Technical Lead

Senior/Principal Technical Lead | Hands on, tech agnostic Bristol (Hybrid)£85,000–£95,000 + benefitsAre you someone who loves technology, but has reached the point where your biggest impact isn't necessarily the code you write yourself?Maybe you're already the person other Tech Leads come to for advice. You enjoy shaping technical direction, mentoring experienced engineers and getting involved in the difficult client conversations - and you're increasingly interested in how AI is changing the way great software teams work.I'm working with an established Bristol software business looking for a Senior Technical Lead to take a broad role across technical leadership, AI enablement and client consultancy.What you'll be doing:Mentoring experienced Tech Leads and helping develop the next layer of technical leadershipContributing technically across different projects when needed, from hands-on coding and architecture through to technical problem-solving and design – staying close enough to the work to keep your technical judgement sharp.Evolving technical standards and engineering best practice across the businessDriving practical adoption of AI tooling and AI-enabled development practicesLeading senior client engagements including technical audits, early architecture and foundation-settingWorking directly with clients to understand problems, challenge requirements and shape sensible technical solutionsGetting involved in pre-sales, using your technical experience to help shape opportunities, bids and proposalsIdentifying technical capability gaps and helping raise the bar across the wider engineering teamYou won't be embedded in one squad or expected to spend most of your week hands-on. Instead, you'll work across the engineering function, developing other technical leaders, evolving engineering standards and getting involved in some of the more complex technical conversations with clients.A big part of the role will also be figuring out where AI makes engineering better, then helping the wider team put that into practice. They've already got strong engineering foundations, so this isn't about introducing Cursor and calling it an AI strategy.What they're looking for:You'll likely have proven experience in software engineering, with several years operating at a senior technical level involving mentoring/managing Tech Leads / equivalent.More importantly, you'll be comfortable moving between different sides of the job. One conversation might be around architecture with senior engineers, another could be helping a Tech Lead work through a problem, and the next might be explaining a technical recommendation to a client.They're looking for:Broad software engineering and architecture experience across modern systemsExperience across multiple technologies rather than being tied to one stackStrong understanding of modern cloud, DevOps and engineering practicesEvidence that you've helped drive AI adoption within engineering, rather than just personally using the toolsExperience mentoring senior engineers and helping other technical people developConfidence working directly with clients and constructively challenging them when neededThe ability to communicate equally well with engineers and less technical stakeholdersEnough commercial awareness to contribute to pre-sales and understand the business problem behind the technologyConsultancy experience would translate well, although it isn't essential. You do need to enjoy variety – this isn't the role for someone who wants to disappear into the same codebase for the next three years.Why join?Wider impact – stay close to technology while influencing how engineering gets done and helping other technical people get better.Real influence over AI – plenty of autonomy to shape how AI is actually adopted across engineering, rather than just following a strategy someone else has written.Variety – work with some very capable engineers and get exposure to different technical problems, clients and projects.Good people, high standards – ambitious about engineering and maintaining a high technical bar, without taking themselves too seriously or expecting work to become your entire personality.Strong package alongside generous holiday, flexible hours, enhanced family leave, wellbeing support, income protection and investment in your development.Flexible hybrid working If you're an experienced technical leader who wants to have more influence over people, engineering standards and how AI actually gets used, without moving into a traditional management role, drop me an email at imogen@sr2rec.co.uk.