Lead Development Engineer (Java)

TL;DR

Lead Development Engineer (Java): Leading technical decision-making for robust, scalable software solutions in life sciences SaaS products with an accent on architectural patterns, standards, and team mentorship. Focus on guiding complex product requirements, facilitating agile practices, and driving engineering culture improvements.

Location: Stone, Staffordshire, United Kingdom (Hybrid working, 2 days a week in our Stone Office)

Company

Global provider of cutting-edge SaaS solutions and consultancy for pharmaceutical companies, CROs, government agencies, and academic institutions in life sciences, supporting over 50% of global drug discovery.

What you will do

• Lead technical decision-making on design of robust, scalable, and maintainable software solutions within your product team.
• Guide delivery of complex product-scale requirements into robust solutions.
• Champion and define technical standards, architectural patterns, and design practices.
• Provide mentorship and coaching to engineers at all levels for technical and professional growth.
• Facilitate agile ceremonies and collaborative practices, represent team in engineering forums.
• Build relationships with stakeholders across Product, Design, and Engineering, stay current with industry trends.

Requirements

• Strong Java desktop engineering capability.
• Strong design and architectural skills with experience shaping systems and guiding delivery.
• Significant experience in software development with proven technical leadership.
• Expertise with development tools, best practices, and version control (e.g., Git).
• Extensive agile development, iterative delivery, and cross-functional team experience.
• Demonstrated mentoring ability, excellent communication, and stakeholder collaboration skills.

Nice to have

• Domain knowledge of scientific data and standards in scientific workflows.
• Ability to translate scientific feature requests into software solutions.
• Experience with cheminformatics and/or toxicology data.

Culture & Benefits

• Friendly, solutions-focused environment in a global business of over 400 people with high-performance culture and flexibility.
• Competitive salary, flexible working, development opportunities, private medical (optical & dental), matching pension.
• 25 days leave + public holidays + buy/sell scheme, life insurance, referral scheme, employee assistance program, benefits hub.
• Comprehensive healthcare, wellbeing initiatives, clear career pathways, pro-rated vacation, continuous training, generous retirement plans.