Technical Lead

Acorn Group; Liverpool; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 85,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Career development

Mental health support

Team events

Job summary

Acorn Group is seeking a Tech Lead in Liverpool to guide a cross-functional squad in designing, building and delivering customer-focused software. The role combines hands-on coding with mentoring, setting technical direction and collaborating with architecture to fit long-term strategy.

You’ll lead in delivering scalable microservices on .NET and Azure, while coordinating with frontend developers in React/Next.js and product management to translate needs into technical plans.

Qualifications

• Proven experience leading software delivery within a microservice-based environment.
• Strong technical background in .NET and Azure.
• Comfortable working across the stack, with deeper expertise in backend systems.
• Experience mentoring and guiding developers in a collaborative, agile setup.
• Product-focused mindset with an understanding of trade-offs between speed, scalability and user experience.
• Excellent communicator who brings clarity and empathy to technical discussions.
• Passion for clean, maintainable code and continuous improvement.
• Curious and proactive, always looking for better ways to build, measure and deliver.

Responsibilities

• Lead a multidisciplinary squad to deliver high-quality, production-ready software.
• Design and build scalable microservices in .NET and Azure.
• Contribute to the evolution of our microservice architecture and integration patterns.
• Collaborate with frontend developers working in React and Next.js to deliver seamless user experiences.
• Partner with product managers, BAs and designers to translate customer needs into clear technical plans.
• Work closely with QA and automation testers to ensure quality and reliability are built in from the start.
• Stay hands-on with code while mentoring developers and promoting best practices.
• Drive technical discussions, champion clean architecture and improve our engineering standards.
• Contribute to wider engineering initiatives, including developer experience and shared tooling.

Skills

Leadership

Mentoring

Communication

Hands-on coding

Frontend teamwork

Tools

C#

.NET 8

React

Next.js

Azure

Docker

Kubernetes

Job description

We’re looking for a Tech Lead to guide a talented, cross-functional squad as they design, build and deliver products that make a real difference for our customers.

You’ll lead a team made up of backend and frontend developers, QA and automation testers, designers, product managers and business analysts. Together, you’ll create and evolve high-quality software using modern engineering practices and a microservice architecture built on Azure.

As Tech Lead, you’ll be hands-on with the code while supporting others to grow. You’ll set technical direction, drive standards and help shape how your squad works, with real autonomy and trust. You’ll collaborate closely with the Architecture Team to ensure your services fit seamlessly into our broader platform and long-term technical strategy.

We work together in our Liverpool HQ three days a week because collaboration, quick feedback and creative problem-solving are key to how we deliver.

Job Title

Tech Lead

Working hours

37.5 hours per week, Monday to Friday

Location

Liverpool City Centre HQ / Hybrid (3 days in office)

Salary

£70,000–£85,000 depending on experience

Your Impact

The systems you’ll design, and lead will power key parts of our products, used by thousands of customers every day. Your technical decisions will directly influence product quality, performance and customer experience. You’ll help your team deliver features that are reliable, scalable and genuinely improve how people interact with our services.

What You’ll Do

• Lead a multidisciplinary squad to deliver high-quality, production-ready software
• Design and build scalable microservices in .NET and Azure
• Contribute to the evolution of our microservice architecture and integration patterns
• Collaborate with frontend developers working in React and Next.js to deliver seamless user experiences
• Partner with product managers, BAs and designers to translate customer needs into clear technical plans
• Work closely with QA and automation testers to ensure quality and reliability are built in from the start
• Stay hands-on with code while mentoring developers and promoting best practices
• Drive technical discussions, champion clean architecture and improve our engineering standards
• Contribute to wider engineering initiatives, including developer experience and shared tooling

Our Tech Stack

Backend: C#, .NET 8.0, Redis, MongoDb, SQL Server, Entity Framework, MassTransit, Mediator

