Lead Software Engineer

Inventive Search; Northampton; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading technology firm in the United Kingdom is seeking a hands-on Lead Software Engineer to own the architecture and delivery of Power Platform and Power BI solutions. The ideal candidate will lead a team of four engineers, focusing on writing code, data architecture, and implementing cloud-native solutions. Candidates should have strong skills in C#, .NET Core, Azure services, and significant experience with Power BI. This role combines technical leadership with hands-on engineering tasks, fostering a collaborative environment.

Qualifications

• 5+ years software engineering experience with Power Platform and Power BI.
• Strong hands-on skills in C#, .NET Core, and Azure services.
• Deep Power BI experience including data modelling and performance tuning.

Responsibilities

• Lead design and delivery of enterprise Power Platform and Power BI solutions.
• Write and review code, develop integrations using C#, .NET Core, and Azure Functions.
• Own data modelling and performance tuning for enterprise Power BI.

Skills

C#

.NET Core

Azure services

Power Platform (Power Apps, Power Automate, Dataverse)

DAX

Power Query

Microservices patterns

Automated testing

Leadership

Stakeholder communication

Job description

Lead Software Engineer – Power Platform & Power BI

We're looking for a hands‑on Lead Software Engineer to own architecture, delivery and technical quality for Power Platform and Power BI solutions. You will be the technical lead for a small development team (4 engineers): writing and reviewing code, owning integrations and data architecture, and mentoring the team to deliver robust, scalable, cloud‑native solutions.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and delivery of enterprise Power Platform (Power Apps, Power Automate, Dataverse) and Power BI solutions.
• Be predominantly hands‑on (70‑80%): write and review code, develop integrations (C#, .NET Core, Azure Functions, custom connectors) and implement ETL/dataflows for Power BI.
• Own data modelling, DAX/Power Query optimisation and performance tuning for enterprise Power BI.
• Design and implement APIs, microservices and cloud architecture on Azure (Azure SQL, Service Bus, Data Factory / Synapse / Fabric).
• Implement and enforce ALM/CI‑CD practices for Power Platform and supporting services (Azure DevOps / GitHub Actions, solution packaging).
• Line‑manage and mentor a team of four developers: 1:1s, technical coaching, code reviews and career development.
• Drive quality through automated testing, observability and release governance; step in for complex dev tasks as required.
• Collaborate with Architects, Product Owners, Pre‑Sales and Security to translate requirements into pragmatic, maintainable solutions.
• Support pre‑sales and client technical discussions when required and ensure successful handovers to operations.
  5+ years' software engineering experience with substantial Power Platform and Power BI delivery at enterprise scale.
• Strong hands‑on skills in C# / .NET Core, Azure services, and Power Platform (Power Apps, Power Automate, Dataverse).
• Deep Power BI experience: data modelling, DAX, Power Query (M), performance tuning and building enterprise reports/dashboards.
• Experience building integrations and APIs, plus familiarity with microservices patterns and cloud‑native design.
• Practical experience implementing Power Platform governance, ALM and CI/CD for solution packaging and deployments.
• Proven track record of leading small engineering teams, conducting code reviews and lifting technical standards.
• Excellent problem solving, communication and stakeholder skills – able to explain technical trade‑offs to non‑technical audiences.

Qualifications

• Desirable: Experience with Power BI Premium, Fabric or Synapse.
• Desirable: Familiarity with Copilot Studio / AI Builder integrations.
• Desirable: Experience with front‑end frameworks (React/Vue) for embedded experiences.
• Desirable: Consultancy or managed‑services experience.