Senior Product Engineer

Location: Remote Salary: £70,000 – £75,000 About us At Arbor, we’re on a mission to transform the way schools work for the better. We believe in a future of work in schools where being challenged doesn’t mean being burnt out and overworked. Where data guides progress without overwhelming staff. And where everyone working in a school is reminded why they got into education every day. Our MIS and school management tools are already making a difference in over 7,000 schools and trusts. Giving time and power back to staff, turning data into clear, actionable insights, and supporting happier working days. At the heart of our brand is a recognition that the challenges schools face today aren’t just about efficiency, outputs and productivity – but about creating happier working lives for the people who drive education everyday: the staff. We want to make schools more joyful places to work, as well as learn. About the role We are looking for an experienced and highly technical Senior Product Engineer to join our Engineering team and help us implement and deliver large projects and advocate for high engineering standards. The remit and focus of the role is to be a key driver in the team, taking responsibility for developing and owning features and core components of the company\’s core systems and processes, as well as auxiliary services where needed. It’s a broad and exciting role, so we’re looking for someone up for a challenge – if you’re a proactive and collaborative Senior Product Engineer, this is the role for you. Core responsibilities Own the successful delivery of high-impact features, directly contributing to the advancement of Arbor products. Drive the development and implementation of advanced tests for new and existing features, ensuring high test coverage and reliability standards. Proactively identify, take ownership of, and resolve critical system bugs and issues using advanced problem‑solving skills and comprehensive system knowledge. Maintain high code quality standards through thorough, constructive code reviews, ensuring solutions are well‑tested, scalable, and maintainable. Produce well‑architected, efficient, and scalable code by applying industry‑leading design patterns and methodologies. Create and maintain thorough technical documentation and diagrams that promote best practices and ensure clear communication. Collaborate closely with the Engineering Manager, Tech Lead, QA Engineer, and Product Manager to address feature requests. Support the Engineering Manager with interviews, scrum ceremonies, and the implementation of strategies to improve and optimise product quality and lead time, demonstrating a comprehensive understanding of the development lifecycle and processes. Support the Tech Lead in developing technical roadmap solution designs, identifying areas for improvement, prioritising, and executing technical debt reduction. Act as a role model for technical excellence through code reviews, pair programming, and actively mentoring and coaching mid‑level and junior engineers in best practices, fostering knowledge transfer within the team. Actively lead and participate in tech talks, workshops, and team‑based learning initiatives. About you Strong understanding of the payment domain, with hands‑on experience integrating with payment‑proxy providers like Stripe, GoCardless etc. Extensive, demonstrated experience with PHP Experience with enterprise solutions and large‑scale systems. Demonstrated knowledge of database technologies (SQL and NoSQL) and best practices for data modelling and performance optimisation. Proven experience in managing large, technical projects and delivering high-quality, impactful results with minimal supervision. Proven experience designing and writing APIs and services within a service‑oriented environment. Applies best practices and software engineering principles (e.g., SOLID, DRY) effectively. Demonstrated knowledge of software best practices, including refactoring, writing clean code, and Test‑Driven Development (TDD) and Test Automation. Understands Scrum methodology or other agile development processes. Demonstrates leadership through collaboration, mentorship, and a proactive approach to problem‑solving. Possesses excellent written and spoken English skills, with the ability to communicate clearly to both technical and non‑technical stakeholders. A driven team player who actively participates in discussions and readily offers assistance to others. What we offer The chance to work alongside a team of hard‑working, passionate people in a role where you’ll see the impact of your work everyday. We also offer: A dedicated wellbeing team who champion initiatives such as mindfulness, lunch n learns, manager training, mental health first aid training and much more! 32 days holiday (plus Bank Holidays). This is made up of 25 days annual leave plus 7 extra company wide days given over Easter, Summer