Full Stack Lead Developer - UX/UI Focused (Web and Digital) - IT Services - 100938 - Grade 8

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Full Stack Lead Developer - UX/UI Focused (Web and Digital)

Company: University of Birmingham

Location: Birmingham, England, United Kingdom

Job Type: Full time

Category: Technology & Engineering (IT Services)

Date Posted: 07 May 2026

Experience Level: Mid to Senior (5-10 years)

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the design, development, and delivery of modern digital services across web, mobile, and API platforms, blending hands-on software engineering with UX/UI design ownership.

• Drive technical leadership by defining architecture, establishing coding standards, and promoting modern development practices, including AI-assisted development.

• Develop secure, scalable, and accessible full-stack solutions leveraging contemporary frameworks, cloud platforms, and RESTful APIs.

• Own UX/UI design activities, translating user research into intuitive interfaces, ensuring compliance with accessibility regulations (WCAG), and enhancing user journeys.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a Grade 8 position within the University of Birmingham's IT Services, indicating a senior individual contributor or team lead capacity. The emphasis on "Lead" suggests responsibility for technical direction, mentoring, and driving best practices, rather than direct people management of a large team, though supervisory responsibility for a technical service or team is mentioned. The deep dive into UX/UI ownership alongside full-stack development highlights a modern approach to digital service creation where design and engineering are tightly integrated.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Technical Leadership & Architecture: Define technical architecture for full-stack applications, serve as a senior technical authority across frontend, backend, and API development, and establish coding standards, development workflows, and engineering best practices.

• Full Stack Development: Design, build, and maintain modern frontend applications using current frameworks (e.g., React, Angular, Vue), develop backend services (Node.js, C#/.NET), and design/implement RESTful APIs and service integrations.

• UX/UI Ownership & Accessibility: Lead UX/UI design activities alongside development, translate user research into usable interfaces, create wireframes and prototypes, and embed accessibility (WCAG, Public Sector regulations) into the development lifecycle.

• Mobile & Responsive Design: Support the development of mobile applications and responsive web solutions, providing expertise in cross-platform approaches and ensuring a consistent user experience across devices.

• Agile Delivery & DevOps: Lead agile delivery within Scrum or Kanban teams, promote DevOps practices including CI/CD pipelines and automated testing, and collaborate with QA for high software quality.

• API & Service Integration: Design scalable service architectures, build reusable APIs, integrate authentication platforms (Azure AD, OAuth2), and ensure secure data exchange between systems.

• Innovation & Emerging Tech: Monitor web, AI, and software engineering trends, evaluate AI tools for development and UX improvement, and introduce modern frameworks and development approaches.

• Stakeholder Collaboration: Work with product owners, designers, analysts, and stakeholders to shape solutions, translate business requirements into technical specifications, and provide technical guidance during planning and discovery.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities are structured to reflect a senior role with a broad scope. The emphasis on "ownership" in UX/UI, "lead" in technical leadership, and "support" for mobile development indicates a focus on strategic direction and core platform development, with mobile being a key area of consideration but not necessarily the primary hands-on focus unless it's a cross-platform solution. The inclusion of AI-assisted development tools is a forward-looking aspect crucial for modern tech roles.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: Degree level (or equivalent qualifications) in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related discipline, or relevant technical qualification with considerable practical experience.

Experience: Significant practical relevant experience and expertise in demanding roles demonstrating conceptual understanding, with a strong track record in full-stack development and UX/UI design.

Required Skills:

• Strong full stack software development experience (frontend & backend).

• Experience with modern frontend frameworks (React, Angular, Vue, or equivalent).

• Advanced JavaScript, HTML5, CSS, and responsive web design.

• Proven experience developing backend services (Node.js or C#/.NET).

• Experience designing and implementing RESTful APIs and service integrations.

• Strong understanding of authentication/authorization (OAuth2, Azure AD).

• Experience integrating enterprise and third-party systems via APIs.

• Experience with relational or NoSQL databases and data modeling.

• Experience developing accessible digital services (WCAG, Public Sector Accessibility Regulations).

• Ability to lead UX/UI design activities and translate user requirements into interface designs.

• Experience working with cloud platforms (Microsoft Azure or equivalent).

• Knowledge of CI/CD pipelines, automated deployment, and DevOps practices.

• Strong understanding of secure coding practices and application security.

