About the job
We're looking for a Lead Software Engineer (Python & Django) for a central government department based in London, Manchester, Birmingham or Cardiff (hybrid), on an initial 12 months contract, paying up to £720 per day (Inside IR35).
This is a hybrid role with around 40% office attendance, roughly two days per week.
The successful Lead Software Engineer (Python & Django) will design, build and maintain resilient backend services on a high-profile government digital programme, working within a secure, GDS-aligned environment. You'll lead and mentor engineers across agile squads while staying hands-on, driving engineering standards and technical design decisions. You'll translate user needs into robust, test-driven solutions and support live services for performance, stability and resilience.
You will need proven experience working with the following:
Extensive commercial Python development
Strong hands-on Django
System design and software architecture
End-to-end delivery of secure, scalable services
Agile multidisciplinary teamwork and strong stakeholder communication
Leading or mentoring engineering teams, with solid testing, debugging and QA practices
Benefits
Hybrid