Lead Engineer- UK Tax

Xero4 days ago

Location

UK: Remote Worker

Workplace

Remote

Type

Full Time

Salary

GBP 110,000 – 160,000

Level

Lead

Role

Lead Engineer

Posted

Jul 10, 2026

Full TimeRemoteLead

The role

Summary

Lead Engineer for UK Tax at Xero, a global cloud-based accounting software platform. This senior leadership role focuses on designing and delivering secure, scalable distributed systems while mentoring engineers and driving technical excellence across the product group. You'll architect complex solutions, optimize engineering practices, and lead initiatives that shape multi-year product and platform goals in a remote-first, collaborative environment.

What you'll do

Architecture & System Design: Design and architect secure, scalable distributed systems that support Xero's UK tax product roadmap. Lead the refactoring of complex monolithic systems into modern, maintainable microservices architectures. Establish and evolve engineering standards and frameworks that ensure long-term system reliability, scalability, and security across the product group.

Technical Leadership & Direction: Shape the technical direction of the product group by breaking down organizational silos and driving alignment on multi-year product and platform goals. Conduct architecture reviews, provide technical mentorship on complex design decisions, and ensure consistency with Xero's broader architectural vision. Guide teams in translating business requirements into well-designed technical solutions.

Engineering Excellence & Mentoring: Model engineering excellence by championing best practices including test-driven development, code quality standards, and deployment pipeline optimization. Coach and mentor engineers to grow their technical capabilities, establish a culture of ownership and continuous learning, and provide constructive feedback that accelerates team development. Facilitate knowledge sharing and cross-team learning initiatives.

Quality & Reliability: Lead incident response processes, analyze recurring failure patterns, and implement preventative solutions to improve system reliability. Develop and implement comprehensive quality engineering strategies, establish testing frameworks, and optimize continuous integration/deployment pipelines. Drive observability improvements and establish meaningful metrics for system health and performance.

Cross-Functional Collaboration: Collaborate closely with product managers, designers, operations, and other engineering teams to align technical designs with business objectives. Communicate complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders, build consensus on architectural decisions, and navigate trade-offs between technical excellence and business timelines. Coordinate with peers across Xero to ensure consistency and knowledge sharing.

Data-Driven Decision Making: Leverage metrics, performance data, and observability insights to guide architectural decisions and validate the effectiveness of technical improvements. Implement monitoring and analytics that provide actionable insights into system behavior, identify optimization opportunities, and support continuous refinement of engineering practices.

Technology Stack Ownership: Demonstrate proficiency in Xero's core tech stack including C#, React, and AWS. Stay current with technology trends and best practices, evaluate emerging tools and frameworks, and make informed recommendations for technology adoption. Ensure the team has the tools, infrastructure, and knowledge required to build high-quality software efficiently.

Problem Solving & Innovation: Tackle open-ended architectural challenges and complex technical problems with creativity and analytical rigor. Foster a culture of experimentation and learning, encourage team members to explore innovative approaches to solving customer problems, and balance innovation with pragmatism and delivery.

What we look for

Technical

Distributed Systems ArchitectureDeep expertise in designing and implementing secure, scalable distributed systems capable of handling large-scale data processing and high-throughput workloads.

Backend Development (C#/.NET)Advanced proficiency in C# and modern .NET frameworks for building enterprise-grade backend services, APIs, and cloud-native applications.

Frontend Development (React)Strong practical knowledge of React for constructing responsive, maintainable user interfaces with modern component patterns and state management.

Cloud Infrastructure (AWS)Hands-on experience deploying, scaling, and managing applications on AWS infrastructure, including compute, storage, and networking services.

System Reliability & PerformanceDemonstrated ability to design systems for high availability, implement monitoring and observability, and optimize performance under production load.

Software Engineering PracticesMastery of test-driven development, code review processes, continuous integration/deployment pipelines, and quality assurance methodologies.

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or Related FieldFormal education in computer science, software engineering, mathematics, or equivalent discipline providing foundational computer science knowledge.

Equivalent Professional ExperienceDemonstrated professional software engineering experience in lieu of formal degree, showcasing technical depth and practical problem-solving abilities.

Experience

8+ Years Software Engineering ExperienceExtensive background in full-stack software development, system architecture, and progressive responsibility in engineering roles.

