Lead Software Engineer

Description Lead Software Engineer (Full Stack)

Location:

Farnborough, with flexibility to work from home dependent on business demands Salary: £61,500 - £78,800

The Role:

The Software Engineer will play a critical role in both the sustainment of the current environment and the delivery of new capabilities. The selected individual will develop solutions to complex technical issues and problems that impact multiple areas or disciplines; regularly employ ingenuity and creativity to develop new technical solutions and systems to achieve functional objectives. As a Software Engineer in Leidos, you will be immersed in one of our key programmes.

On behalf of our central government customer, you will have direct impact on the current and future iterations of one of our most important pieces of critical national infrastructure. This is a senior technical leadership role . The individual will be c ustomer‑facing , help drive delivery, lead technical decision‑making, collaborate with engineers and architects, and act as the visible technical representative of the software team.

Key Responsibilities Provide senior technical leadership for the software team collaborating with architects to contribute to and understand solution approach, guiding implementation, and making sound engineering decisions that balance delivery, quality, and operational risk. Provide technical leadership across delivery and engineering practices, ensuring agreed standards and processes are applied consistently throughout the project lifecycle. Act as a customer‑facing technical lead: clearly communicate status, risks, trade‑offs, and technical recommendations, and represent the software team in technical discussions and reviews.

Develop, debug, test, document, and deploy software enhancements aligned with the Software Development Strategy. Lead full‑stack delivery , covering:
Backend services and APIs implemented in Java Modern single‑page applications implemented using React/Type Script or equivalent frameworks Drive strong engineering practices across the team:
Ensure adherence to established code review standards Ensure defined quality gates are consistently met for the project Promote clean, maintainable, well‑documented code Guide system design and development by analysing information needs, system flows, data usage, and work processes, and translating these into practical implementation approaches. Own technical oversight for ensuring the build and deployment pipeline is continuously validated and fit for purpose for the project, working with engineers and supporting roles to ensure defined CI/CD processes, quality gates, and security scanning requirements are consistently met.

Determine operational feasibility by evaluating requests, requirements, problem definitions, solution options, and their impact on operational systems. Collaborate closely with other engineers, architects, and the test team to ensure new and modified software is fully verified prior to promotion. Oversee and enable test automation within the scope of the project:
Ensure engineers deliver unit and integration tests as a standard part of development Support and coordinate automation activities, with the test team retaining ownership of overall outcomes Support and continuously improve Agile delivery practices, including planning, estimation, backlog refinement, and delivery cadence. Ensure effective use of development tooling and processes, including CI/CD pipelines and integrated security scanning. Mentor and support other engineers, helping to raise technical capability and consistency across the team.

Effectively communicate with internal stakeholders and external customers, influencing technical decisions through clear, concise, and well‑reasoned input. What does Leidos need from me? 10 years of software engineering experience, including substantial hands‑on delivery using:
Java (Java 8 and modern Java versions such as 17 and 21) REST API design and implementation Modern SPA development experience (required) using React and Type Script, Angular, or Vue. Proven experience operating as a technical leader, including:
Leading technical decision‑making…