Technical Lead

Tech Lead

Permanent | £80,000 – £100,000 | South East (Hybrid)
SC clearance required or eligible

We are seeking a Tech Lead to take ownership of technical delivery for Defence programmes. The role focuses on building AI-enabled capabilities in secure, air-gapped environments, combining hands-on software engineering with technical leadership to deliver high-assurance solutions.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day technical delivery on Defence programmes
• Make architecture and design decisions for deployments into classified environments
• Write production code, conduct code reviews, and set engineering standards
• Translate programme requirements into technical plans, sprints, and deliverables
• Work closely with Defence stakeholders, delivery managers, and end users on site
• Manage technical risk, dependencies, and integration points across programme workstreams
• Mentor and develop engineers within the team
• Contribute to technical proposals, bids, and architecture documentation
• Support release management and deployment in air-gapped environments

Skills & Experience

• Significant experience as a senior or lead engineer delivering complex software in secure or regulated environments
• Strong ability to articulate architecture and integration concerns clearly
• Proficiency in Python and/or TypeScript (core stack)
• Familiarity with AI/ML integration patterns (model serving, RAG pipelines, vector databases)
• Understanding of secure development practices
• Experience working in fast-paced, scaling organisations
• UK-based with willingness to travel to sites as required
• Hold or eligible for DV clearance

This is a high-impact role delivering nationally significant defence programmes with flexible hybrid working in the South East.