Tech Lead (Java)

CreateFuture; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading digital consultancy in the UK is seeking a Tech Lead (Java) to join their Manchester team. The role involves hands-on coding, client interaction, and leading a team of engineers. Ideal candidates will have strong technical expertise in Java and experience managing teams. The company offers a supportive culture, flexible working arrangements, and a comprehensive benefits package including 35 days of holiday.

Benefits

35 days holiday

Enhanced parental and adoption leave

Pension matched up to 5%

Qualifications

• Experience managing a team of 6+ people.
• Hands-on technical skills with Java and Spring Boot.
• Familiarity with Scrum/Kanban methodologies.

Responsibilities

• Lead tech discussions with clients and design solutions.
• Mentor and coach a team of Software Engineers.
• Manage project delivery and maintain team culture.

Skills

Leadership

Client Management

Problem Solving

Team Building

Tools

Java

Spring Boot

AWS

Azure

Job description

CreateFuture is fast becoming the UK’s most recognisable digital consultancy, with years of experience building digital products and services for major organisations whilst putting our people first. We have offices in the centre of Edinburgh, Leeds, Manchester, and London as well as remote employees located throughout the country.

We are a team of creators - whether that’s code, project plans, go to market strategies, culture initiatives, marketing campaigns, large language models or people policies. And together, with our clients, we create the future. This has seen us collaborate and partner across a multitude of industries and sectors, with the likes of PayPal, Adidas, NatWest, FanDuel and Money Saving Expert to name just a few.

Our reputation as a partner determined to deliver high-quality, robust and thoughtful products has enabled us to scale to over 500 people in the last couple of years, and it is our amazing people - along with the safe, supportive and friendly culture we have built - that makes CreateFuture a great place to work. Don’t just take our word for it though, we have been recognised by Best Workplaces UK multiple years in a row - across a number of categories - and our employee exit rate is astonishingly low.

Join us on our journey… Let’s create something awesome, together, today.

About the role and team:

We’re on the lookout for our next Tech Lead (Java) to join us here at CreateFuture! If you love solving tricky problems, chatting with clients and leading amazing teams—this one’s for you.

In this role, you won’t be stuck behind a screen all day. You’ll be taking an active role with clients by shaping the "big picture" and helping them turn ideas into real, valuable solutions. You’ll bring your tech skills and people smarts to every single project, working across a mixture of everything from coding and architecture duties, through to team coaching and delivery responsibilities.

You’ll also be responsible for line managing a tight-knit group of 6–8 Software Engineers (who sit outside of your client engagement team) helping them to grow and do their best work.

What you'll be doing:

• Tech Leadership: Chat through tech ideas with clients, design smart solutions, and keep our codebase in great shape. You’ll help set the standards and keep things running smoothly.
• Still Hands-On: Roll up your sleeves and jump into the code when needed. You’ll troubleshoot, experiment with new tech, and help push projects forward.
• Team Vibes: Create a positive, inclusive team culture where everyone feels safe to learn, grow, and share ideas. You’ll mentor, coach, and support your team like a pro.
• Client Partnering: Get to the heart of what clients need. Help solve their challenges, explain the value we’re bringing, and spot new ways we can help them shine.
• Delivery & Planning: Keep projects on track with the right processes (Scrum, Kanban, Scrumban — whatever works best!) You’ll manage risks, plan work, and keep everyone in the loop.
• Culture & Values: Help build a company we’re all proud of—where feedback is welcomed, growth is constant, and people genuinely enjoy working together.
  
  

We'd love to chat if you...

• Still enjoy being technically "hands-on", you'll have no problem picking up complex tickets from the backlog on a Sprint
• Have led teams and projects before—balancing coding, delivery and stakeholder management like a boss.
• Are great at building strong relationships with clients and love figuring out how to make their lives easier with tech.
• Know your way around Scrum/Kanban and (ideally) you've worked in a consultancy or client-facing setup before.
• Have recent experience managing 6+ people and can juggle team support duties alongside your own project work.
• Can bring solid technical expertise with the following stacks: Java, Spring Boot, Automation and Cloud (AWS or Azure preferably)

What we'll offer you:

At CreateFuture, we challenge ourselves to go beyond the obvious and we care deeply about our craft and customers. With us, you’ll have ambitious projects to sink your teeth into and plenty of opportunities to learn and grow. You’ll be part of our safe, supportive and friendly culture - that looks after you - and join our team of genuinely great people.

Our benefits include:

• Total 35 days holiday (we have flexible bank holidays)
• Enhanced parental and adoption leave
• Pension - matched up to 5%

View our complete list of benefits here.

As this is a hybrid role, we’re looking for people within a commuting distance of our Manchester office and who are flexible to travel to client sites and CreateFuture UK regional offices. We are very flexible and trust you to manage your own schedule to balance face-to-face time with clients, colleagues and working from home.

We create and reinforce a culture that rewards employees’ impact, not just activity. We trust our employees to work autonomously and promote ownership across all levels.

Next steps:

Our Talent team aims to respond to all applications within a reasonable timeframe, regardless of whether or not we progress your application.

• 30-minute call with one of our Talent Acquisition Team.
• 60-minute Technical Consultancy Interview.
• 30-minute Take Home review or 60-minute Live Coding exercise plus a 75-minute People Leadership & Values interview.

Our interview process is designed as an opportunity both for our interviewers to learn about your expertise, interests and motivations and for you to gain insights into the role, team and business as a whole, so throughout the process, you’ll meet a few people from our team as well as others from across the business to help you get a well-rounded view of the role and life at CreateFuture.

We believe that representative teams made up of people with different backgrounds, skills, and points of view help us build the best workplace possible, and enable us to create genuinely innovative, broadly useful products.

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