Location
Petty France, London

Hours
Full Time

Salary
£70,725 per annum

About the Role
The Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) plays a pivotal role in the justice system by selecting candidates for judicial office up to and including the High Court of England and Wales. To manage thousands of applications annually and support the end-to-end selection process, the JAC has developed and continues to enhance an online recruitment platform and digital services.

We are seeking an experienced Technical Lead (Lead Software Engineer) to take ownership of the technical direction of our digital platform. This critical role ensures the delivery of secure, scalable, and user-focused services. You will lead development activities, mentor developers, and collaborate closely with product and business teams to deliver high-quality solutions aligned with organisational objectives.

This new role will shape the technical delivery of the JAC’s digital service, ensuring the best possible experience for operational users and judicial candidates. You will provide technical leadership, own architecture and design, enforce coding standards, and champion secure engineering principles in line with Government Digital Service standards.

Key responsibilities include leading and managing the development team, driving technical modernisation, overseeing DevOps practices such as Continuous Integration and Deployment, managing technical debt, and engaging with stakeholders to translate business needs into technical solutions. You will also manage relationships with external suppliers and contribute to strategic planning for digital services and future technology adoption.

This role is strategically important to JAC’s digital transformation, reducing reliance on external contractors and improving value for money and resilience.

Experience
- Proven experience leading development teams and delivering complex digital services.
- Strong expertise in web development frameworks and cloud-based architectures.
- Extensive experience with Firebase/Firestore as core platform technology.
- Proficient in client-side JavaScript (modern browsers) and server-side JavaScript (Node.js), with excellent knowledge of TypeScript.
- Experience with serverless architecture, particularly Google Cloud, and Single Page Applications such as Vue.js or React.
- Familiarity with Government Digital Service (GDS) standards.
- Knowledge of testing strategies including unit, integration, end-to-end testing, behaviour-driven and test-driven development.
- Strong understanding of software engineering principles, testing, and deployment.
- Ability to communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical audiences, including senior leaders and board members.
- Knowledge of accessibility, security, and performance standards in public sector digital services.

About you
- A proactive leader who can mentor and develop team capability.
- Comfortable managing technical governance and enforcing coding standards.
- Skilled in balancing innovation with stability and security.
- Able to foster a culture of continuous improvement and knowledge sharing.
- Adaptable communicator who can engage diverse stakeholders.
- Experience or interest in public sector or regulated environments is desirable.

Qualifications
- No specific formal qualifications are mandated; however, demonstrable experience and technical expertise in the required areas are essential.
- Commitment to secure-by-design principles and continuous professional development.