At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the design and delivery of innovative software solutions in a dynamic environment.
- Company: Join PlannerPal, an AI-driven platform revolutionising financial advice and wealth management.
- Benefits: Enjoy competitive salary, employee share options, and a remote-first work culture.
- Other info: Collaborative team culture with clear growth opportunities as the company scales.
- Why this job: Make a real impact by working closely with founders at a pivotal growth stage.
- Qualifications: 7+ years in software development, strong Python and React skills, leadership experience required.
The predicted salary is between 70000 - 90000 £ per year.
PlannerPal is an AI-powered platform transforming how financial advice and wealth management are delivered. We help advisers and their teams save time, reduce admin, and deliver better client outcomes by automating meeting notes, documentation, and CRM updates. Trusted by hundreds of advisory firms, PlannerPal is reshaping the advice industry – improving efficiency, compliance, and data quality across the client journey.
The company recently signed enterprise contracts with both a top-10 and a top-5 UK wealth management firm, further establishing its position as a key technology partner in the sector. Recognised by the Financial Times Adviser as one of the Top 3 AI tools for financial advisers, PlannerPal is a UK-based wealth tech company backed by venture capital investors, with deep experience in financial services, technology, and AI. The platform is scaling rapidly through numerous industry technology partnerships, including a strategic AI partnership with Iress Xplan.
We’re now looking for a Lead Full-Stack Engineer to take ownership of solution design and lead delivery across a distributed engineering setup.
You will:
- Own the design for key features of our solutions
- Organise and manage the work of a small squad of engineers
- Ensure that coding and testing standards are upheld
This role offers the opportunity to work closely with the founders at a defining stage in our growth.
Responsibilities:
- Solution design: Own the end-to-end solution design for new features within a defined architecture framework. Make pragmatic decisions about trade-offs (scope, performance, scalability, security) in a fast-moving environment.
- Delivery leadership: Act as the day-to-day technical and delivery lead for a squad of engineers. Define and manage the work: break down Product Requirement Documents and user stories into clear tasks, estimate effort, set priorities and timelines, and track progress to ensure on-time delivery. Run or participate in ceremonies (stand-ups, planning, reviews) to keep work aligned and unblock issues quickly.
- Hands-on development: Take ownership of complex or high-impact pieces of work, especially where the architecture, integrations or performance considerations are non-trivial. Design, build and optimise the journeys of our service using our tech stack: Backend: Python Frontend: React + Flutter Data / Infra: Postgres, AWS (S3, ECS etc.). Write high-quality, testable code and contribute to our continuous integration and deployment pipelines.
- Technical ownership: Take ownership of technical design as part of a small, fast-moving team. Help evolve our platform architecture for performance, resilience, observability and security as we scale. Identify and drive improvements to developer experience, tooling and internal processes (e.g. testing, release, monitoring, on-call), in collaboration with both in-house and outsourced engineers.
Key Requirements:
- Essentials: Degree in Computer Science or related developer education (e.g. a reputable coding bootcamp) or equivalent practical experience. 7+ years’ experience designing, developing, shipping and maintaining backend applications using Python and front-end web applications using modern JavaScript frameworks (ideally React.js), including operating at lead level. Proven experience leading a squad’s work– including planning and prioritising work, running ceremonies/stand-ups, reviewing output, and ensuring on-time, high-quality delivery across time zones. Strong experience working with both Python and React, and some experience working with AWS hosting/back-end services. Significant experience using agentic coding tools. Experienced in designing, building and maintaining automated tests and contributing to CI pipelines. Has worked with other developers in an agile set-up (e.g. sprints, stand-ups, retros). Experienced in debugging and fixing live incidents in time-pressured situations, and in improving systems/processes to prevent recurrences. Experience of working with continuous deployment pipelines (you don’t have to build everything yourself, but should be comfortable working within and improving such setups). Strong understanding of industry trends and development best practices– especially regarding security, application performance and scalability. Has a strong sense of ownership, attention to detail and the ability to work independently with a team-oriented work ethic. Strong communication skills for effective teamwork and collaboration, and confidence interacting with customers and partners in a technical leadership capacity. Is proactive, initiates improvements, and offers assistance even without being asked. Comfortable in using AI code development tooling. Right to work in the UK.
- Nice to have’s: Experience in B2B SaaS, ideally in fintech, wealth tech or other regulated industries. Experience integrating with CRM systems and/or financial platforms. Exposure to observability and monitoring tools (e.g. logging, metrics, tracing).
What we Offer:
- Competitive salary + employee share options
- Remote-first work environment (UK-based team) with a collaborative team culture
- Regular team meet-ups to foster team synergy and alignment
- Work directly with the founding team – your leadership and decisions will have a visible, measurable impact
- An open, transparent work environment where your voice is valued and your contributions directly shape the company’s trajectory
- Clear growth path: as the business scales, you’ll have opportunities to expand your scope, ownership and influence
Lead Fullstack Engineer employer: PlannerPal
At PlannerPal, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer that champions innovation and collaboration within the wealth tech sector. Our remote-first work environment fosters a culture of teamwork and transparency, allowing you to work closely with our founding team and make a tangible impact on the company's growth. With competitive salaries, employee share options, and clear pathways for professional development, we are committed to supporting your career journey while reshaping the future of financial advice.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Lead Fullstack Engineer
✨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 PlannerPal 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 PlannerPal.
✨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 PlannerPal.
✨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 PlannerPal 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 Lead Fullstack Engineer
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 PlannerPal.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at PlannerPal 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 PlannerPal
✨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 PlannerPal 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.