponsorship to work *in the UK.”*

What you’ll get in return:

At the company, we pride ourselves on a vibrant and inclusive workplace culture that supports and rewards innovation and excellence.

We offer:

• Competitive base salary
• 20% bonus potential.
• 25 days holiday, pension scheme, life assurance, and a flexible benefits package.
• Discounted staff travel scheme for friends and family
• Annual credit for discount on the company holidays
• 'Work Away' scheme, allowing you to work abroad for 30 days a year
• Electric vehicle lease salary sacrifice scheme

Location & Hours of Work

We operate a hybrid working policy of 40%-60% of the month spent with colleagues.

We look forward to your application and the possibility of you flying high with our team!

Reasonable Adjustments:

At the company, 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