Lead Software Engineer
5 days ago
City of London
Lead Software Engineer : Perm Location: Remote (UK-based) with occasional in-person collaboration Compensation: Flexible based on experience and availability £70,000 - £90,000 About Rascal We’re Rascal, a purpose-driven digital studio working at the intersection of technology, impact, and imagination. We partner with ambitious clients across tech-for-good, ecommerce, healthcare, public services, and culture sectors. Our focus? Solving complex challenges in creative, joyful, and human ways, blending strategy, product thinking, engineering, and operational know-how. We’re a B-Corp in progress, a consultancy with soul, and a team that cares. We are growing and we’re looking for a Technology Director to join our leadership team and help us level up, from technical excellence to long-term platform thinking, delivery assurance to innovation. Why this role exists As we grow, we need a strong, hands-on Lead Software Engineer who can: • Own and evolve Rascal’s technical direction, architecture, and standards, • Lead, mentor, and grow a team of talented engineers (internal and freelance), • Guarantee engineering excellence across multiple client and internal projects, • Drive product and platform innovation, particularly with AI and cloud systems, • Represent Rascal’s technical voice with clients, partners, and the wider world What you’ll be doing Technical Strategy & Leadership • Define and evolve Rascal’s architecture principles, development standards, and tooling, • Design cloud-native, scalable systems across AWS and GCP, • Act as CTO or technical lead on key projects, guiding architecture and delivery decisions, • Lead, mentor, and elevate engineers through code reviews, pairing, and structured learning, • Shape and champion an inclusive, high-performance engineering culture, • Co-create hiring plans, technical onboarding, and training pathways, • Translate complex or ambiguous business goals into clear technical direction, • Lead discovery sessions, advise on architecture and feasibility, and present technical strategy, • Collaborate closely with designers, product strategists, and delivery leads, • Explore new technologies - especially AI, automation, and platform scalability, • Build and maintain reusable frameworks, components, and IP, • Identify and shape opportunities to productise Rascal’s services, • Write and review high-quality, maintainable code (TypeScript, Node.js, Python, Go, etc.), • Build and manage cloud infrastructure, CI/CD pipelines, and monitoring systems, • Prototype, test, and ship AI-driven features and data integrations, • Unblock teams and ensure delivery meets Rascal’s engineering standards You might be a fit if you… • Have 8+ years of hands-on engineering experience, including time in leadership roles, • Are fluent across multiple languages and frameworks (e.g. Node.js, Python, TypeScript, React, Go), • Have a strong background in cloud infrastructure (AWS and/or GCP) and DevOps, • Thrive in startup and fast-moving consultancy environments, • Can balance strategy with execution - from whiteboard to production release, • Care deeply about the craft of engineering and about mentoring others, • Understand and are curious about AI technologies and practical implementation, • Value impactful, ethical technology and building for positive societal outcomes, • Lead with clarity, empathy, and humility, not ego Whats in it for you? • The chance to shape the future of a growing, purpose-led tech studio, • Full ownership of Rascal’s technical direction and engineering culture, • The freedom to innovate and explore emerging technologies especially in Ai, • A collaborative, human-first environment where your voice matters, • Competitive compensation and flexible working options Our tech landscape Varies by project, but typically includes: • Frontend: React (Next.js), Astro, TypeScript, • Mobile: Flutter, React Native, • Backend: Django, FastAPI, Node.js, • Platform: AWS, SST, Pulumi, Lambda, S3, CloudFront, • Tooling: GitHub Actions, Bitbucket Pipelines, Terraform, Docker, • Project tools: ClickUp, Slack, Figma How to apply If you’re the kind of engineer who loves solving complex problems, building elegant systems, and helping others thrive, we’d love to meet you. Fill in the following application form with job reference RAVE-3696 : And yes, we do love recruiters. But please no recruitment agencies for this role thank you! Thank you!