[hooliganpete]

The toughest part will be getting your foot in the door at a new firm since your resume will read as a demotion. That said, while more difficult to describe on your resume, it's all about the story you tell. In your post, your desire to code more, manage less makes a lot of sense and I bet resonates with many others who have felt similarly. Also, as @davismwfl mentioned, you can tweak your resume to avoid getting 'scanned out' without being misleading. In their own world, the difference between a Lead and Senior Recruiter is thin - generally Lead means they own fewer, higher level reqs themselves and manage staff. Senior Recruiters produce greater output since they don't have the overhead of managing others. Not really a step down, just a different job - why not call yourself a Lead/Senior Developer?