Lead Software Engineer

DWP. Digital with Purpose.

This is a great opportunity to join our community of experts at DWP Digital as a Lead Software Engineer.
DWP is the UK's largest government department. We offer support and services to over 20 million daily users, and make payments worth over £195bn a year.
Our Lead Software Engineers are experts in their field, role models in software craft and have proven experience in the design, development, and support of software products.

The skills, knowledge and experience you need:

• Technical Leadership:Define and champion engineering standards, ensuring consistent adoption across teams to deliver robust, scalable, and secure software.
• Frameworks & Tools:Lead the design and implementation of frameworks, tools, and processes that enable responsible development, deployment, and monitoring of digital services.
• Enablement & Collaboration:Act as a technical enabler, resolving blockers, promoting reuse, and driving collaboration across engineering communities.
• Vision & Strategy:Shape the future of software delivery as part of the leadership team, and lead the engineering community through that transformation.
• Mentorship & Culture:Foster a high-performance culture, mentoring engineers and ensuring continuous professional development.
• Best Practice Evangelism:Promote best practices in design, architecture, and delivery across DWP Digital and beyond.

You and your role

This is a strategic yet hands-on leadership position where you'll guide multiple engineering teams, foster innovation, and embed modern approaches such as microservices, event-driven architecture, and cloud-native technologies. You'll influence digital architecture decisions, accelerate transformation, and create frameworks that enable rapid, reliable delivery across one of Europe's largest digital programmes.

We're seeking a highly skilled engineer with a proven track record of delivering complex solutions, mentoring diverse teams, and driving engineering excellence. If you're passionate about technology, collaboration, and making a tangible impact on millions of citizens, this is your opportunity to help build the future of UK public services.
Details. Wages. Perks.

Location: You'll join us in one of our brilliant digital hubs in Blackpool, Manchester or Newcastle, whichever is most convenient for you.
Hybrid Working: We work a hybrid model - you'll spend some time working at home (40%) and some time collaborating face to face in a hub (60%).

Pay: We offer competitive pay for this role of up to £92,522

Pension: You'll get a brilliant civil service pension with employer contributions of 28.97%, worth up to £23,253 per year.

Holidays: A generous leave package starting at 26 days rising to 31 days over time.

You can also take up to 3 extra days off a month on flexi-time. You'll also get all the usual public holidays.

We have a broad benefits package built around your work-life balance which includes:

• Bring your authentic self to work with 'I Can Be Me in DWP'
• Interest-free loans to buy a bike or a season ticket.
• Professional development, coaching, mentoring and career progression opportunities.

And we have an award-winning environment and culture:

• DWP have been recognised as 2024 Diversity Employer of the Year at the Computing Women in Tech Excellence awards
• Diverse and Inclusive Leadership at Digital Leaders Awards 2024
• Commended as Best Place to Work in Digital category in the Computing Digital Technology Leaders awards 2025

Process:
We know your time is valuable so our application and selection process is just three stages:

Apply: complete your application on Civil Service Jobs. There'll be full instructions when you click through.Interview 1: a short video interview via Microsoft Teams to discuss your technical statement.Interview 2: a video interview via Microsoft Teams. There, you will be assessed against the experiences listed above.

CLICK APPLY for more information and to start your application.

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