Lead Software Developer

About the Role

DP World in the UK is at the heart of Britain’s trading future, providing the right trading infrastructure, smart logistical solutions and the benefits of freeport status to our customers. An excellent opportunity has opened within CNS IT Operations for a Lead Developer.

The Lead Developer plays a pivotal role in a fast-paced environment, combining strong technical expertise with effective team leadership. This position drives the company’s technical strategy and ensures the delivery of high quality software solutions aligned with business objectives.

Location : Southampton

Interviews to commence in Jan 2026

• Lead the CNS development team in designing, developing, testing, and deploying high-quality software solutions.
• Provide technical guidance and mentorship, promoting collaboration and continuous learning.
• Manage multiple software development projects, ensuring delivery within scope, timelines, and quality standards.
• Oversee project plans, resource allocation, and risk management strategies.
• Collaborate with project managers, business analysts, and stakeholders to gather requirements and define technical specifications.
• Ensure effective communication between development teams and other departments to maintain alignment on objectives and timelines.
• Supervise code reviews, testing, and debugging to uphold high standards of code quality and reliability.
• Monitor emerging technologies and industry trends, integrating relevant advancements into development processes.
• Identify and implement process improvements to enhance efficiency and productivity.
• Maintain accurate, up-to-date technical documentation accessible to all stakeholders.
• Provide regular progress updates, risk assessments, and issue reports to senior management.
• Contribute to coding, testing, and deployment activities as needed.
• Troubleshoot and resolve delivery-related issues to ensure smooth releases.
• Conduct development reviews to evaluate code quality, standards compliance, and performance, offering constructive feedback.
• Mentor developers at all levels, supporting technical growth and knowledge sharing.
• Promote a collaborative team environment that encourages continuous improvement.

• Proven ability to deliver solutions from initial analysis through to production deployment.
• Strong collaboration with senior technical architects to provide innovative, well-documented solutions.
• Excellent analytical and programming skills within the relevant development environment.
• Proficiency in Java frameworks (Spring, Spring Boot, Hibernate) for building scalable applications.
• Extensive experience in Java application development, including core concepts such as OOP, exception handling and multithreading.
• Skilled in building RESTful APIs and web services using Java technologies.
• Experience with relational databases (Oracle, SQL Server), including complex SQL queries and database design principles.
• Familiarity with CI / CD tools (e.g., Jenkins), version control systems (e.g., Git), and containerisation (Docker, Kubernetes).
• Experience with automated testing frameworks (JUnit, Mockito).

• Minimum of 5 GCSEs (Grade C or above), including Maths and English, plus at least 2 A-level passes or equivalent.
• Preferably HND / Degree in Computing or a related discipline.
• Experience in developing business applications within an enterprise environment.
• ITIL4 Foundation certification desirable.
• Project management experience is an advantage.

• Eligibility to work in the UK.
• A full valid UK driving licence or appropriate international licence allowing you to drive on UK roads.
• No unspent criminal convictions.
• Due to manufacturing guidelines on equipment and site safety critical health and safety requirements, we have strict weight and medical requirements that need to be met and maintained. For our safety critical roles health and medical and fitness checks are performed. Requirements include, but are not limited to, weight, height, blood pressure and hearing.
• We may close our roles early, depending on the number of applications received.

DP World offers exciting and…