Software Engineering Lead

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We’re the UK's largest ports operator with a network of 19 ports around Britain. We handle around one quarter of the UK's seaborne trade and contribute £7.5 billion to our economy every year.

It’s a story we’re proud of but it doesn’t end there.

We’re transforming our business and embracing the future.

We offer a vast range of roles spanning the UK, all rooted in a culture that welcomes diversity, fosters talent, encourages internal movement and progression, and places safety as our number one priority.

We’re looking for an experienced Software Engineering Lead to lead and evolve ABP's in-house software development capability. This is a highly influential leadership role for someone who combines strong engineering expertise with excellent stakeholder management and a passion for delivering business value through technology.

You’ll act as a trusted technology partner to the business, working closely with Product Owners, Solution Managers, Enterprise Architecture, Cyber Security, and senior stakeholders to ensure we build the right solutions and deliver them in the right way.

You’ll lead a team of software developers, oversee critical applications and integrations, and play a key role in shaping how software development (including AI-assisted) is adopted across the organisation.

Based from any of our major UK port locations and operating within our hybrid working model, you’ll report directly to the Head of Enterprise Applications and work alongside other Enterprise Applications Leads to deliver ABP's technology strategy.

• Have the chance to make a difference in a business critical to UK trade
• Work within an exciting, innovative, growing business.
• You can thrive in an inclusive environment where every individual can be themselves and feel respected
• Receive competitive salary and benefits package
• Get support for training, personal development and further education
• Benefit from support and engagement through dedicated management and leadership

The Software Engineering Lead is responsible for ABP's software engineering capability, covering:

• Bespoke internally-developed business applications.
• Internal and customer-facing websites and portals.
• Enterprise integrations and APIs.
• Legacy application modernisation programmes.
• AI-assisted and agentic software development tooling.
• Third-party development, support and SaaS partners.

• Lead, coach and develop the Software Engineering team, including contractors and third-party resources.
• Create a high-performing engineering culture focused on accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement.
• Build strong engineering capability, ensuring developers maintain critical design, debugging, architecture and problem-solving skills alongside AI-assisted tooling.
• Define and communicate the technical vision, engineering standards and development practices for software engineering across ABP.
• Own the software engineering roadmap and align development activity with strategic business priorities.
• Introduce and maintain a specification-first approach, ensuring requirements, acceptance criteria and design decisions are clearly documented before development begins.
• Lead the rollout and governance of AI-assisted software development tooling such as Claude Code, Git Hub Copilot and similar platforms.
• Own the quality, performance, security and roadmap of ABP's internally developed applications and websites.
• Lead the delivery and support of internal and customer-facing digital platforms.
• Manage third-party development, support and SaaS suppliers.

• Significant software engineering…