Lead Software Engineer Salary: £70,000 - £80,000 Location: Leicester (Hybrid - 2 days per week in office: Tuesday & Thursday) Industry: Open-Source / Enterprise Web Applications
The Opportunity
I'm recruiting for an ambitious Leicester-based tech company that's expanding its engineering leadership team. This role is perfect for a Lead Software Engineer with a passion for PHP and modern web development, looking to shape technical strategy, mentor a team, and deliver enterprise-grade solutions.
You'll lead a team of around 15 developers, working in a collaborative environment that values open-source contributions, code quality, and professional growth.
What You'll Be Working On
Leading the design, development, and maintenance of scalable web applications
Driving architectural decisions and best practices across the team
Mentoring and coaching engineers, fostering a culture of collaboration and growth
Collaborating with Product and Design teams to deliver high-quality features
Conducting code reviews and strategic technical planning
Improving system performance, reliability, and developer experience
Projects include enterprise web platforms, customer-facing applications, and internal tools built on open-source technologies.
Tech Stack (Open-Source)
Backend: PHP, Laravel
Frontend: Vue.js
Databases: MySQL
Infrastructure: Linux, Docker, CI/CD pipelines
Cloud: AWS
Testing: PHPUnit, Jest
Strong leadership, full-stack development experience, and open-source mindset are more important than knowing every tool.
What They're Looking For
5+ years commercial experience with software engineering, including team or project leadership
Strong PHP and Laravel experience, with full-stack development knowledge
Experience with open-source technologies in production
Comfortable making architectural decisions and guiding technical strategy
Excellent mentoring, leadership, and communication skills
Agile team experience and collaborative mindset
Salary & Benefits
£70,000 - £80,000 depending on experience
Hybrid working: 2 days per week in Leicester office (Tuesday & Thursday)
25 days holiday plus UK bank holidays
Flexible hours and work-life balance
Company pension scheme
Private healthcare and wellbeing support
Annual learning and development budget
Modern equipment provided
Clear progression and leadership development opportunities
Why Apply?
This is an exciting opportunity for a Lead Software Engineer to drive technical strategy, mentor a talented team, and work with a modern PHP/Laravel/Vue stack in a collaborative Leicester-based company.
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