Job Title: Lead Software Developer
Location: Hybrid (Upper-Heyford office, three days per week)
About Smedley Group
Smedley Group builds the technology platforms behind a new generation of motorsport and high-performance engineering ventures. Our flagship venture, FAT Karting League (FKL), is an electric karting series disrupting the pathway from karting to F1 - removing 95% of traditional costs, taking the UK and US by storm, with plans to expand to 50+ markets in the next five years. The technology we build powers race operations, real-time telemetry, analytics, and the operational tooling behind the group's growth, with further technology-led ventures planned beyond FKL.
We build software that has to perform in demanding, real-time environments and we are looking for engineers who want to see their work used at the trackside, on the screen, and across the business.
Role Summary
As Lead Software Developer, you will build the software platform behind Smedley Group’s motorsport and technology ventures.
The role sits between technical leadership and hands-on delivery. You will lead a small developer team, set engineering standards, review technical decisions and remain actively involved in the codebase.
You will work across race operations tooling, real-time data, telemetry, analytics, internal dashboards, integrations and AI-enabled workflow tools. The work you build will be used directly by operators, engineers, management teams and trackside staff.
This role is suited to someone who combines strong software engineering fundamentals with practical delivery pace: an engineer who can architect systems, write production code, mentor others, use AI tools intelligently and ship reliable software in a fast-moving environment.
Key Responsibilities
Leadership & Engineering Standards
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Lead, mentor and review the work of a small developer team.
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Set standards for code quality, testing, documentation, architecture and deployment.
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Review pull requests, challenge technical decisions and ensure the team ships maintainable production software.
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Help shape the development culture as the technology function scalesArchitecture & Technical Direction
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Define architecture, technical standards and engineering direction across the platform suite.
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Translate product and operational requirements into clear technical designs, implementation plans and delivery roadmaps.
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Make pragmatic architecture decisions that balance scalability, reliability, security and delivery pace.
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Act as the senior technical decision-maker on design trade-offs and complex technical issues.Hands-on Development & Delivery
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Design, build and maintain production-grade applications, APIs, dashboards, data tools and operational systems.
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Work across back-end systems, integrations, data workflows and front-end applications where required.
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Work with stakeholders across operations, engineering, finance, commercial and leadership to turn business problems into reliable software.
Data, AI & Automation
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Build tools that support real-time data, telemetry, analytics, reporting and operational decision-making.
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Identify opportunities to use AI-enabled workflows, automation and internal tools to improve speed, quality and business efficiency.
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Help embed practical AI-assisted development methods across the team.
Continuous Improvement
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Build CI/CD pipelines, standardise deployment processes, observability, testing and developer tooling.
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Continuously improve engineering processes as the platform and business scale.
Minimum Qualifications
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Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Mathematics, Physics or a related technical discipline, or equivalent practical experience.
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5+ years of professional software engineering experience.
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Strong proficiency in Python, including production-grade application development.
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Experience designing, building and maintaining APIs, services and data-driven applications.
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Strong understanding of software architecture, clean code, testing and scalable system design.
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Experience reviewing code, mentoring developers or leading technical delivery in a small team.
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Practical use of AI, LLMs or agentic development tools in day-to-day software development.
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Ability to work directly with non-technical stakeholders and turn ambiguous requirements into working software.
Preferred Qualifications
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Experience with React, TypeScript or modern JavaScript frameworks.
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Experience with FastAPI or similar Python API frameworks.
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Familiarity with SQL, databases and data modelling.
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Experience with data-intensive, telemetry, analytics, dashboarding or real-time systems.
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Experience with Docker, Kubernetes, AWS or similar cloud infrastructure.
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Experience building LLM-powered tools, AI agents, RAG systems, prompt-driven interfaces or document intelligence workflows.
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Experience in motorsport, automotive, robotics, simulation, manufacturing or other high-performance engineering environments.
Benefits:
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Private medical insurance
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Pension scheme with salary sacrifice option
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Life assurance (death in service)
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33 days holiday including bank holidays
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Childcare support via salary sacrifice
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Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)
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Free GP service
FAT Karting League is committed to attracting, recruiting, and retaining the most talented individuals, regardless of age, disability, gender identity, gender expression, gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion, belief, sex, or sexual orientation. We strive to be a team that supports diversity in the workplace and promotes an inclusive culture in which all team members are respected, empowered, and valued.
