Senior Software Developer

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 Lead, mentor and review the work of a small developer team. Set standards for code quality, testing, documentation, architecture and deployment. Review pull requests, challenge technical decisi