At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead tech projects, support teams, and develop your skills in a dynamic environment.
- Company: Join Counter, a fresh tech consultancy focused on innovative solutions.
- Benefits: Enjoy a hybrid working model, 4.5-day week, and generous holiday allowance.
- Other info: Be part of a supportive culture with excellent career development opportunities.
- Why this job: Grow into a Tech Lead role while making a real impact on client projects.
- Qualifications: Passion for tech, teamwork, and a desire to learn and grow.
Background to the role: In 2024 Northcoders Group launched a new standalone tech consultancy brand, Counter, using aspects of our Incubate proposition. To provide organisations with a new, high quality and affordable onshore technology partner to help them to overcome their unique tech challenges and then to provide long term and sustainable capability. Allowing them to scale, prosper and successfully deliver on their respective missions.
Working with a team of advisors and consultancy experts, we have devised innovative Discovery Frameworks and workshops that will help our clients uncover and understand their technical and strategic challenges that may be blocking their route to productivity, revenue or profitability. Once we understand clients’ challenges, we will assemble and land teams of highly skilled UK based technical problem solvers, handpicked from our diverse and highly sought after Northcoders and Tech Returners talent pools. These consultants will be selected on technical excellence as well as cultural alignment to respective clients so that they can seamlessly deliver the precious business value they need at speed. The consultant teams will be mentored by dedicated Tech Leads ensuring that every team member is technically and strategically aligned with our client’s mission and up-skilled to deliver within our client’s technology stack, working practices and ceremonies.
The Associate Tech Lead role is a transitional role towards tech lead. It provides an environment in which an individual can up-skill towards becoming a tech lead whilst being largely focused on internal and managed service Counter offerings. If this sounds like rewarding work that you would love to do, then please read on and click apply.
Reports to: Tech Lead - On Project
Department: Counter
Base Location: Manchester or Leeds - Clients will often require travel and whilst we will focus on clients within a commutable distance you can expect the potential for travelling to the clients office on a form of regular cadence when in a tech lead or supporting tech lead role capacity.
Responsibilities:
- Maintenance and advocacy of plan: Working with the Technical Lead, you will identify what a client is looking to achieve whilst also being realistic around what is capable within their cost and time options.
- Identifying external dependencies and building up relationships where required.
- Working closely with Counter account management in order to keep visibility high on progress.
- Advocate for team agile working practices: Supporting the tech lead in operating in an agile way. Whichever form of agile works for the team, you’ll support them with guiding ceremonies like planning or retrospective actions.
- Provide technical architecture direction: A good associate tech lead will seek input from their team and external client teams whilst maintaining accountability for the technical architecture.
- Technical expertise: Comfortable with a variety of languages as technical stacks - we don’t expect you to know each of the frameworks or languages in depth but you can be expected to build up skills in the stack utilised by the client.
- Commercial knowledge development: You will utilise the internal development and client projects to develop commercial understanding. Reflecting on the commercial cost of the work being undertaken along with the commercial value gained.
About You: This role provides a venue for an individual to build up their technical skills alongside developing existing engineers in a live client project environment. With this in mind a level of interest in dealing with different stakeholders whilst balancing the commercial spend/investment we make on projects will be important. Of equal importance is how you help those your internal engineers develop and progress around you. You are someone who loves learning about their craft and then loves sharing their knowledge. You keep up to date with the latest tech trends be it through reading blogs, listening to podcasts and ideally through attending events and conferences.
Adding value: Individuals on projects at Counter contribute to Counter’s ecosystem in three key areas, known as the “Three C’s”:
- Counter: Contributions to marketing activity such as blogs, social media voice, talks/meetups delivered, development of or improvements to Counter processes and approaches, supporting other Tech Leads and/or projects, interaction with wider organisation such as work with Internal Development team or presentations around Counter.
- Client: When on a project, the Associate Tech Lead has an opportunity to add value to the client they are working with. Examples of how this can be evidenced are unsolicited feedback from the client regarding the project, feedback surveys provided to the client every 2 months.
- Consultant: This area highlights the Associate Tech Lead’s influence on the consultants within the team they are a member of. Evidence of impact here includes positive feedback in consultant surveys and client feedback that mentions consultants by name.
Benefits:
- Hybrid working model
- 4.5 day working week
- Pension: 5% employee, 5% employer contribution
- Holidays: 5 weeks plus bank holidays
- Annual leave for your birthday
- Healthcare optional
- Medicash optional
- Death in service
- EAP employee assistance program
Locations
Counter - Associate Tech Lead in Leeds, Manchester employer: Northcoders Group
Counter, a consultancy brand under the Northcoders group, offers an exceptional work environment for Data Engineers, combining flexibility with opportunities for professional growth. With a focus on collaboration and support, employees are empowered to enhance their skills while contributing to meaningful projects within a government department. The remote working model, complemented by occasional in-office interactions, fosters a dynamic culture that values innovation and teamwork, making it an ideal place for those seeking a rewarding career in data engineering.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Counter - Associate Tech Lead in Leeds, Manchester
✨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 Northcoders Group 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 Northcoders Group.
✨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 Northcoders Group.
✨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 Northcoders Group 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 Counter - Associate Tech Lead in Leeds, Manchester
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 Northcoders Group.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Northcoders Group 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 Northcoders Group
✨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 Northcoders Group 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.
