Lead Software Engineer - 12 month FTC

Lead a cross‑functional team to deliver scalable, high‑quality software, blending hands‑on coding, architecture, and mentoring to fuel growth. We’re Tails.com, a dog food subscription company with a big difference. We create truly tailored food for each and every dog we serve. We start by asking people a few simple questions about their dog. Then we use that information to create their dog’s unique Tails.com recipe – so their dog gets exactly the nutrition they need, in the taste they love, delivered to their door every month.

We’ve got bold plans. Having created an entirely new category in pet food, we’re now scaling fast – backed by Purina, one of the world’s largest pet food companies. You’ll join a bunch of smart people working towards the same goals – and a bunch of smart‑ish dogs, all working on their own thing. Together, we’ll change the world of pet food for good.

Build our brand

We’re building an international brand, fast. We set ambitious goals. We challenge and support each other in equal measure. At the pace we’re moving, we prefer to test ideas and learn quickly rather than spend months building a business case. That means we celebrate when things go right, and we learn when things go wrong.

Here’s how you’ll make a difference:

As a Lead Software Engineer, you’ll lead a cross‑functional squad in delivering high‑quality, scalable software that drives business growth. You’ll combine hands‑on technical expertise with people leadership, project delivery, and stakeholder collaboration. From guiding architecture and writing code to prioritising work and mentoring engineers, you’ll create a high‑performing team aligned with our company’s goals. You’ll play a key role in how we scale, delivering features that improve the customer experience, drive operational efficiency, and support our expansion across markets.

The role

• Technical Leadership & Architecture
  • Provide clear technical direction and architectural input for squad initiatives
  • Own the design of scalable, secure, and high‑performing systems
  • Conduct comprehensive code reviews and contribute hands‑on when needed
  • Research and propose relevant new technologies or tools to improve outcomes
  • Ensure comprehensive documentation for systems owned by the squad
• People leadership
  • Conduct regular 1:1s and career conversations
  • Support the personal and technical development of engineers in the squad
  • Set clear priorities and expectations for team members
  • Create a collaborative, inclusive, and feedback‑driven engineering culture
• Delivery & Execution
  • Drive sprint ceremonies (planning, refinement, retrospectives, stand‑ups)
  • Work with Product Managers and Product Designers to plan and deliver high‑impact features
  • Provide high‑level and low‑level estimates during discovery and planning
  • Be accountable for sprint commitments and velocity tracking
  • Coordinate with other squads to manage dependencies
  • Ensure support requests are triaged and actioned appropriately
• Stakeholder Management & Cross‑functional Collaboration
  • Partner with PM/PD to define and maintain the squad roadmap
  • Provide context to engineers on how their work contributes to company OKRs
  • Communicate squad progress and risks to wider stakeholders
  • Help prioritise and sequence work based on business impact

About You

• You’ve led cross‑functional engineering teams in a fast‑paced, product‑led environment
• You’re comfortable balancing hands‑on coding with coaching, planning, and delivery
• You have experience architecting scalable systems and working in distributed environments
• You’re highly collaborative, able to partner with Product, Design, and other stakeholders
• You’re passionate about engineering excellence, team growth, and continuous improvement

What’s in it for you?

• Competitive salary, reviewed annually
• Flexible core hours, giving you true work life balance
• Hybrid role to ensure this role works for you
• 25 days of holiday (excluding bank holidays) which increases over time to a max of 27 days
• 9/10 day working week to enhance your wellbeing without a reduction in pay and leave allowance
• Optional 5 days unpaid leave and 1 paid volunteer day each year
• When you need a change of scenery, you can work from abroad 2 weeks every 6 months
• Health insurance for you, paid by Tails.com
• Extended maternity, paternity, shared parental and adoption pay. 6 months at 70% pay
• Flexible paid care leave to support immediate dependants, people close to you and pets
• In house L&D team, with access to year round courses to help drive your development
• 50% discount on all Tails.com
• Discounted gym membership

What’s next?

If this sounds like it matches your experience and what you’d love to do, we can’t wait to hear from you! If you’re unsure whether you fit our criteria exactly, please get in touch anyway. And because we believe that diverse teams perform better, we’d especially love to hear from you if you’re from an under‑represented demographic.

Our Commitment

We’re proud to be an active equal opportunity employer. We want to give everyone a fair chance to join us in changing the world of pet food for good. We do this by conducting a structured recruitment process for all candidates, as well as actively promoting our roles to communities that are under‑represented at Tails.com. During your interview process you’ll meet some of our team with varying levels of responsibility and experience. We want to give every candidate a fair interview process and if you need any reasonable adjustments made, please let us know.