Job Description

Lead Developer

Application Deadline: 1 June 2026

Department: Technology and Development

Employment Type: Permanent - Full Time

Location: Remote/UK

Reporting To: Timothy Joy

Compensation: £50,000 - £55,000 / year

Join Newsquest Digital Media, the digital division of one of the UK’s leading local media publishers, and play a key role in building and optimising the backend systems that power our extensive network of trusted local news brands—helping to shape the future of digital journalism at scale. We’re looking for a Lead Developer to take a central role in shaping the evolution of our digital products across a portfolio of over 200 high-traffic websites, serving millions of users each month.

This is a hands-on leadership role where you’ll influence both the technical direction and day-to-day delivery within your squad. Working closely with Product and UX teams, you’ll be involved early in the lifecycle of new features, helping to define practical, well-architected solutions and seeing them through to delivery.

You’ll lead from within a development squad, combining strong engineering capability with collaboration and support for others in the team. We operate in a flexible, fully remote (UK-based) environment, with a culture that values ownership, continuous improvement, and thoughtful, human-led development.

Whether you’re already operating at Lead level or ready to take that next step, this is an opportunity to make a visible impact across a diverse and high-performing digital estate.

Key Responsibilities

• Act as Technical Lead within a development squad, guiding the design and delivery of new features
• Collaborate closely with Product Managers and UX Designers to refine requirements and shape solutions
• Develop and maintain high-quality, scalable software using PHP and associated technologies
• Support and mentor developers within the team, helping to improve coding standards and best practices
• Contribute to architectural decisions and ensure alignment with wider platform strategy
• Work across both front-end and back-end systems to deliver end-to-end solutions
• Champion agile ways of working and contribute to continuous improvement within the team
• Ensure code quality, performance and reliability across all outputs
• Work with version control systems (Git/GitHub) to manage codebases effectively

Skills, Knowledge & Expertise

• Strong experience in PHP, with a solid understanding of design patterns
• Proven experience in a full development environment (circa 3+ years)
• Experience working with both SQL and NoSQL databases (e.g. MySQL, Elasticsearch, Redis)
• Comfortable working in cross-functional teams alongside Product and UX
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to explain technical concepts clearly
• Experience using Git and GitHub for version control

Desirable but not essential:

• Experience working in an Agile environment
• Exposure to modern JavaScript frameworks (e.g. Vue.js)
• Understanding of web design principles and modern web technologies
• Degree in Computer Science or a related field

Job Benefits

• Remote Working
• Competitive salary
• Contributory pension
• Perks and discounts with numerous retailers and organisations
• Opportunities for team building and training days
• 25 days’ paid holiday, plus statutory bank holidays
• An extra day off on your birthday
• Holiday purchase scheme
• Structured career progression, ongoing training, and personal performance reviews
• Discount vouchers
• Discounted gym membership
• Cycle to Work scheme
• Mental health support via Lifeworks
• Eye test vouchers, plus £50 towards the cost of new glasses
• Annual volunteer or charity day
• Staff referral scheme

Newsquest Media Group is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all community sections regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage/civil partnership status, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation. Our recruitment process will consist of various stages and activities. As part of our commitment to fairness to all applicants, we will take into account any adjustments that could help you.