Principal Developer & Team Lead Salary: £51,400 £68,800
Location: Cambridge / Hybrid (% office-based)
Contract Type: Permanent
Hours: Full-Time, 35 Hours Per Week About the Role We are looking for a technically strong Team Lead ready to take the next step into a broader leadership role while remaining hands-on with development. This position combines technical leadership, software engineering, and team management responsibilities. You will play a key role in modernising enterprise applications through migration to cloud-native architectures while helping establish emerging engineering practices, including Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) and AI-driven development. You will act as the Principal Developer on a focused project within a wider transformation programme, maintaining deep ownership of technical delivery from design through to implementation. The role offers a hybrid working arrangement, with approximately % of time spent in the office. Key Responsibilities Lead the design, development, and delivery of modern cloud-native applications. Drive migration of legacy enterprise systems to AWS-based architectures. Contribute to the development of SRE and AI engineering practices. Remain actively involved in coding, technical design, and code reviews. Set technical standards and engineering best practices across teams. Collaborate with architects, infrastructure teams, product owners, and technical stakeholders. Lead and mentor a small team of developers through one-to-ones, coaching, and development planning. Support recruitment, team growth, and capability development over time. Contribute to DevOps automation, observability, and platform reliability initiatives. Participate in agile delivery squads and technical stakeholder discussions. About You Essential Skills & Experience Previous experience leading or mentoring software developers. Strong hands-on software engineering background with regular coding experience. Proficiency in two or more modern programming languages. Practical experience working with AWS or equivalent cloud platforms. Strong understanding of CI/CD pipelines, Infrastructure as Code, and production observability. Experience with cloud security, microservices, and event-driven architectures. Excellent communication skills with both technical and non-technical audiences. Interest in growing into broader people leadership responsibilities. Desirable Skills Hands-on experience with AI/ML in production environments. Experience helping establish SRE or observability practices. Experience modernising legacy applications and systems. Exposure to cloud-native transformation projects. What the Role Offers Opportunity to shape new engineering practices including SRE and AI development. Significant ownership and influence over technical direction. Continued hands-on engineering involvement while developing leadership capability. Supportive environment for growth into people management responsibilities. Opportunity to work on systems serving large-scale global user communities. Benefits 28 days annual leave plus bank holidays. Private medical insurance and health-related benefits. Discretionary annual bonus. Pension scheme. Life assurance. Green travel initiatives. Flexible and hybrid working arrangements. Recruitment Process Shortlisted candidates can expect a staged interview process which may include: Initial screening discussion. Technical or competency-based interview. Completion of a role-related task prior to interview. Successful applicants may be subject to background and DBS checks as part of the recruitment process. Diversity & Inclusion We are committed to building an inclusive workplace where everyone can thrive. Applications are welcomed from candidates of all backgrounds, experiences, and communities. Reasonable adjustments and support are available throughout the recruitment process for candidates with disabilities or long-term health conditions.
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