• Experience working in Agile delivery environments (Scrum, Kanban).

• Ability to mentor developers and establish engineering standards.

• Practical use of AI-assisted development tools within software engineering workflows.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience delivering cross-platform mobile applications (Flutter, React Native, MAUI).

• Experience building cloud-native or microservice architectures.

• Experience implementing automated testing (unit, integration, end-to-end).

• Experience creating or maintaining design systems/component libraries.

• Experience in WordPress blogs and hosting websites.

• Experience with containerization technologies.

• Experience integrating AI services or machine learning APIs.

• Experience supporting enterprise-scale digital platforms in large organizations.

• Knowledge of performance optimization, monitoring, and observability tooling.

• Experience contributing to technical strategy, architecture governance, or technology roadmaps.

• Experience in higher education, public sector, or regulated environments.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Essential" list is comprehensive, covering modern development stacks, cloud, security, accessibility, and Agile/DevOps. The "Desired" list offers clear pathways for candidates to stand out, particularly in mobile development, microservices, AI integration, and strategic contributions. The emphasis on EDI is a key requirement for public sector and academic institutions.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Full Stack Project Demonstrations: Showcase end-to-end developed applications, highlighting both frontend (UI/UX) and backend (API/Database) components. Projects should demonstrate proficiency in modern frameworks and languages listed in the requirements.

• API Design & Integration Examples: Include examples of RESTful APIs designed and implemented, demonstrating understanding of request/response structures, authentication mechanisms (e.g., OAuth2), and integration patterns.

• Accessibility Compliance Showcase: Present projects where WCAG guidelines and public sector accessibility regulations were a key consideration. Detail the steps taken to ensure accessibility and, if possible, provide metrics or audit results.

• Cloud & DevOps Implementation: Illustrate experience with cloud platforms (e.g., Azure) and CI/CD pipelines. This could be a diagram of a deployment process, a description of infrastructure as code, or sample pipeline configurations.

Process Documentation:

• Agile Workflow Examples: Document participation in Agile teams, detailing contributions to sprints, user story development, and collaboration within Scrum or Kanban frameworks.

• User-Centric Design Process: Outline the process followed from understanding user needs (user research) through to designing and implementing interfaces, detailing the iterative nature of UX/UI development.

• Secure Development Lifecycle: Describe the practices implemented to ensure application security throughout the development process, from design to deployment, including secure coding standards and vulnerability management.

• AI-Assisted Development Integration: If possible, showcase how AI tools were used to enhance development productivity or quality, detailing the specific tools and their impact.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Lead Developer role with a strong UX/UI focus, the portfolio needs to demonstrate not just coding ability but also architectural thinking, user empathy, and process maturity. Highlighting contributions to design systems or component libraries would be particularly valuable if available.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: £47,389 to £63,606 per annum (Grade 8, with potential progression). The starting salary is typically within £47,389 to £56,535.

Benefits:

• Generous Annual Leave: 40 days paid holiday per year, plus bank holidays.

• Professional Development: Access to the sector-leading Birmingham Professional programme for continuous learning and career advancement.

• Work-Life Balance Support: Flexible working arrangements are welcomed and discussed.

• Volunteering Leave: One paid day per year for volunteering activities.

• Health & Well-being: Occupational sick pay and a comprehensive pension scheme.

• Family Support: Three high-quality, subsidised day nurseries available on campus.

• Campus Amenities: Access to a state-of-the-art sports centre, shops, eateries, art gallery, museum, and botanical gardens.

Working Hours: Full time, typically around 40 hours per week, with flexibility offered.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range provided (£47,389 - £63,606) is for Grade 8 at the University of Birmingham. This is a competitive offering for a Lead Full Stack Developer in the UK, particularly within the higher education sector. The benefits package is extensive, reflecting the university's commitment to employee well-being and development. The explicit mention of flexible working arrangements is a significant draw for many tech professionals.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Higher Education (IT Services)

Company Size: Large (University of Birmingham has approximately 5,000 professional services jobs).

Founded: The University of Birmingham was founded in 1900, with a rich history of over 100 years, positioning it as a well-established and globally recognised institution.

Team Structure:

• The role is within IT Services, a division responsible for responsive, resilient, secure, and accessible systems and support for the university community.

• This role may involve supervisory responsibility for a technical service or team, focusing on planning, overseeing, and reviewing work, or acting as an individual technical expert.

