Senior Design Engineer

Since we were founded in 2007, It’s Nice That has become one of the leading platforms to inspire creativity around the world. Across our online platform, and through our events and social channels, we reach an audience of over two million people every month – from juniors joining the industry to creative thought leaders.

Job Purpose

In 2026, our aim is to enhance our digital offerings with unique, user‑centric features that set us apart in the industry as we go through the ever changing media landscape. We need a Senior Design Engineer who is not only skilled in technical development but also excels in creative problem solving. This role involves end‑to‑end feature development – from conception to deployment – and requires a blend of technical skills and creative ambition. The role includes working across It’s Nice That, If You Could Jobs (jobsboard) and Creative Lives in Progress (creative careers resource).

The Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate for this role is someone who possesses a deep passion for the intersection of technology and creativity, with the ability to ideate, develop, and deploy innovative features for our digital platforms. You should have a firm understanding of the latest trends and technologies in web development, as well as a keen eye for design and user experience. You will be expected to have a broad knowledge base that encompasses current and emerging technologies, as well as a good understanding of how these technologies can be applied creatively across different sectors such as tech, sport, fashion, and cultural institutions. In this role, you will not only be developing features but also taking charge of the entire lifecycle of these features - from the initial concept and design phase through to development, testing, deployment, and post‑launch analysis and refinement. We're looking for someone who sees AI as a core part of how they build, not an afterthought. That means actively evaluating and integrating AI tooling into your development workflow, and understanding how it changes what a small team can realistically scope and ship. Alongside this, you'll play a key role in our approach to GEO, implementing the technical foundations that help AI systems better read, understand, and cite our content. This includes work like structured data markup, llms.txt configuration, and building content components designed for AI extraction, all while ensuring the human reading experience remains the priority.

What we are looking for

• A strong background in full stack development, with expertise in React.js/GraphQL (frontend) and Python/Wagtail (backend).
• A forward‑thinking approach to AI, comfortable evaluating new tools, integrating them into your workflow, and understanding their implications for what a small team can build and ship.
• Experience in AWS infrastructure management, including EC2, RDS, S3, and CloudFront.
• A creative mindset for designing and implementing innovative web features.
• The ability to work independently and manage projects from start to finish.
• Excellent problem‑solving skills and a passion for creating user‑centric solutions.
• Curious and inquisitive, not afraid to ask questions, always keen to find out more.
• Open‑minded and creative when faced with a challenge.

Key Responsibilities

• Independently design, build, and launch innovative features for our digital platforms.
• Manage the full development cycle, ensuring high‑quality and timely delivery.
• Work with AWS infrastructure to ensure optimal performance and scalability of new features.
• Collaborate with cross‑functional teams to align feature development with overall business goals.
• Stay updated on the latest technologies and trends to inform development practices.

Tasks and Skills

• Creative design and development of new features using React and Python/Wagtail.
• Efficient management of AWS infrastructure components like EC2, RDS, S3, and CloudFront.
• Evaluation and integration of AI tooling into the development workflow, identifying where it meaningfully improves speed, quality, or capability.
• Strong analytical skills for troubleshooting and optimising web applications.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills.

Level: Senior

Contract: Permanent

Reports to: Will Hudson, Co‑Founder

Application Deadline: 17 May 2026

First Interviews: w/c 18 May 2026 (online)

Second Interviews to follow: In person

Working days: Full time – Monday to Friday, 37.5 hours a week

Location: Hybrid, 2 days a week (Tuesdays and Thursdays) at our studio in London and 3 days remote (the office is available 5 days a week). We are also open to fully remote applications but you would be required to work from the UK.

It's Nice That employees receive a varied range of benefits including:

• 27 days annual leave
• Summer Fridays (Finish at 1pm)
• End of Year Shutdown period of 4 days between Christmas and New Year
• Flexi‑time hours (between 8am and 6.30pm)
• 20 days Remote Work from Anywhere
• Enhanced sick leave
• Enhanced Parental Pay
• Mental health support via our EAP
• Health cash plan and other discounts
• Eye Tests & Glasses
• 5 week paid sabbatical after 5 years
• Cycle to Work scheme
• Learning and Development pot

Residence

It’s Nice That and Creative Lives are part of Residence, a new home for creativity. Residence is a network of world‑class, independent creative specialists uniquely united to produce work that stirs hearts, changes minds, drives business, and moves the world. Companies in Residence include ACRONYM, BUCK, Creative Lives in Progress, Giant Ant, It’s Nice That, OK COOL, Part & Sum, and Wild. Our global network of over 700 talented people across eight offices retains autonomy, fueling innovation and entrepreneurial agility. This role will have the opportunity to be part of an active creative community of strategists, designers, animators, developers and more from across the Residence companies based out of LA, New York, London, Amsterdam, Vancouver and Vienna.

Please note that we are unable to provide sponsorship for this position, so candidates must have the right to work in the UK. We encourage all candidates to apply. We know that some people – especially women and those from underrepresented backgrounds – may be less likely to apply unless they meet every requirement listed. If you're excited about this role but not sure you tick every box, we'd still love to hear from you. Your unique experiences and perspectives could be just what we're looking for.