Frontend: React, Next.js, TypeScript

Infrastructure: Azure, Docker, Kubernetes (AKS), Nginx, RabbitMQ

Architecture: Microservices, Event-driven patterns, Clean Architecture

Observability and Monitoring: Grafana, Loki, Sentry, PostHog

Tooling and Practices: Git, CI/CD pipelines, Agile methodologies

What We’re Looking For

• Proven experience leading software delivery within a microservice-based environment
• Strong technical background in .NET and Azure
• Comfortable working across the stack, with deeper expertise in backend systems
• Experience mentoring and guiding developers in a collaborative, agile setup
• Product-focused mindset with an understanding of trade-offs between speed, scalability and user experience
• Excellent communicator who brings clarity and empathy to technical discussions
• Passion for clean, maintainable code and continuous improvement
• Curious and proactive, always looking for better ways to build, measure and deliver

Why Join Us

• Real autonomy to shape how your squad designs, builds and delivers software
• A modern, cloud-native architecture that encourages experimentation and ownership
• Work with talented developers, designers, testers and product professionals who care about what they build
• Influence technical decisions that shape the direction of our products and platforms
• Opportunities to grow into staff, principal or architecture-focused leadership roles
• A supportive, transparent culture where craftsmanship, curiosity and learning are celebrated
• Regular opportunities for professional development, conferences and innovation time

Team and Culture

You’ll join a highly skilled, cross-functional squad where engineers, testers, designers and product specialists work side by side to deliver meaningful outcomes.

We believe in ownership, openness and trust. Our squads have the autonomy to make decisions, experiment and continuously improve. We support one another, share knowledge freely and take pride in the quality of what we deliver.

You’ll thrive here if you value autonomy, enjoy collaboration and believe that great products are built by great teams.

If you love technology, mentoring others and shaping how teams deliver impactful products, this is a place where you’ll have the freedom and support to make a real difference.

Grow with Acorn

At Acorn Insurance, we’re proud of our Liverpool roots — and even prouder of how far we’ve come. As part of the Acorn Group, we bring over 40 years of specialist insurance expertise to the table. From humble beginnings, we’ve grown into a national leader, now employing 1,700+ people across the UK and reached a milestone £750 million in total value of insurance policies written in 2024.

We’re growing fast, with new opportunities emerging every week. That growth is largely due to the values we share:

• We run through walls for our customers and each other
• We challenge the status quo
• We succeed when we help those around us succeed
• We decide quickly when the smart thing to do is use our judgement

Benefits

• A maximum of 35 days’ holiday (depending on role and tenure) including bank holidays, with additional buy/sell options
• 24/7 mental health support & free counselling available
• Grow with us: Through career fairs, leadership programs, and learning on the go!
• Flexible benefits, including early access to salary via our internal platform
• Hybrid working optionsto support work-life balance and individual needs
• Recognition awards, social events & more

Our Commitment to our colleague’s

• Mindful Employer – championing mental health and wellbeing
• Disability Confident Level 1 & 2 – creating accessible, inclusive opportunities
• Menopause Friendly accredited – supporting every stage of life
• Armed Forces Covenant signatory – honouring those who serve
• Armed Forces Defence employer recognition scheme - Supporting those who serve
• Great Places to Work 2024/25 – fostering an engaging and positive workplace culture
• Best Place to Work for Development – proud to be investing in people’s future
• Best Place to Work for Women – breaking down barriers to women's career progression

If you’re looking for a company

We’re looking for a company with a strong culture, real career progression, and a people-first approach — all rooted in the heart of Liverpool — Grow with Acorn.

A Few Things to Know Before You Apply

We’re really excited that you’re considering joining Acorn! To help everything go smoothly, here are a couple of things to keep in mind:

If your application is successful, we will commence relevant employment checks prior to you commencing employment with us. These will include a standard criminal record check and an insolvency register check.

Visa Requirements

Because our training is quite comprehensive, we can only consider applicants who haveat least one year remainingon their Graduate or Post-Study Work visa. At the moment, we’re not able to offer visa sponsorship.

We’re Here to Support You

We’re committed to creating an inclusive, supportive workplace where everyone can flourish. If you need any adjustments during the recruitment process—or once you’re part of the team—just let us know. Whether it’s flexible hours, adapted equipment, or a bit of extra support, we’ll work with you to make sure you can do your best work.