Lead Developer

Lead Developer Location: Manchester (hybrid 1-2 days onsite) - Occasional travel to London Contract: 6 months Clearance: BPSS + SC eligible (SC to be obtained in role) Inside IR35, £725 P/D OverviewWe are seeking a Lead Developer to join a collaborative government digital team, supporting complex system integration and technical delivery. This role is ideal for a senior developer looking to step toward architecture, focusing on technical leadership, stakeholder engagement, and system design rather than hands-on coding initially. Key Responsibilities • Provide technical leadership across system integration and delivery activities • Support the integration of complex, mixed-technology systems (legacy and modern) • Communicate technical concepts clearly to non-technical stakeholders • Produce high-quality technical documentation and design artefacts • Collaborate across multidisciplinary teams including designers, researchers, and senior stakeholders • Attend and lead discussions to explore and define technical solutions • Contribute to broader technical strategy and architectural thinking Essential Experience • Strong software development background, particularly in backend or full-stack development • Experience integrating large and complex systems • Strong understanding of authentication and identity standards (e.g. OIDC) • Proven ability to communicate complex technical concepts clearly • Experience producing technical documentation • Ability to work collaboratively across multidisciplinary teams Desirable • Experience with AWS and TypeScript • Previous architecture or solution design exposure • Interest in progressing toward architecture roles Skills & Behaviours • Strong communicator comfortable engaging non-technical audiences • Collaborative team player able to work across multiple teams • Comfortable attending and contributing to technical discussions • Proactive and adaptable approach • Not solely focused on individual delivery; embraces team-based working