Software Engineering Team Lead

JOB DETAILS

JOB BAND: D
CONTRACT TYPE: Permanent, Full-time 
DEPARTMENT: Product Group
LOCATION: London, Glasgow, Salford – Hybrid 
PROPOSED SALARY RANGE: Up to £85k depending on relevant skills, knowledge and experience. The expected salary range for this role reflects internal benchmarking and external market insights.

We're happy to discuss flexible working. If you'd like to, please indicate your preference in the application – though there's no obligation to do so now. Flexible working will be part of the discussion at offer stage. 

PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

We're looking for a talented Software Engineering Team Lead to join our Onboarding & Activation Group in the Mobile Experiences team where “we turn audience curiosity into weekly habit”. This role would suit someone who is passionate about native app development as well as people development. If successful, you'll lead a team of Software Engineers (4+) working on the BBC's exciting portfolio of mobile apps, including iPlayer, Sounds, News, Sport and Weather, to develop innovative and engaging new product experiences, and deliver a world class experience to millions of audience members every day. 
The ideal candidate would be someone who excels in people management and engagement, balances technical knowledge and experience with coaching and mentoring skills, values communication and collaborative approaches in finding the best solution, is confident to make decisions and drive technical direction, is willing and excited to learn new skills, and to share their knowledge with others. You take pride in delivering quality software, love to experiment with new technologies, and care deeply about user needs and experience. You lead with empathy, clarity and purpose,and you foster a culture of trust, accountability and learning
Reporting to the Engineering Manager, you will be responsible for recruiting, managing, leading, setting direction and co-ordinating software development tasks across a variety of initiatives and programmes of work. You will also be responsible for managing, coaching, and mentoring direct line reports by supporting and helping them to develop their strengths and invest in their talents.
We are self-organising and highly collaborative teams of engineers, testers, UX designers, technical architects, and product owners. We build our products following Continuous Delivery practices, with a strong focus on modern development frameworks. Our builds run.

WHY JOIN THE TEAM

Early User Journey: Onboarding to Activation - this group focuses on the moments that decide whether a user sticks with BBC mobile apps or disappears after first use. From first encounter through to activation, we shape experiences that build value, trust, and repeat behaviour, reducing early drop-off and setting users up for long-term engagement.
Working in a cross-functional team alongside Product and Design, you will contribute to turning these critical moments into clear, usable journeys that help users form habits quickly and confidently.

YOUR KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND IMPACT

Leading a team of 4-6 Software Engineers 

Driving the ambition to build an outstanding engineering team and culture

Mentoring and developing team members and peers to achieve their full potential

Driving technical direction and decision-making. 

Learning new technologies and techniques

YOUR SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

ESSENTIAL CRITERIA:

The ability to lead successful teams of Software Engineers

Experience of either Android or iOS development with a proven track record of building native mobile apps.

The ability to work collaboratively with cross discipline peers such as Product and UX & communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical colleagues at all levels 

Experience with Continuous Integration/Deployment in mobile apps

Experience with Agile/Scrum project management methodologies

DESIRED BUT NOT REQUIRED:

Degree in Computer Science or equivalent

Knowledge of Amazon Web Services

Proficiency in Swift or Kotlin.  

If you can bring some of these skills and experience, along with transferable strengths, we’d love to hear from you and encourage you to apply.

Before your start date, you may need to disclose any unspent convictions or police charges, in line with our Contracts of Employment policy. This allows us to discuss any support you may need and assess any risks. Failure to disclose may result in the withdrawal of your offer.