At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the engineering team to deliver innovative healthcare solutions and manage project timelines.
- Company: Join a fast-growing health and wellness business with a collaborative culture.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, private health insurance, remote work flexibility, and access to AI tools.
- Other info: Opportunity for career growth and direct involvement in decision-making.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in healthcare while developing your leadership skills in a dynamic environment.
- Qualifications: 5+ years in software development with strong backend skills and experience in agile delivery.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 80000 £ per year.
About Naturecan
Naturecan Group is a fast-growing, multi-entity health and wellness business operating across e-commerce, regulated pharmacy, and clinical healthcare. We run operations across the UK, Germany, and beyond — brands include Naturecan (D2C, ~50 Shopify stores), Mycannabis and Nowomed (German medical cannabis pharmacy), WMG Pharma (wholesale pharmaceutical distribution), and Dose (our CQC-registered UK medical cannabis clinic). Our technology team sits at the heart of that growth. We build and maintain the platforms that underpin every entity in the group — and we're scaling fast.
About the Dose Platform
Dose is our UK medical cannabis clinic — CQC-registered and GPhC-registered pharmacy — built to deliver a full end-to-end digital treatment pathway: from initial consultation and prescribing through to dispensing, fulfilment, and ongoing patient care. We have built this platform from the ground up — a greenfield build, designed to be scalable, secure, and extensible across EU and global markets. We are now entering the next phase: stabilising and launching the platform, delivering the V2 feature roadmap, and beginning the migration of our German pharmacy operations onto the same infrastructure. This role sits at the centre of that work.
The Role
We are looking for an Engineering Lead to own delivery across the Dose engineering team. This is a hybrid role that combines technical credibility with delivery leadership — you are equally capable of understanding what is being built and making sure it is being built to the right standard, in the right order, with the right people assigned. You will report to the Engineering Manager and work closely with the IT Director, clinical operations, and the wider delivery team. You will be the person who owns the Dose Jira board, drives sprint governance, translates operational and clinical requirements into well-scoped tickets, and keeps the team and stakeholders aligned. This is not a pure coding role, and it is not a pure management role. The balance tilts toward delivery ownership and planning — and the right candidate will be energised by that, not reluctant about it.
What You'll Do
- Delivery & Sprint Governance
- Own the Dose Jira board — ticket creation, scoping, refinement, prioritisation, and sprint integrity
- Write and maintain well-scoped, developer-ready tickets from clinical and operational requirements
- Run sprint ceremonies — planning, stand-up rhythm, retrospectives — with purpose and pace
- Track delivery against sprint commitments; flag risks early and escalate where needed
- Keep the backlog clean, current, and prioritised alongside the Engineering Manager
- Stakeholder Communication
- Act as the primary technical point of contact between clinical operations and the engineering team
- Keep clinical and operational stakeholders informed on delivery progress, timelines, and blockers
- Attend and lead cross-functional meetings on behalf of the engineering team
- Technical Oversight
- Maintain close oversight of the Dose codebase
- Review pull requests and provide technical direction
- Work with the Engineering Manager and Principal Developer on architecture decisions
- Maintain and improve CI/CD pipelines, testing coverage, and engineering standards
- Support the onboarding and development of contractors and permanent team members
- Platform Migration & Scaling
- Lead the delivery workstream for the migration of legacy pharmacy systems into the Dose platform
- Own the roadmap for scaling Dose beyond MVP
- Work closely with the Principal Developer and Engineering Manager to ensure migration decisions are architecturally sound
- AI & Developer Productivity
- Co-lead the AI automation programme with the Engineering Manager
- Champion the use of Claude Enterprise and AI-assisted development workflows across the team
What We're Looking For
We're looking for someone with most of the following — you don't need to tick every box:
- Delivery & Leadership
- Proven track record of owning sprint delivery in a fast-moving engineering team
- Experience writing high-quality, developer-ready tickets from business, clinical, or operational requirements
- Strong stakeholder management skills
- A clear, calm communicator
- Comfortable operating at the edge of what is defined
- Technical Credibility
- 5+ years of professional software development experience, with solid backend skills
- Solid understanding of relational databases and API design
- Familiarity with cloud infrastructure and CI/CD tooling
- Strong understanding of security best practices in a regulated environment
- Experience working in healthcare, fintech, or other regulated environments is a strong plus
- The Right Person
- Energised by delivery ownership
- High standards for what goes onto the board
- Collaborative and direct
- Interested in growing into broader engineering leadership over time
About the Team
The engineering team is small, direct, and high-trust. The Engineering Manager leads delivery across Dose and MedCan. The Dose team is a mix of permanent engineers and senior contractors, all focused on the clinical platform. MedCan has a core senior developer and a growing clinic operation. Naturecan Core has two developers supporting ~50 Shopify stores. You will report to the Engineering Manager, work closely with the IT Director and Principal Developer, and have direct visibility into every significant delivery decision on the Dose platform. This role was created to take genuine ownership — of the board, the backlog, and the delivery rhythm.
Interview Process
- Initial call (30 mins) — role overview and mutual fit
- Delivery and technical review (1 hour) — sprint governance, requirements translation, prior work walkthrough
- Team meet — working practices, Q&A with the Engineering Manager and IT Director
- Offer
What We Offer
- Salary: Depending on experience
- Location: Stockport office every Thursday; remote the rest of the week
- Pension: Company pension scheme
- Health: Private health insurance
- Staff discount: Naturecan group product discount
- AI Tooling: Claude Enterprise access across the team
- Culture: Small team, big ambition
- Process: Two-week sprints, retrospectives, pair working practices
- Equity: Meaningful equity conversation for the right candidate
Engineering Lead in Stockport employer: Naturecan
Naturecan is an exceptional employer that prioritises innovation and collaboration, offering a dynamic work environment in Stockport. With a strong focus on employee growth, we provide opportunities for professional development and the chance to work on cutting-edge projects in the e-commerce and healthcare sectors. Our hybrid work model promotes a healthy work-life balance, making Naturecan a rewarding place to build your career.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Engineering Lead in Stockport
✨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 Naturecan 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 Naturecan.
✨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 Naturecan.
✨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 Naturecan 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 Engineering Lead in Stockport
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 Naturecan.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Naturecan 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 Naturecan
✨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 Naturecan 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.
