At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead Kotlin development projects and deliver innovative digital solutions for diverse clients.
- Company: Join Hippo, a rapidly growing digital consultancy with a collaborative culture.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, contributory pension scheme, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Dynamic environment with mentorship opportunities and career advancement.
- Why this job: Make a real impact by solving complex problems with cutting-edge technology.
- Qualifications: Extensive experience in Kotlin, Java, and leading delivery teams.
The predicted salary is between 63000 - 77000 £ per year.
Hippo is a rapidly growing digital consultancy passionate about building and delivering transformative digital solutions for a diverse range of Public and Private sector clients. We are recruiting for a Lead Full Stack Kotlin Developer to join our Hippo Herd. We work at the intersection of strategy, design, and technology to solve complex problems and create lasting value. Our collaborative and agile culture empowers our teams to make a genuine impact.
As a Lead Full Stack Kotlin Developer, you will play an important role in making Hippo the best Consultancy out there. You will work as part of a multi-disciplinary team combining data, design, product, delivery, analysis and engineering to deliver bespoke digital services that make a positive and meaningful impact on organisations and society. We're confident in our abilities, authentic in our approach, and passionate about what we do.
You will act as a Lead Consultant to deliver Kotlin Development services to our clients. Lead Full Stack Kotlin Developers are experts in their field, providing strategic technical guidance and hands-on leadership within squads and the wider Hippo engineering community. Our solutions empower our customers to build and support secure, scalable, and well-engineered systems beyond traditional boundaries that allow our customers to understand and get the most from their data and digital services. The Lead Full Stack Kotlin Developer will be a key player and implementer in this.
Your Role in a Nutshell
- Act as a technical SME within the squad to produce and ensure user-centred software is developed based on business requirements and following best practice.
- Work collaboratively with colleagues and stakeholders to explore, design, and deliver solutions to complex client problems.
- Continuously review and prioritise the delivery team's workload.
- Design and manage software development and deployment pipelines, resolving issues and potential bottlenecks.
- Communicate and present prototypes, solutions, and progress to internal and external stakeholders in a clear, concise manner.
- Lead the recruitment and on-boarding of other engineers and support their professional development through mentoring and coaching.
About the Candidate:
Essential Experience
- Extensive experience in Kotlin and the full development lifecycle delivering user-centred digital solutions (with a strong foundation in Java/JVM ecosystem).
- Proven track record of leading a delivery team to deliver high-quality, robust, and scalable solutions.
- Expertise in building back-end services using Kotlin with Spring Boot and the wider Spring Framework (Spring MVC, Spring Security, REST APIs), leveraging Kotlin idioms and coroutines where applicable.
- Experience in Microservices design and architecture, including RESTful API services and Kotlin-based microservice patterns.
- Expertise in public cloud (AWS, Azure, or GCP) and DevOps practices, including containerisation (Docker, Kubernetes).
- In-depth knowledge of Infrastructure as Code tools such as CloudFormation or Terraform.
- Proficient in using CI/CD tools such as Jenkins or Azure DevOps.
- Experience with front-end technologies (e.g., Angular, React, and TypeScript).
Desirable Experience
- Previous experience working on GOV/NHS projects or in a consultancy environment.
- Experience migrating legacy Java codebases to idiomatic Kotlin.
- Experience with asynchronous messaging systems (e.g., Kafka) and Kotlin Coroutines/Flow for reactive programming.
- Familiarity with Kotlin-native frameworks (e.g., Ktor) or functional programming libraries (e.g., Arrow).
About The Company
Alongside working with some of the most talented people out there and on-top of a competitive salary, which we're transparent about from the outset, you can also expect a range of benefits: Contributory Pension Scheme (Hippo 6%.
Lead Full Stack Kotlin Developer employer: Hippo
Hippo is an exceptional employer that fosters a collaborative and innovative work culture, where your contributions directly impact transformative digital solutions for diverse sectors. With a strong emphasis on employee growth, you will have ample opportunities to mentor others and enhance your skills in cutting-edge technologies like Kotlin, all while working in a dynamic environment that values creativity and technical excellence.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Lead Full Stack Kotlin Developer
✨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 Hippo 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 Hippo.
✨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 Hippo.
✨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 Hippo 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 Lead Full Stack Kotlin Developer
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 Hippo.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Hippo 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 Hippo
✨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 Hippo 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.
