Lead Developer

You will lead one of our delivery squads.

• You own technical delivery.
• You own standards.
• You own outcomes.

Expect roughly a 70/30 split between hands-on development and leadership. That balance will flex depending on project phase, deadlines, and team needs.

You will work in close partnership with a Product Owner who owns client relationships and priorities. You own how the work gets delivered, and how well.

Your Squad

You will lead a dedicated, cross-functional squad:

• 1 Product Owner
• You, Lead Developer
• 2 to 4 mid-level developers

You are accountable for delivery quality, technical decisions, and team progression.

What You Will Work On

• Bespoke web platforms and business-critical applications
• Mobile apps built with React Native
• API integrations and backend systems
• A mix of greenfield builds and existing platforms at scale

Our clients trust us with meaningful problems. You will see your work used in the real world, not parked in backlog purgatory.

How We Work

• Agile delivery, Scrum or Kanban, depending on context
• Two-week sprints are typical
• A mix of fixed-price and time and materials engagements

This is an agency environment. Variety is part of the deal.

In a single week, you might:

• Lead active development on a primary project
• Review PRs and unblock another squad member
• Provide estimates or technical input on a proposal

If that energises you, you will thrive here. If you want to work on one product for a year without interruption, this is not the role.

Your Tech Stack

We are versatile when it comes to client projects, our main tech stacks right now are.

Frontend

• React
• Inertia.js
• React Native
• Tailwind CSS

Backend

• Laravel PHP
• Node.js

Data

• MySQL
• PostgreSQL
• MongoDB

Infrastructure and Tooling

• Git and GitHub
• CI/CD pipelines
• AWS hosting, project-dependent
• Docker, where it makes sense

Part of your role could be supporting tech stack change, pivots and future approaches.

Strategic Direction We are standardising backend delivery on Laravel. You will help drive that consistency and quality across projects.What You Will Be Responsible ForDelivery

• Owning end-to-end delivery across multiple client projects
• Taking projects from kick-off through to production and handover
• Taking over and improving existing client platforms
• Planning and balancing workload across your squad
• Removing blockers and unblocking people quickly

Technical Leadership

• Defining and enforcing coding standards alongside other Lead Developers
• Reviewing and approving pull requests
• Making architecture decisions that stand up over time
• Owning CI/CD pipelines, deployments, and hosting decisions
• Setting testing standards and ensuring they are followed

Mentorship and Leadership

• Developing mid-level developers through pairing, feedback, and review
• Running regular 1:1s with your direct reports
• Identifying skill gaps and creating opportunities to close them

Commercial Support

• Providing technical estimates and input during pre-sales
• Flagging risks early and clearly during scoping
• Contributing to technical sections of proposals and statements of work

Do you have experience in Symfony?, * 5+ years commercial software development experience

• At least 2 years operating at Lead or Senior level with people responsibility
• Experience working in an agency or consultancy environment
• Full project lifecycle exposure, from scoping to live support
• A proven track record of mentoring and developing others

Technical Capability

• Strong commercial Laravel or Symfony experience
• Solid React experience
• Strong SQL knowledge, MySQL or PostgreSQL
• Confident with Git workflows and pull request processes
• Experience setting up and maintaining CI/CD pipelines
• Comfortable owning cloud deployment and hosting decisions

Nice to Have

• Experience integrating LLMs into production systems
• React Native apps shipped to production
• Node.js API development
• Inertia.js and Tailwind
• Docker and containerisation
• AWS infrastructure
• MongoDB

what we are looking for in you

• Clear, confident communicator, written and verbal
• Comfortable speaking with clients when required
• Able to explain trade-offs to non-technical stakeholders
• Self-directed and trusted to manage your own time
• Calm under pressure, decisive when needed

• It is not a role for developers who only want to code
• It is not suited to people who need heavy management oversight
• It is not a single-product environment
• It is not comfortable or predictable

It is ownership-heavy, fast-moving, and sometimes ambiguous. That is exactly why people join us., * Competitive salary commensurate with experience

• Company pension scheme
• Company healthcare (Vitality)
• Enhanced maternity / paternity leave
• Hybrid working
• Company meetups and fun culture
• Collaborative and supportive work environment
• Professional development and training opportunities
• 30 days of annual leave, plus your birthday off!

If you are interested in joining our dynamic team and making a difference at a fast-growing, ambitious company, please submit your CV and cover letter via the form, detailing your relevant experience and skills. Don't forget to mention the word "Boost" in your cover letter.

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Pay: £60,000.00-£80,000.00 per year

At Zudu, we're building more than software. We partner with ambitious organisations to deliver AI-enabled, human-driven digital products that create real impact. Our teams move fast, think smart, and work side by side with clients to solve challenges that matter. We're not your typical software house. We're outcome-obsessed and relentlessly human in everything we do. As part of our exponential growth, we're looking for people who want to be part of something exciting: high-growth, high-impact projects with some of the most forward-thinking businesses in the UK and beyond. If you want to challenge the norm, deliver innovation at speed, and do your best work alongside a collaborative, ambitious team, Zudu is where you'll thrive. What You Will Be Doing This is a senior, hands-on leadership role. You will shape standards, set direction, and still spend most of your time writing production code. If you want real responsibility, autonomy, and variety, read on.