• Collaboration is expected across IT Services, with product owners, designers, analysts, and wider university stakeholders.

Methodology:

• Agile Development: The team operates within Agile delivery environments (Scrum or Kanban) for efficient project execution.

• Customer Focus & Continuous Improvement: Principles of customer focus and continuous improvement are applied to all activities within IT Services.

• Data-Driven Decisions: The University's Professional Services support decisions based on sound evidence, implying a data-informed approach to development and service delivery.

• Emerging Technologies: A commitment to exploring and adopting modern technologies, including AI-assisted development, is central to the new Digital Strategy.

Company Website: https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/

📝 Enhancement Note: The University of Birmingham's IT Services division is undergoing a transformation driven by a new Digital Strategy. This suggests a dynamic environment focused on modernizing digital services. The culture emphasizes inclusivity, continuous improvement, and leveraging technology to enhance education and research. The mention of specific networks like 'Women in IT' and 'People and Culture' indicates a proactive approach to employee engagement and support.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Lead Full Stack Developer role (Grade 8). It represents a senior technical position that requires deep expertise in full-stack development, UX/UI design, and technical leadership. It's a role for an experienced individual contributor who can guide technical direction, mentor others, and drive project delivery.

Reporting Structure: The role reports within IT Services. While direct line management is not the primary focus, there's potential for supervisory responsibility. The role will involve close collaboration with product owners, project managers, and other IT professionals.

Operations Impact: This role will have a significant impact on the University's digital presence and the user experience for students, staff, and researchers. By leading the design and delivery of modern digital services, the incumbent will directly contribute to enhancing the educational experience, supporting research, and improving operational efficiency across the institution.

Growth Opportunities:

• Technical Specialization & Leadership: Opportunity to deepen expertise in specific technologies (e.g., AI, cloud-native architectures, advanced frontend/backend frameworks) and grow into a more strategic technical leadership role, potentially influencing the broader technology roadmap.

• Mentorship & Skill Development: Actively mentor junior developers, share best practices, and contribute to establishing engineering standards, fostering a culture of continuous learning and improvement.

• Cross-Functional Exposure: Work across various university departments and projects, gaining exposure to diverse challenges and stakeholders, which can lead to broader understanding and opportunities.

• Professional Development Programs: Utilize the Birmingham Professional programme for formal training, workshops, and networking, aimed at developing leadership, project management, and advanced technical skills.

• Innovation Initiatives: Contribute to new digital strategies and explore emerging technologies like AI, positioning the individual at the forefront of technological adoption within the higher education sector.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Lead" designation and Grade 8 level suggest a clear path for growth within the University's IT structure. This could involve moving to a Principal Developer role, a Technical Architect position, or potentially a management track if desired, especially with the mention of supervisory responsibilities. The emphasis on AI integration also points to future-proofing skills.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role is based at the University of Birmingham's Edgbaston campus, which offers a blend of modern facilities within a beautiful, leafy environment. The role is designated as Hybrid.

Office Location(s): University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, United Kingdom. Excellent transport links are available, including main bus routes and an on-site train station.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Spaces: The university campus likely offers various collaborative spaces, meeting rooms, and potentially dedicated areas for IT Services teams to work together.

• Technology & Tools: Access to modern development tools, cloud platforms (Microsoft Azure), and potential AI-assisted development environments will be available.

• Team Interaction: The hybrid model allows for focused individual work and in-person collaboration, fostering team cohesion and knowledge sharing through regular interactions with colleagues within IT Services and project teams.

• Campus Amenities: The presence of a sports centre, eateries, and other facilities contributes to a positive and convenient work environment.

Work Schedule: Full-time (approximately 40 hours per week), with flexibility in working arrangements encouraged. This allows for balancing project deadlines with personal needs, a common expectation in modern IT roles.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid nature of the role is a key aspect of the work environment, balancing the benefits of remote flexibility with the advantages of on-site collaboration and access to university resources. The Edgbaston campus setting provides a pleasant and well-connected work location.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: Review of CV and application, focusing on essential skills and experience.

• Technical Interview(s): Likely to involve in-depth discussions on full-stack development, UX/UI design principles, architecture, API design, cloud technologies, and problem-solving scenarios. Expect coding exercises or technical challenges, potentially live coding or take-home assignments.

