Product Developer

About Charlie

We’re Charlie and we exist to Make Work Better. We do this by helping small businesses automate their HR tasks so that they can get the time, headspace and tools they need to build an engaged and high-performing team. We’re looking for a Product Developer (IC1–IC2) to join our Product & Engineering team and help us build HR products used by thousands of people every day.

What is a Product Developer (IC1–IC2)

We have a career progression framework. IC1 is a junior Product Developer, IC4 is a senior Product Developer, and IC levels 2 and 3 cover that middle area.

In This Role You Will

• Building and improving the Charlie product through writing high‑quality, maintainable code
• Fixing bugs, maintaining the codebase and supporting ongoing product development
• Collaborating in a cross‑functional team across product, design and engineering to shape what we build
• Reviewing code and contributing to discussions on code quality and best practices
• Working closely with customer teams to diagnose and resolve product issues
• Taking part in sprint planning, retrospectives and team rituals to continuously improve how we work
• Learning from and supporting other developers through feedback, pairing and collaboration

Requirements You Must Have

• At least 1 year of experience in a software development role
• Experience working with modern web technologies (e.g. Ruby, Rails, PostgreSQL or similar)
• Confidence using core development tools (version control, debugging tools, IDEs, etc.)
• Ability to write clean, maintainable and secure code (and explain it)
• Strong collaboration skills and ability to work in cross‑functional teams
• Openness to using AI‑powered development tools to support your workflow
• Self‑awareness and humility – you know that honest feedback is how you grow, and you’re not afraid to ask for help

Let Us Know If You Have

• Experience maintaining and upgrading production systems
• Exposure to debugging live customer issues or working with support teams
• Experience reviewing others’ code and giving constructive feedback
• Understanding of software security and vulnerability management
• Experience working in agile or sprint‑based environmentsA passion for building products with strong user empathy

Employment Details

This is a permanent full‑time role. We cannot offer visa sponsorship and you must be able to work in the UK.

The Way We Work

• A team of 39 that genuinely enjoy spending time together, with regular in‑person and remote events to foster connection
• 9 day fortnights – our adjusted work week. We have every other Friday off work
• Hybrid‑first approach; we optimise for office and remote working to be valued equally, and to be equally valuable
• Live anywhere in the UK; we have 8 set days per year that we require the team to be together in our London office, but you have the flexibility to live anywhere in the UK
• 90 bookable “nomad working” days outside of the UK in any timezone each year
• An amazing office space in East London’s pet‑friendly Second Home, and membership access to their wider locations
• Exploration days when you can work on whatever across the company
• We have review cycles 2x a year using our transparent career progression framework

Compensation Package

Benchmark salary from £45,000 to £48,000 based on your level within our progression framework.

Benefits

• £750 yearly Work Your Way Budget
• Access to our Learn You Way L&D Fund
• £30 monthly wellbeing Budget
• Private Health Insurance through Vitality
• 25 days annual leave + public holidays
• 4 bookable “Personal days” per year
• A sabbatical of up to one month paid at 50% of salary (after 3.5 years)
• Enhanced Equal Parental Leave policy

Equal Opportunities Statement

We are an equal opportunity employer and believe in the power of a diverse, inclusive team. We welcome all applications from all suitably qualified people, regardless of race, sex, disability, religion / belief, sexual orientation or age. Please let us know if you require anything which would enable your success throughout our interview process.