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- Tasks: Lead backend development, manage APIs, and collaborate with frontend teams.
- Company: Join Legal Utopia, a pioneering tech company transforming legal services for everyone.
- Benefits: Enjoy competitive salary, flexible work environment, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Why this job: Be part of an innovative team making a real impact in the legal industry.
- Qualifications: 5+ years in software development, strong Python and Django skills required.
- Other info: Must have the right to work in the UK; no visa sponsorship available.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 84000 £ per year.
Salary: £70-80,000
Reports to: Head of IT
Location: England, UK
Status: FTE
About Us
Legal Utopia is on a mission to get legal professions to work for everyone. At Legal Utopia, we use technology and data to help people make better decisions about legal services. We do this by understanding people's legal needs, leveraging market data to match them with the right lawyer and provide unique insights into the legal professions.
Established in 2017, Legal Utopia has been backed by its 263 shareholders having successfully raised investment from the global investment platform Republic (previously, Seedrs), whilst also being awarded innovation grants from the UK's innovation agency - Innovate UK - in 2020 and 2023. Legal Utopia has utilised this support to develop novel, patent-pending AI Methods and techniques in the field of NLP machine learning to serve its 300,000 customers since 2020 and 250,000 registered users. Meanwhile, our leadership in the market in the development of Market Indicators for the legal professions of England and Wales sets ourselves out from the competition and market with a pioneering capability to assist our customers in choice when seeking legal help.
Our Values
- Get it done: tenacious and willing to pioneer where others don't
- Be data curious: stewards of market data and ask the questions that need to be asked
- Seek clarity: keep it simple so that legal professions are accessible to all
Eligibility
At this time, we are unable to sponsor a visa. Applicants must have the pre-existing right to work in the UK. A CV demonstrating your eligibility and fit as our ideal candidate is required to be considered in this recruitment process. Sifted candidates shall be contacted for interviews with the Legal Utopia team to assess suitability with the responsibilities and qualifications outlined in this job description.
Our ideal candidate
Our technology team is seeking a new full-time team member to bring leadership, longevity and high-quality software development to our backend repository and codebase at Legal Utopia. They will be detailed and methodical in their approach to backend software development to deliver precise, accurate and reliable endpoints, APIs and alike to our frontend team to enable them to fully realise our Product Owner and Head of Design’s hard work to bring compelling services to our customers.
The Lead Backend Developer shall be enthusiastic to input into senior developer and business level support to make improvements to our backend codebase whilst responding to needs as the frontend team deliver more significant architectural codebase changes to streamline our frontend development. The candidate would collaborate and cooperate with the lead frontend developer to establish a symbiotic workplace and development environment with senior input from the Head of IT and experienced contractors. The candidate will provide input and feedback on the code and processes, as well as take leadership in the release process in collaboration with the QA Engineer whilst ultimately taking responsibility for the delivery of medium and long-term backend software development goals within the IT function of the business.
Using their expert-level skills and knowledge of Python, Django and DRF, together with a good understanding of Figma and best coding practices, this candidate will be able to translate user and business needs into functional, highly performant, responsive, and replicable backend code.
Responsibilities
- Lead on the backend development, maintenance and management of the backend repository;
- Lead on all API and endpoint development for delivery to the frontend team, as well as all third-party API integrations across our business systems, content management system, and third-party services;
- Identify, report, and resolve bugs and regression identified across our Postman portfolio of 1000+ endpoints and APIs;
- Collaborate with our frontend team on all releases and deployments;
- Support the Project Manager with backend ticket refinement ceremonies and exercises to maintain clear, concise, and consistent ticket management;
- Feedback to the technology team and business to improve workflow, deployment and alike processes for maximum efficiency and ease of work;
- Assist with the identification, integration, and operation of automations to reduce administration and maximum software development time;
- Take on and apply hot-fixes and patching as necessary;
- Review, plan and collaborate with the Head of Design, Head of IT and Product Manager on all things UI/X when preparing to take on new tickets to implement product and service designs;
- Report daily within stand-up calls to the PM on all process with tickets, as well as management of ticket status to keep the business informed of work progress;
- Take company policy seriously and embed it into daily activities and decisions within your role and responsibilities, including following best practices and cyber security precautions.
