Senior Full Stack Developer / Head of Engineering

We are seeking a highly experienced Senior Full Stack Developer / Head of Engineering to lead the design, development, and long-term management of our technology platforms. This role will take primary responsibility for the ongoing build and operation of our client portal, which is being developed in Java, alongside the supporting infrastructure that underpins our operations.

This is the most senior technical role within the organisation. The successful candidate will be responsible not only for hands-on development, but also for defining system architecture, establishing development standards, and building the wider technology team over time, including DevOps and QA functions.

The position carries significant ownership and influence. Systems developed in this role will directly support core business operations including customer account management, reporting, warehouse operations, billing, and integration across multiple internal and third-party platforms.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership & Team Development

• Act as the senior technical authority within the organisation
• Define and implement the long-term technology architecture
• Recruit, build, and manage the technology team, including:
• DevOps engineers
• QA / testing specialists
• Additional developers as required
• Establish development standards, workflows, and best practices
• Oversee system reliability, security, and scalability
• Provide technical leadership to support business growth

Core Development

• Lead the design and development of the company's client portal using Java
• Build secure, scalable backend systems and APIs
• Develop and maintain front-end interfaces for customers and internal teams
• Write high-quality, production-grade code
• Troubleshoot and resolve complex system issues
• Ensure systems are robust, maintainable, and scalable

Systems Integration

• Integrate the client portal with key operational systems, including:
• Warehouse management systems (e.g. Vapour)
• Accounting platforms (e.g. Xero)
• CRM systems (e.g. HubSpot)
• Billing and payment systems
• Reporting and analytics tools
• Design and maintain data pipelines across systems
• Ensure data accuracy, reliability, and consistency

Infrastructure & Platform Ownership

• Design and manage system infrastructure
• Implement monitoring, logging, and performance optimisation
• Establish CI/CD pipelines and deployment processes
• Manage cloud or server environments
• Ensure system security and access controls
• Plan for scalability as the business grows

Automation & Operational Efficiency

• Identify and implement opportunities to automate manual workflows
• Improve operational efficiency through software solutions
• Build internal tools to support staff and customers
• Support the transition from spreadsheet-based workflows to integrated systems

Required Technical Skills

Core Languages

• JavaScript
• SQL
• HTML / CSS

Frameworks & Technologies

• Spring Boot (or equivalent Java framework)
• REST API development
• Front-end frameworks (React, Angular, or Vue)
• Database systems (PostgreSQL, MySQL, or similar)
• Version control (Git)

Infrastructure

• Cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or similar)
• Containerisation tools (Docker or similar)
• CI/CD pipelines
• Linux server environments, Examples of work the successful candidate will be responsible for:
• Leading the full development of the client portal
• Designing the long-term system architecture
• Building automated billing and invoicing workflows
• Integrating warehouse and inventory systems into the portal
• Creating reporting dashboards for customers
• Establishing secure authentication and access controls
• Scaling systems to support business growth
• Recruiting and building the internal technology team

Strategic Importance of the Role

This role is central to the company's long-term operational capability. The systems developed will support:

• Thousands of customer accounts
• Warehouse and inventory management
• Billing and invoicing
• Portfolio reporting
• Operational automation
• Data integration across multiple businesses

The successful candidate will play a key role in building the technical infrastructure required to support the next phase of business growth.

Pay: £120,000.00 per year

• Experience building large-scale client portals or SaaS platforms
• Experience designing system architecture from the ground up
• Experience hiring and managing engineering teams
• Experience integrating multiple business systems
• Experience working with financial, logistics, inventory, or asset management systems
• Experience handling large operational datasets
• Experience in high-growth or scaling businesses

Personal Attributes

• Strong leadership capability
• High ownership mindset
• Commercial awareness
• Structured and methodical approach to problem solving
• Calm under operational pressure
• Able to balance technical quality with delivery speed
• Comfortable working directly with senior management

• Employee stock ownership plan
• Employee stock purchase plan
• Free parking
• On-site parking