Lead Software Engineer

Summary: The Lead Software Engineer role is a senior contractor position focused on providing hands-on leadership for a high-priority software delivery programme. The candidate will be responsible for technical delivery, stakeholder management, and driving engineering teams towards successful outcomes in a fast-paced environment. This position requires a self-starter with a strong technical background and the ability to manage multiple workstreams effectively. The role is hybrid, with 20% onsite work required.

Key Responsibilities:

• Own end-to-end technical delivery across the programme.
• Make time-critical delivery decisions in the absence of programme leadership.
• Break down high-level requirements into structured deliverables for engineering teams.
• Sequence work, set priorities, and maintain delivery plans.
• Act as escalation point for blockers, risks, and technical issues.
• Drive tangible progress across multiple engineering and platform workstreams.
• Brief senior leadership when required with concise, reliable updates.
• Set and communicate technical and delivery strategy aligned with design authority.
• Provide technical direction to software engineers, test engineers and platform engineers.
• Align multidisciplinary teams toward a single, coherent execution plan.
• Take accountability for outcomes, not just inputs or activities.
• Regular engagement with Programme Lead and System Development Practice Lead.
• Chair or contribute heavily to planning sessions, triage meetings, and defect calls.
• Ensure work is understood, tracked, and flowing across teams.
• Fill operational gaps where roles are missing, unclear, or underperforming.
• Identify underperformance and capability gaps.
• Advise on hiring, replacement, and resourcing decisions.
• Provide support for team members under pressure.
• Strong background as a Lead Software Engineer or Technical Delivery Lead.
• Ability to rapidly understand new technical problem spaces and system architectures.
• Experience guiding developers across multiple languages/frameworks (eg, Python, C#, .NET).
• Strong understanding of secure software development and assurance.
• Experience with enterprise architecture, CI/CD pipelines, DevSecOps practices.
• Knowledge of cloud technologies and containerised environments (specifically RHEL environments running on physical hosts, and with containerised applications).
• Demonstrated ability to shape technical direction and deliver complex systems.
• Exposure to AI/ML development or model-based engineering.
• Experience working in high-assurance, secure environments.
• Multi-cloud and hybrid infrastructure knowledge.
• Self-directed; able to operate with minimal oversight.
• Strong communicator able to interface clearly with engineers and executives.
• Calm under pressure; able to stabilise teams experiencing delivery stress.
• Pragmatic decision-maker able to prioritise delivery over perfection.
• Confident acting as the single point of accountability for technical delivery.
• BPSS required prior to start.
• SC clearance preferred; candidates must be eligible for SC if not already cleared.

Key Skills:

• Strong background as a Lead Software Engineer or Technical Delivery Lead.
• Ability to rapidly understand new technical problem spaces and system architectures.
• Experience guiding developers across multiple languages/frameworks (eg, Python, C#, .NET).
• Strong understanding of secure software development and assurance.
• Experience with enterprise architecture, CI/CD pipelines, DevSecOps practices.
• Knowledge of cloud technologies and containerised environments (specifically RHEL environments running on physical hosts, and with containerised applications).
• Demonstrated ability to shape technical direction and deliver complex systems.
• Exposure to AI/ML development or model-based engineering.
• Experience working in high-assurance, secure environments.
• Multi-cloud and hybrid infrastructure knowledge.
• Self-directed; able to operate with minimal oversight.
• Strong communicator able to interface clearly with engineers and executives.
• Calm under pressure; able to stabilise teams experiencing delivery stress.
• Pragmatic decision-maker able to prioritise delivery over perfection.
• Confident acting as the single point of accountability for technical delivery.
• BPSS required prior to start.
• SC clearance preferred; candidates must be eligible for SC if not already cleared.

Salary (Rate): £80/hour

City: Bristol

Country: United Kingdom

Working Arrangements: hybrid

IR35 Status: outside IR35

Seniority Level: Senior

Industry: IT