• Portfolio Review: A dedicated session to present and discuss portfolio projects, demonstrating practical application of skills, technical decision-making, and the impact of work. Be prepared to explain technical choices, challenges faced, and solutions implemented.

• Stakeholder/Team Interview: An opportunity to meet with potential colleagues, product owners, or hiring managers to assess cultural fit, collaboration style, and leadership potential. Expect questions about teamwork, communication, and handling feedback.

• Final Interview/Offer: Likely with senior management for final approval.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Select Projects: Choose 2-3 strong projects that best showcase your full-stack capabilities, UX/UI ownership, and leadership experience. Prioritize projects that align with the requirements (e.g., modern frameworks, APIs, accessibility).

• Structure Your Narrative: For each project, clearly articulate the problem, your role, the technologies used, the challenges encountered, the solutions implemented, and the measurable outcomes or impact.

• Demonstrate Technical Depth: Be ready to deep-dive into the architecture, code quality, security considerations, and performance aspects of your projects. Explain why specific technologies or approaches were chosen.

• Highlight UX/UI Process: Show how you translated user needs into design, the iterative design process, and how accessibility was integrated.

• Quantify Impact: Wherever possible, use metrics (e.g., performance improvements, user satisfaction increases, development time reduction) to illustrate the value of your work.

Challenge Preparation:

• Technical Foundations: Brush up on core concepts in JavaScript, HTML, CSS, backend languages (Node.js, C#/.NET), database design, API principles, and cloud services.

• Problem-Solving Scenarios: Practice breaking down complex problems into smaller, manageable parts and devising scalable, efficient solutions. Consider edge cases and security implications.

• UX/UI Design Thinking: Prepare to discuss user-centered design principles and how you would approach designing interfaces for specific user groups or functionalities.

• Agile & DevOps Scenarios: Be ready to discuss your experience with Agile methodologies, CI/CD, and automated testing.

• AI Tooling Integration: Think about how you might leverage AI tools to improve development workflows, testing, or even UX design.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on AI tools in applications and the specific mention of a portfolio review suggest that candidates should be prepared to discuss their practical experience and demonstrate their capabilities through tangible examples. The university's stance on AI in applications implies a need for authentic, personalized applications.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Frontend Frameworks: React, Angular, Vue.js (or equivalent modern frameworks).

• Backend Technologies: Node.js, C#/.NET (enterprise frameworks).

• API Development: RESTful APIs, service-based integrations.

• Cloud Platforms: Microsoft Azure (or equivalent, e.g., AWS, GCP).

• Databases: Relational databases (e.g., SQL Server, PostgreSQL) and NoSQL databases.

• Authentication: OAuth2, Azure Active Directory (Azure AD).

• Development Practices: CI/CD pipelines, automated testing, DevOps principles.

• AI Assisted Development: Tools for coding assistance, automation, and potentially UX enhancement.

Analytics & Reporting:

CRM & Automation:

• Not directly mentioned, but integration with university-wide systems (e.g., student information systems, HR systems) will be a key aspect, requiring an understanding of enterprise integration patterns.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role requires a broad and deep understanding of modern full-stack development technologies. The inclusion of Azure, Node.js, and C#/.NET points to a Microsoft-centric or hybrid cloud environment. The explicit mention of AI-assisted development tools is a critical differentiator for candidates.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Inclusivity & Diversity: A strong commitment to Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) is paramount. Actively championing EDI, monitoring its application, and challenging unacceptable behaviour are core expectations.

• Collaboration & Openness: Fostering an environment of openness, collaboration, and the exchange of ideas is central to the IT Services culture.

• Customer Focus: Placing students and staff at the heart of all activities, ensuring responsive, resilient, and accessible digital services.

• Continuous Improvement: A dedication to constantly refining processes, improving services, and embracing new technologies to enhance efficiency and effectiveness.

• Innovation: Encouraging creative thinking, exploration of emerging technologies (like AI), and driving the University's new Digital Strategy.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: Working closely with product owners, designers, analysts, and other IT professionals to deliver integrated solutions.

• Mentorship & Knowledge Sharing: A culture where senior members mentor junior colleagues, and knowledge is shared freely to elevate the team's capabilities.

• Agile Teamwork: Embracing Agile principles for iterative development, transparent communication, and collective problem-solving within teams.

• Feedback Culture: Openness to feedback from stakeholders and peers to drive improvements in both services and individual performance.