3+ Years Leadership/Mentoring ExperienceProven track record leading technical initiatives, mentoring junior engineers, establishing engineering standards, and driving team growth and development.

Experience with Monolithic to Distributed MigrationBackground refactoring and modernizing legacy systems, breaking down monolithic applications into scalable microservices, and managing technical debt.

Production Incident ManagementHands-on experience managing production incidents, analyzing failure modes, conducting root cause analysis, and implementing preventative solutions.

Cross-Functional Product DevelopmentExperience collaborating with product managers, designers, and operations teams to align technical architecture with business objectives.

Scale & Performance OptimizationBackground optimizing systems for scale, managing databases and infrastructure at growing complexity, and improving application performance metrics.

Skills

Required skills

Distributed Systems DesignExpertise in architecting secure, scalable distributed systems and microservices, with deep understanding of system reliability, fault tolerance, and distributed computing patterns.

C# ProgrammingStrong proficiency in C# for backend software development, including SOLID principles, async/await patterns, and enterprise application architecture.

React Frontend DevelopmentSolid understanding of React for building scalable user interfaces, component architecture, state management, and modern frontend best practices.

AWS Cloud ArchitectureHands-on experience with AWS services including EC2, RDS, Lambda, API Gateway, and other cloud infrastructure components for building scalable applications.

Technical Leadership & MentoringProven experience coaching and mentoring software engineers, fostering technical growth, establishing best practices, and building high-performing engineering teams.

Incident Response & TroubleshootingAbility to lead incident response processes, analyze failure patterns, conduct root cause analysis, and implement preventative measures to improve system reliability.

Test-Driven Development (TDD)Expert-level knowledge of TDD practices, quality engineering strategies, automated testing frameworks, and continuous integration/deployment pipelines.

System Architecture & RefactoringExperience breaking down monolithic systems into maintainable distributed architectures, managing technical debt, and implementing long-term modernization strategies.

Technical CommunicationStrong ability to articulate complex technical concepts to diverse audiences, build consensus across teams, and translate architectural decisions into actionable implementation plans.

Data-Driven Decision MakingCapability to leverage metrics, observability data, and performance analytics to guide technical decisions and validate architectural improvements.

Nice to have

Accounting or Financial Software Domain KnowledgeExperience with accounting, tax, payroll, or financial software platforms, including understanding of regulatory compliance, audit trails, and financial data integrity.

DevOps & Deployment Pipeline ExperienceFamiliarity with infrastructure as code, containerization (Docker/Kubernetes), CI/CD pipeline optimization, and deployment automation strategies.

Database Optimization & SQLExperience with SQL database design, query optimization, indexing strategies, and managing data at scale in production environments.

API Design & IntegrationExpertise in RESTful API design, event-driven architectures, integration patterns, and building scalable backend services.

Open Source ContributionActive involvement in open source projects, demonstrating collaborative development practices and contributions to the developer community.

Agile & Cross-Functional CollaborationExperience working in Agile environments, coordinating across product, design, and operations teams, and managing stakeholder alignment on technical roadmaps.

Compensation & benefits

Salary

GBP 110,000 – 160,000 (annual)

Stock options

Available

Benefits

Remote-First Work Environment

Work from anywhere with a fully supported remote work setup, providing flexibility and work-life balance while maintaining strong team collaboration through modern communication tools and practices.

Hybrid Office Access

Option to work from modern, well-equipped office spaces in designated locations with structured in-office boost days designed to foster team connection and cross-functional collaboration.

Professional Development & Learning

Access to professional development opportunities, conference attendance, training programs, and budget for continuous learning to keep technical skills current and advance your career.

Collaborative Engineering Culture

Work within a cross-functional engineering team that values ownership, experimentation, feedback, and psychological safety. Foster an environment where engineers grow, innovate, and collectively solve complex problems at scale.

Impact on Global Platform

Shape the technical direction of a global cloud-based accounting platform used by thousands of small businesses. Your architectural decisions directly influence product roadmap and customer value delivery.

Mentorship & Leadership Opportunities

Lead and mentor talented engineering teams, guide career development, and establish engineering standards that influence organizational practices across Xero.

Work-Life Balance Support

Xero is committed to supporting employee wellbeing through flexible work arrangements, designated connection days, and a culture that values sustainable work practices.

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