Job Description

Lead Developer

Location: Manchester (hybrid 1-2 days onsite) - Occasional travel to London

Contract: 6 months

Clearance: BPSS + SC eligible (SC to be obtained in role)

Inside IR35, £725 P/D

Overview

We are seeking a Lead Developer to join a collaborative government digital team, supporting complex system integration and technical delivery. This role is ideal for a senior developer looking to step toward architecture, focusing on technical leadership, stakeholder engagement, and system design rather than hands-on coding initially.

Key Responsibilities

Provide technical leadership across system integration and delivery activities

Support the integration of complex, mixed-technology systems (legacy and modern)

Communicate technical concepts clearly to non-technical stakeholders

Produce high-quality technical documentation and design artefacts

Collaborate across multidisciplinary teams including designers, researchers, and senior stakeholders

Attend and lead discussions to explore and define technical solutions

Contribute to broader technical strategy and architectural thinking

Essential Experience

Strong software development background, particularly in backend or full-stack development

Experience integrating large and complex systems

Strong understanding of authentication and identity standards (e.g. OIDC)

Proven ability to communicate complex technical concepts clearly

Experience producing technical documentation

Ability to work collaboratively across multidisciplinary teams

Desirable

Experience with AWS and TypeScript

Previous architecture or solution design exposure

Interest in progressing toward architecture roles

Skills & Behaviours

Strong communicator comfortable engaging non-technical audiences

Collaborative team player able to work across multiple teams

Comfortable attending and contributing to technical discussions

Proactive and adaptable approach

Not solely focused on individual delivery; embraces team-based working