At a Glance
- Tasks: Build and maintain a customer-facing platform, turning needs into seamless features.
- Company: Natural Negative, a pioneering materials science company focused on sustainable biomaterials.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, equity, 28 days holiday, remote work, and a supportive team culture.
- Other info: Join a flat team where your voice matters and career growth is encouraged.
- Why this job: Shape innovative technology that makes sustainable materials practical and impactful.
- Qualifications: Full-stack experience with strong skills in modern JS/TS, API, and database design.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 80000 £ per year.
About Natural Negative
Natural Negative is a materials science company optimising biomaterials science with AI. We design compostable formulations that match or surpass conventional plastics: production-ready and drop-in compatible with existing manufacturing lines. We believe everything humans encounter and consume should make them healthier. The biomaterials that could deliver that already exist; the industry hasn't yet made them practical to adopt at scale. We're optimising that: faster, cheaper, less risky. We're investor-backed, with active Innovate UK grants and partnerships across leading research and innovation organisations. Our lab is at Plus X Innovation Hub, Brighton.
The role
As our full-stack engineer, you'd own the build of our customer-facing platform, working closely with the CTO, who leads the technical direction. You'd turn customer needs into working features — front end through to backend services — and work alongside our ML engineer to get our models into the product.
In practice:
- Build and maintain the platform end to end — the UI, the APIs, and the database behind them.
- Turn real customer needs into working, seamless features.
- Own auth, access control, and secure, reliable cloud deployment (GCP).
- Help shape the product and technical decisions alongside the founding team.
- Get our ML capabilities into the hands of customers.
You'd be early enough to shape how we build, and the platform you build is the engine our technology scales on. It's a rare chance to own a product end to end, close to genuinely novel science.
How we work
We say what we think, kindly. We move thoughtfully. Sprint culture doesn't solve materials science problems. We're here because the problem is interesting and the science is unfinished.
Requirements
Must have:
- Full-stack experience: you've built and shipped products end-to-end, and can own your delivery, with the CTO setting the wider technical direction.
- Strong full-stack skills (modern JS/TS front end + backend services) and solid API and database design.
- A track record of scoping and shipping in a small, fast-moving team — comfortable when not much is handed to you.
- Auth, access control, and secure, reliable cloud deployment (GCP).
- Genuine interest in the underlying problem. You'd be building the platform that makes sustainable materials usable; if that doesn't sound interesting, this isn't the role.
Nice to have:
- Experience taking a product from early build to live customers.
- Experience building multi-customer / SaaS platforms.
How you work
You take ownership and finish what you start. You have opinions and you say them, but they're rooted in considered thinking rather than reflex. You're a good colleague: friendly, empathetic, and able to operate in a flat team.
Benefits
- A competitive salary + meaningful equity.
- A direct working relationship with the founders. No layers between you and the people making decisions.
- 28 days holiday plus bank holidays.
- Workplace pension scheme.
- Remote working, with lab and studio space at Plus X Innovation Hub, Brighton, if you want it.
- A team that doesn't reward presenteeism and doesn't micromanage.
- Family, rest, and time to think are how good work gets done, not what gets traded to do it.
Full Stack Engineer in Brighton employer: Natural Negative
Natural Negative is an exceptional employer, offering a unique opportunity for Full Stack Engineers to work at the forefront of biomaterials science in the vibrant Plus X Innovation Hub, Brighton. With a strong emphasis on employee autonomy and a supportive work culture, team members enjoy competitive salaries, meaningful equity, and a healthy work-life balance with 28 days of holiday. The company fosters growth through direct collaboration with founders and encourages innovative thinking, making it an ideal place for those passionate about sustainable technology.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Full Stack Engineer in Brighton
✨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 Natural Negative 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 Natural Negative.
✨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 Natural Negative.
✨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 Natural Negative 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 Full Stack Engineer in Brighton
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 Natural Negative.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Natural Negative 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 Natural Negative
✨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 Natural Negative 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.
