At a Glance
- Tasks: Design and build tools to enhance developer experience and streamline workflows.
- Company: Join Arbor, a mission-driven tech company transforming education for over 12,000 schools.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, 32 days holiday, wellbeing initiatives, and remote work flexibility.
- Other info: Collaborative environment with opportunities for personal and professional growth.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in education while working with cutting-edge technology and passionate teams.
- Qualifications: Strong software engineering background and experience with developer-facing tools.
The predicted salary is between 80000 - 90000 £ per year.
Location: Remote
Salary: £80,000 - £90,000
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 12,000 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 every day: 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 forward-thinking Developer Experience Engineer (DevEx) to join our Engineering team and help us shape and deliver the next generation of Arbor’s developer experience. The remit and focus of the role is to focus on building the tools, templates, and automation that improve how our engineers design, build, and deploy software, securely and efficiently. You will play a key role in establishing our Internal Developer Platform (IDP), standardising engineering workflows, embedding AI-assisted development, and strengthening our secure-by-design culture through close collaboration with the DevSecOps function. It’s a broad and exciting role, so we’re looking for someone up for a challenge - if you’re a collaborative and highly technical candidate, this is the role for you.
Core responsibilities
- Internal Developer Platform (IDP)
- Design, build, and maintain Arbor’s IDP, providing self-service tooling, consistent build pipelines, and standardised deployment workflows.
- Develop project scaffolding and templates that allow engineers to rapidly bootstrap new services with best practices built in.
- Integrate core engineering systems (CI/CD, observability, service catalogue, documentation) to provide a joined-up developer experience.
- Collaborate with the Platform Engineering and DevSecOps teams to ensure the IDP embeds security scanning, dependency management, and compliance controls by default.
- AI-Enabled Developer Productivity
- Embed AI-assisted tooling (e.g. Claude Code, Codex etc) into the developer workflow.
- Partner with the Head of Developer Productivity to define and measure AI efficiency metrics.
- Develop plugins, workflows, or integrations that help engineers use AI tools safely and effectively.
- Contribute to the continuous improvement of AI onboarding, training, and developer enablement.
- Tooling & Workflow Standardisation
- Consolidate and rationalise the engineering toolchain, ensuring consistency across teams.
- Build automations and command-line utilities to streamline repetitive development tasks.
- Maintain and improve shared build/test/deploy templates and scripts.
- Collaborate with teams to identify pain points in the development lifecycle and propose solutions.
- Collaborate with DevSecOps to build and maintain reusable secure coding templates, CI/CD guardrails, and compliance checks.
- Metrics & Continuous Improvement
- Contribute to the collection and reporting of developer productivity data (e.g. build times, PR cycle times, deployment frequency).
- Support automation and observability for key developer metrics.
- Participate in post-implementation reviews to quantify the impact of new tooling or process changes.
About you
- Strong background in software engineering (hands-on experience with modern backend or full-stack development).
- Experience designing and building developer-facing tooling, pipelines, or platform components.
- Familiarity with Internal Developer Platforms (e.g. Atlassian Compass, Backstage, or similar).
- Practical experience with CI/CD systems (GitHub Actions, Jenkins, CircleCI, etc.) and cloud-native deployment (AWS preferred).
- Understanding of AI-assisted development tools and enthusiasm for driving adoption in a structured, measurable way.
- Working knowledge of Snyk or equivalent security scanning tools, and understanding of how to embed these in developer workflows.
- Strong automation skills (Python, Bash, or equivalent scripting).
- Working knowledge of software delivery metrics (e.g. DORA, SPACE) and experience using data to drive improvement.
- Collaborative mindset and ability to partner across multiple engineering teams.
Bonus skills
- Experience working in SaaS or multi-product environments.
- Familiarity with service catalogues, developer portals, or platform observability tooling.
- Exposure to AI model integration or prompt engineering.
- Experience contributing to open-source developer tooling.
- Previous work in education technology or regulated industries.
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 every day. 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
Remote Developer Experience Engineer (DevEx) in Coventry employer: Arbor Education
At Arbor, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer that prioritises the wellbeing and professional growth of our team members. Our remote work culture fosters collaboration and innovation, allowing you to make a tangible impact in transforming education while enjoying a generous benefits package, including 32 days of holiday and a dedicated wellbeing team. Join us in creating a joyful working environment where your contributions are valued and recognised.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Remote Developer Experience Engineer (DevEx) in Coventry
✨Join Local Tech Meetups
Get out there and mingle with fellow developers by joining local tech meetups. It’s a fantastic way to meet people who might be working at Arbor Education or know someone who does. Plus, you can pick up some trendy tech skills and trends while you're at it!
✨Contribute to Open Source Projects
Show off your coding chops by jumping into open-source projects. Not only does this give you practical experience, but it also gets you noticed in the dev community. You'll create a killer portfolio that speaks volumes about your skills to Arbor Education.
✨Tap into Online Developer Communities
Don’t underestimate the power of online developer communities like GitHub, Stack Overflow, and even Reddit. Participate in discussions, share your projects, and build your visibility. We can often find opportunities through these channels that can lead to a full-time gig at companies like Arbor Education.
✨Explore Job Boards Specifically for Tech Roles
Keep your eyes peeled on job boards that focus on tech roles. Sites like TechCareers or Stack Overflow Jobs can often have listings for companies like Arbor Education that might not show up on broader job sites. Make it a habit to check these regularly, and don’t hesitate to apply directly through our website!
We think you need these skills to ace Remote Developer Experience Engineer (DevEx) in Coventry
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show off your coding skills:When applying for a software engineering role, it's super important to showcase your coding skills. Make sure your CV includes your tech stack, any relevant programming languages you’re comfortable with, and examples of projects you've worked on. If you have a GitHub profile, link it up! We love to see code in action.
Tailor your portfolio:For a full-time role, we’d expect to see some solid examples of your work in your portfolio. Make sure to include at least two or three projects that highlight your problem-solving skills and your ability to work with different technologies. Focus on the projects that are most relevant to the position at Arbor Education.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Arbor Education and how your skills align with the role. Show us your passion for software development. We dig enthusiastic candidates who understand the value of collaboration and continuous learning!
Be clear and concise:When it comes to writing your CV and cover letter, clarity is key. Avoid jargon that could confuse us and stick to simple, direct language. Highlight your achievements with quantifiable results where possible, and keep everything easy to read. A well-organised application goes a long way!
How to prepare for a job interview at Arbor Education
✨Brush Up on Your Coding Skills
For a full-time software engineering role, it's crucial that we stay sharp with our coding abilities. Expect technical questions that might involve solving problems on the spot or discussing algorithms. Practise on platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank to get comfortable with the types of questions that often come up.
✨Know Your Tools and Frameworks
Make sure we’re well-acquainted with the tools and technologies listed in the job description. Familiarise ourselves with any specific frameworks or programming languages mentioned. If Arbor Education uses React or Node.js, for instance, be ready to discuss how we’ve used them in previous projects or coursework.
✨Showcase Your Projects
Bring along a portfolio that highlights our best work. This could be code samples, GitHub repositories, or any side projects we’ve built. Make sure we can talk through our thought process for each project, especially the challenges we faced and how we solved them—this shows our problem-solving skills in action.
✨Prepare for Behavioural Questions
While technical skills are key, full-time positions also require cultural fit. Be ready to discuss our previous experiences and how we handle teamwork, conflict, and deadlines. Brush up on the STAR method—Situation, Task, Action, Result—to clearly articulate our past experiences when discussing how we've contributed to a team.
