Jobs, fresher vacancy - Senior Software Engineer • UK

Company: Apolitical

UK

Start date: Flexible Contract: Permanent, Full time Salary: £70,000 to £100,000, depending on experience; benchmarked using Figures Working hours: Flexible Team: Engineering Reporting to: Tom Dignan, CTO Location: Hybrid Office: Most of our team opt to come into our swish, wheelchair-accessible office in Elephant & Castle 1-2 times per week Visa sponsorship: Not available. You must have the right to work in the UK Background checks: Due to the nature of the work we do with global governments and partners, all employees are required to pass BPSS verification Application closing date: N/A, rolling We care deeply about having a diverse and inclusive workforce, and welcome candidates from all backgrounds. Should you require any accommodations during the hiring process, please don't hesitate to let us know. We will do our best to ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. See more on accommodations. To keep up to date with future open roles, follow us on LinkedIn. Who we areApolitical is a social learning platform for government. We equip policymakers with the knowledge, skills and community they need to solve the world’s hardest challenges. Our platform is used by more than 200,000 public servants and policymakers in 170 countries, with community members ranging from mayors, ministers, and heads of civil services to policy pioneers and digital disruptors. Founded in 2015 by Robyn Scott and Lisa Witter, Apolitical is a team of 50+ employees with an office in London. Our mission is to help build 21st century governments that work for people and the planet. Our moonshot is to accelerate the adoption of better skills and solutions in government, so that 1% of governments' $30 trillion annual budget is spent 50% more effectively, unlocking $150 billion each year for society. How we workOur mission demands the purposeful, collaborative work of a driven and diverse team. Guided by our leadership principles, Apolitical team members are mission-driven and ready to embrace complex challenges with innovative and critical thinking. In our organisation, we value ownership, impact, and a supportive and inclusive environment enriched by kind and constructive feedback.Before applying, read our Candidate Handbook and make sure you're excited by the autonomy and changeability that a startup demands. We also encourage you to visit Escape The City for employee reviews, our Glassdoor profile for independent reviews, or to look at results from recent employee surveys.Who We Are Looking ForYou embody the essence of an entrepreneurial software engineer, taking pride in ownership, engaging with stakeholders, and being hands-on with coding. Your initiative, ability to inspire through knowledge sharing, and eagerness to drive innovation make you stand out. This role offers a unique opportunity to significantly influence our product, platform, and team dynamics. If coding is your passion, both professionally and personally, and you're excited by the prospect of integrating cutting-edge AI tools into our solutions, we'd love to have you on board.The roleWe are looking for a Senior Software Engineer who exemplifies a proactive, results-driven approach. The ideal candidate will be skilled in developing new APIs, designing intuitive user interfaces, and passionate about AI technology. While experience in DevOps is advantageous, a willingness to learn is equally valued. Responsibilities include enhancing user experience, optimising application performance, integrating AI tools, promoting best practices, and mentoring junior team members.Note: This position is aimed at experienced professionals. However, candidates at various career stages are encouraged to follow our careers page for future opportunities.Our Technology LandscapeOur solutions leverage React for front-end development, NodeJS for back-end services, and are fully hosted on Google Cloud Platform. With a keen interest in AI, we're eager to explore and implement AI tools to elevate our technology offerings as well as enhance our ability to create solutions.RequirementsThis is a great fit if you have… Proven success as a software engineer, with a portfolio that spans several years and projects. Expertise in React and NodeJS within a professional environment. Outstanding communication and interpersonal abilities, crucial for leading technical discussions and idea sharing. A commitment to software engineering excellence, focusing on scalable, maintainable, and high-performing solutions. Strong proficiency in JavaScript. A culture of learning and mentoring, plus a readiness to explore and apply new AI technologies. Leadership experience with project and technical decision-making skills. Comfort in an agile development environment. Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of colour are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. Apolitical is dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyways. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.Interview ProcessWe’ve designed our hiring process to identify the traits, knowledge and skills that are likely to result in high levels of job performance and test for these qualities in an effective manner. We use semi-structured, behavioural interviews to get strong, measurable insights about you as a candidate and we aim to keep the discussion comfortable rather than interrogation-like. Application screening. We review (anonymous) applications on Workable to ensure they meet the minimum criteria for the role. We only see personal details once a candidate has been moved to the next stage of the process. Phone screen. A phone or Google Meet chat of up to 30 minutes to understand better in your words about your experience, how you’ve worked in the past and what you are looking for in your next role. We may cover some technical issues related to the role in particular how those may have related to your part experience. There will also be some time for you to query us further about the role, the team and company. Technical Pairing Exercise. We will send you instructions on how to set up your local environment to participate in a parking exercise with a member of our team. This will likely be a mix of frontend and backend and should last 45-60 minutes. Technical Discussion. This is a 45-60 minute discussion about your technical knowledge including past work experience, knowledge of techniques and best practices. There will be an emphasis on being able to talk the justification to certain approaches and in some cases a discussion on how you might want to improve things that you have worked on in the past. There will be time for you to ask questions about our technical approach and environment. Culture Interview. A 45 minute discussion around your approach work, collaboration, mentoring/learning, and communication. There tends to be a fair amount of back and forth as you learn about us as well. Benefits(In addition to working with smart, kind people on one of the most important challenges of our time…) Stock options: Our employee options plan gives you a stake in our vision. Flexibility: Everyone works differently. Whether it’s early mornings, late nights or a day at home, we support what gives you energy and makes you effective. Holidays: Unlimited holidays, trusting people to take what they need when they need it (and encouraging time off where people aren’t taking enough). As a restorative reboot, we give everyone on the team the last Friday of every month off. Office: We’re a hybrid working company, but when we’re at the office, we’re based 3 minutes from Elephant & Castle station, easily accessible from all areas of London. Our office is wheelchair accessible and has gender-neutral bathrooms, and we also have flexibility around remote work in the UK. Parental leave: Four months' maternity, paternity and adoption leave. Childcare benefit: Access to salary exchange through YellowNest, designed to help parents of kids aged 0-5 save 30-47% on childcare costs in the UK. Development: Learning and development budgets for books, conferences and courses. We also offer have an extensive library to which team members contribute their favourite book. Socials: Regular virtual and in-person socials. We aim to make activities, food and beverage at socials as inclusive as possible and are always open to suggestions from the team. Financial wellbeing: Pension contribution on a banded scheme, salary exchange, and access to Maji, a financial planning tool to help you achieve your goals. WFH setup: A work Macbook and working-from-home budget for equipment that supports your physical wellbeing. Mental Wellbeing: Membership to Health Assured, supporting employee mental health through 24/7 access to therapists. Cycle-to-Work: We are registered on the UK’s Cycle-to-Work scheme, so you can buy a bike and cycling accessories tax-free. Non-discrimination and equal opportunity policyApolitical is an equal opportunity employer. We will not discriminate and will take affirmative action measures to ensure against discrimination in employment, recruitment, advertisements for employment, compensation, termination, upgrading, promotions, and other conditions of employment against any employee or job applicant on the bases of race, colour, gender, national origin, age, religion, creed, disability, veteran’s status, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.Privacy policyFor more information on how we use your data, see our Recruitment Privacy Policy.