Qualifications
- Undergraduate degree in software development / computer science or sufficient length of work history + employment references
- 5+ years' employment of continuous workplace software development experience
- Strong knowledge of: Vercel, Github, Jira, Slack, AWS (Route53, Cognito, API Gateway, ECS, RDS, S2, IAM), Postman
- Very strong proficiency in Python, Django and Django Rest Framework
- Strong experience in API development, testing, integration and deployment
- Knowledge of best practices in backend development
- Awareness in SEO and adoption of approaches in dynamic API content generation
- Experience in oAuth integrations and management (Apple, Google, LinkedIn)
- An understanding of Agile development and continuous delivery
- Knowledge of testing (any test framework) and experience of writing tests
- Experience of using git, understanding branching, merging, conflict resolving
Desirable
- Certificate, familiarity or experience with AWS (EC2s, ECS, S3s, RDS, Cognito, etc)
- Experience of teaching/mentoring junior developers
- Github track record in contributions to repositories (private or open source)
- Experience with Jira
Nice To Have
- Knowledge, experience or familiarity with frontend tech (HTML, CSS, JS/TS)
- Some proficiency in frontend languages or frameworks (eg. React, NextJs etc)
Lead Backend Developer employer: Legal Utopia
Contact Detail:
Legal Utopia Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Lead Backend Developer
✨Tip Number 1
Familiarise yourself with the specific technologies mentioned in the job description, such as Python, Django, and DRF. Being able to discuss your experience with these tools in detail during interviews will show that you're a strong fit for the role.
✨Tip Number 2
Highlight any experience you have with API development and integration, especially if you've worked with Postman or similar tools. Be prepared to share examples of how you've successfully managed backend systems and resolved issues in previous roles.
✨Tip Number 3
Demonstrate your understanding of Agile development practices. You might want to prepare to discuss how you've contributed to Agile teams in the past, particularly in terms of ticket management and collaboration with frontend developers.
✨Tip Number 4
Showcase any leadership or mentoring experience you have, especially if you've guided junior developers. This aligns well with the responsibilities of the Lead Backend Developer role and can set you apart from other candidates.
We think you need these skills to ace Lead Backend Developer
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV highlights your experience with Python, Django, and API development. Use specific examples from your past work that demonstrate your ability to lead backend development and collaborate with frontend teams.
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: In your cover letter, express your enthusiasm for Legal Utopia's mission and how your skills align with their values. Mention your experience in software development and your approach to problem-solving in a fast-paced environment.
Showcase Relevant Projects: If you have worked on notable projects, especially those involving backend development or API integrations, include them in your application. Highlight your role and the impact of your contributions.
Proofread and Edit: Before submitting your application, carefully proofread your documents for any spelling or grammatical errors. A polished application reflects your attention to detail, which is crucial for a Lead Backend Developer.
How to prepare for a job interview at Legal Utopia
✨Showcase Your Technical Skills
Be prepared to discuss your experience with Python, Django, and API development in detail. Bring examples of past projects where you've successfully implemented these technologies, and be ready to explain your thought process and problem-solving approach.
✨Understand the Company’s Mission
Research Legal Utopia's mission and values thoroughly. Be ready to articulate how your personal values align with theirs, especially their focus on making legal services accessible and using data-driven insights.
✨Prepare for Collaborative Scenarios
Since the role involves working closely with frontend developers and other team members, think of examples where you've successfully collaborated in a team setting. Highlight your communication skills and how you handle feedback and conflict.
✨Demonstrate Problem-Solving Abilities
Expect questions that assess your ability to identify and resolve bugs or issues in code. Prepare to discuss specific challenges you've faced in previous roles and how you approached finding solutions, particularly in backend development.
