Senior Product Engineer - FTC

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 every day: the staff. We want to make schools more joyful places to work, as well as learn.

About The Role
We are seeking a Senior Product Engineer – FTC to join our team and take on a critical role in delivering our product vision during a fixed-term contract. You will be responsible for developing and enhancing our core software systems, leading technical initiatives across teams, and ensuring a high level of quality in our deliverables. This role offers a unique opportunity for someone with a passion for engineering excellence and a desire to make a tangible difference in the education sector.

Core Responsibilities

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams including Product Managers, QA Engineers, and Technical Leads to deliver robust features aligned with our product vision.
• Develop high-quality, scalable software solutions while ensuring adherence to best practices and design patterns.
• Lead and participate in code reviews, mentoring junior engineers, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement.
• Contribute to the overall architecture and design of our systems, focusing on performance and maintainability.
• Document solutions and maintain clear communication with stakeholders throughout the development process.
• Engage in the full software development lifecycle, from requirements gathering to deployment and post-launch support.

Requirements

• Proven experience in software development, particularly with Object-Oriented programming languages.
• Strong expertise in PHP and experience in building scalable web applications.
• Solid understanding of software engineering principles, including SOLID and DRY.
• Experience with relational database technologies and designing efficient schemas.
• Ability to lead technical discussions and positively influence project outcomes.
• A commitment to producing clean, well-documented code and comprehensive test coverage.
• A collaborative mindset, with a strong desire to share knowledge and support team members.
• Good written and spoken English to effectively communicate ideas.

Bonus Skills

• Experience with cloud environments and containerization tools like Docker.
• Familiarity with agile methodologies such as Scrum.
• Exposure to various software development best practices such as Test-Driven Development (TDD) and Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD).
• Understanding of education technology and a desire to contribute to the sector.

Benefits

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 Bank Holidays). This is made up of 25 days annual leave plus 7 extra company-wide days given over Easter, Summer & Christmas.
• Life Assurance paid out at 3x annual salary.
• Comprehensive wellness benefit provided by AIG Smart Health, which provides a 24/7 virtual GP service, mental health support, counselling, and personalised health checks.
• Private Dental Insurance with Bupa.
• Salary sacrifice Pension provided by Scottish Widows.
• Enhanced maternity and adoption leave (20 weeks full pay) and paternity (6 weeks full pay) pay.
• 5 free return to work maternity coaching sessions, helping you adapt to this new exciting time of life!
• Access to services such as Calm and Bippit (financial wellbeing coaching).
• All of our roles champion flexible working and we are happy to discuss what this means to you.
• Social committees that plan team, office and company-wide events to bring people together and celebrate success.
• Dedicated professional development training budget (CPD courses, upskilling resources, professional memberships etc).
• Volunteer with a charity of your choice for a day each year.
• Dog friendly offices!

Interview Process

• Phone screen.
• 1st stage.
• 2nd stage.

We are committed to a fair and comfortable recruitment process, so if you require any reasonable adjustments during your application or interview process, please reach out to a member of the team at

Our commitment is also backed by our partnership with Neurodiversity Consultancy, Lexxic who provide us with training, support and advice.

Arbor Education is an equal opportunities organisation

Our goal is for Arbor to be a workplace which represents, celebrates and supports people from all backgrounds, and which gives them the tools they need to thrive – whatever their ambitions may be so we support and promote diversity and equality, and actively encourage applications from people of all backgrounds.

Refer a Friend

Know someone else who would be good for this role? You can refer a friend, family member or colleague; if they are offered a role with Arbor, we will say thank you with a voucher valued up to £200! Simply email:

Please note: We are unable to provide visa sponsorship at this time.

Seniority Level: Mid-Senior level

Employment Type: Contract

Job Function: Education Administration Programs

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