Lead Software Engineer

I'm recruiting for an ambitious Leicester-based tech company that's expanding its engineering leadership team. This role is perfect for a Lead Software Engineer with a passion for PHP and modern web development, looking to shape technical strategy, mentor a team, and deliver enterprise-grade solutions.

You'll lead a team of around 15 developers, working in a collaborative environment that values open-source contributions, code quality, and professional growth.

What You'll Be Working On

• Leading the design, development, and maintenance of scalable web applications
• Driving architectural decisions and best practices across the team
• Mentoring and coaching engineers, fostering a culture of collaboration and growth
• Collaborating with Product and Design teams to deliver high-quality features
• Conducting code reviews and strategic technical planning
• Improving system performance, reliability, and developer experience

Projects include enterprise web platforms, customer-facing applications, and internal tools built on open-source technologies.

Tech Stack (Open-Source)

• Backend: PHP, Laravel
• Frontend: Vue.js
• Databases: MySQL
• Infrastructure: Linux, Docker, CI/CD pipelines
• Cloud: AWS
• Testing: PHPUnit, Jest

Strong leadership, full-stack development experience, and open-source mindset are more important than knowing every tool., * 5+ years commercial experience with software engineering, including team or project leadership

• Strong PHP and Laravel experience, with full-stack development knowledge
• Experience with open-source technologies in production
• Comfortable making architectural decisions and guiding technical strategy
• Excellent mentoring, leadership, and communication skills
• Agile team experience and collaborative mindset

• £70,000 - £80,000 depending on experience
• Hybrid working: 2 days per week in Leicester office (Tuesday & Thursday)
• 25 days holiday plus UK bank holidays
• Flexible hours and work-life balance
• Company pension scheme
• Private healthcare and wellbeing support
• Annual learning and development budget
• Modern equipment provided
• Clear progression and leadership development opportunities

This is an exciting opportunity for a Lead Software Engineer to drive technical strategy, mentor a talented team, and work with a modern PHP/Laravel/Vue stack in a collaborative Leicester-based company. Oscar Associates (UK) Limited is acting as an Employment Agency in relation to this vacancy. To understand more about what we do with your data please review our privacy policy in the privacy section of the Oscar website.