📝 Enhancement Note: The University's stated values of equality, diversity, inclusion, and collaboration are foundational. For this role, it translates to working effectively in a diverse team, contributing to an inclusive environment, and collaborating intensely across different functional groups within the university to achieve digital transformation goals.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Digital Transformation Pace: Keeping pace with the University's new Digital Strategy and evolving technological landscape, especially integrating emerging technologies like AI effectively.

• Legacy Systems Integration: Balancing the development of modern services with the integration requirements of existing, potentially older, university systems.

• Accessibility Compliance: Consistently meeting stringent accessibility standards (WCAG) across a wide range of digital products and ensuring ongoing compliance.

• Balancing Innovation & Stability: Implementing new technologies and approaches while maintaining the stability, security, and reliability of critical university IT services.

• Stakeholder Management: Effectively gathering requirements and managing expectations across a diverse range of university stakeholders with varying technical understanding.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced Technology Adoption: Gaining hands-on experience with cutting-edge AI tools in software development, cloud-native architectures, and modern frontend/backend frameworks.

• Strategic Technical Influence: Opportunities to contribute to technical strategy, architecture governance, and technology roadmaps, influencing the future direction of the University's IT infrastructure.

• Leadership & Mentoring Skills: Developing leadership capabilities through guiding technical teams, mentoring junior developers, and establishing engineering best practices.

• Higher Education Sector Insights: Deepening understanding of the unique challenges and opportunities within the higher education sector, particularly regarding digital service delivery for students and researchers.

• Professional Certifications & Training: Access to the Birmingham Professional programme and potential for external training or certifications related to cloud technologies, AI, or specialized development areas.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges presented are typical for a large, established institution undergoing digital transformation. The growth opportunities are substantial, particularly for individuals eager to work with advanced technologies and influence strategic technical decisions in a well-respected academic environment.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a complex full-stack application you led the development of. What was your architectural approach, what technologies did you choose and why, and what was the outcome?" (Focus on architecture, decision-making, and impact)

• "How do you ensure accessibility (WCAG) is embedded throughout the development lifecycle, not just as an afterthought?" (Focus on process, practical steps, and understanding of standards)

• "You're tasked with integrating a new AI service into an existing web platform. Walk me through your process, from evaluation to implementation and testing." (Focus on evaluation, integration strategy, and AI tooling experience)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "How do you see your skills contributing to the University of Birmingham's new Digital Strategy?" (Research the strategy beforehand)

• "Describe a time you championed Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion in a technical project or team environment." (Prepare specific examples)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Start with the "Why": Clearly articulate the problem or user need your project addressed.

• Showcase Your Leadership: Highlight your specific contributions as a Lead Developer, particularly in design, architecture, and mentoring.

• Deep Dive on Key Tech: Be prepared to discuss the technical intricacies of your chosen frameworks, APIs, cloud services, and any AI tools used.

• Quantify Impact: Use data and metrics to demonstrate the success and value of your work.

• Address Challenges: Be honest about challenges and explain how you overcame them, showcasing resilience and problem-solving skills.

• Interactive Demo (if possible): A live or recorded demo can be highly effective.

📝 Enhancement Note: Candidates should research the University of Birmingham's Digital Strategy and their stated values. The interview will likely assess technical prowess, leadership potential, problem-solving skills, and alignment with the university's culture, especially regarding EDI and collaboration.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Full Stack Lead Developer position:

• Submit Your Application: Complete the online application form via the provided Oracle Cloud link. Ensure all sections are filled thoroughly and accurately.

• Tailor Your CV: Highlight your full-stack development experience, UX/UI leadership, specific technologies (React, Node.js, Azure, etc.), Agile/DevOps practices, and any experience with AI-assisted development tools. Quantify achievements where possible.

• Prepare Your Portfolio: Select 2-3 key projects that demonstrate your end-to-end development capabilities, UX/UI ownership, API design, and cloud/DevOps experience. Be ready to articulate your role, technical decisions, and project outcomes.

• Research the University: Familiarize yourself with the University of Birmingham's IT Services, its Digital Strategy, and its commitment to Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion. Understand their values and how they apply to technology development.

• Practice Your Storytelling: Prepare to discuss your projects and experiences using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result), focusing on your leadership contributions and technical decision-making for portfolio presentations.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and operations industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.