Full Stack Developer in Cwmbran

A key role to help shape the future of a successful insurance fin tech product, part of the wider Defaqto software division. Within our software division, Comparison Creator powers insurance and price comparison platforms used by well‑known UK brands.

We’re looking for a Full‑Stack Python Developer with an AI‑first mindset to join a small, collaborative team building and supporting fintech products used across the insurance market. You’ll work across the stack using Python, Django, SQL, and React, contributing to both new product development and ongoing application support. This is a hands‑on role with real influence over how our products evolve.

What you’ll do:

• Build new things — you’ll have real autonomy to choose the right tools and technologies for the job, whether that’s something cutting‑edge or battle‑tested.
• Own features end‑to‑end, from translating business and user needs into smart technical solutions through to shipping and supporting them in production.
• Work across the full stack — Python, Django, React, JS, CSS — and wherever the problem takes you.
• Actively improve the applications our business runs on: performance, scalability, reliability, and the quality of the codebase itself.
• Use AI tools throughout your workflow to move faster, think sharper, and build better.
• Write code you’d be proud to review — testable, maintainable, and well‑considered.
• Contribute to code reviews and help raise the bar for engineering best practices across the team.
• Play an active role in our CI/CD pipelines and DevOps practices using Azure DevOps.
• Collaborate closely with stakeholders across the business and occasionally with clients — your technical voice will be heard.

What you’ll need to succeed:

Essential Experience:

• 3+ years of full‑stack software development, with a track record of building and shipping production‑grade applications.
• Strong Python skills — this is our primary language and you’ll use it daily, but we care more about the quality of your engineering than how long you’ve been writing Python specifically.
• Software architecture and design — you’ve made meaningful architectural decisions and can justify them; you think about systems, not just features.
• Proficient and habitual user of AI‑assisted development tools (Cursor, Copilot, Claude) — embedded into your daily workflow, not an occasional shortcut.
• Strong API design and integration experience — you’ve built and consumed APIs at scale.
• Strong SQL skills (MySQL or PostgreSQL) — comfortable with complex queries, schema design and performance tuning.
• Deep understanding of software design principles, patterns and best practices — and the experience to know when to apply them and when not to.

Advantageous Technical Skills:

• Django experience.
• API design and development.
• Test driven development.
• Front‑end frameworks (React, Angular).
• Build and maintain CI/CD pipeline.

Your Approach to Work:

• Happy working in a small team and wearing multiple hats.
• AI‑first mindset — you reach for AI tools instinctively to improve quality, speed and your own thinking, not as an afterthought.
• Strong at estimating, tracking and communicating your own work — you keep people informed and enjoy taking ownership.
• Proactive in identifying and raising technical improvements, with the rigour to think them through, document them clearly and see them appropriately prioritised.
• Curious and committed to continuous learning — especially around emerging tools and ways of working.
• Comfortable and confident communicating technical ideas clearly to non‑technical people.
• Confident in your abilities and happy to constructively challenge ways of working.

Interview Process:

• An initial screening call with one of the engineering team (around 15 minutes).
• Invitation to complete a Tech Challenge followed by a technical interview (60 to 90 minutes).
• Ways of working / values‑based interview.
• We’re looking to make an offer as soon as possible so would strongly encourage submitting an application without delay.

Important to Know:

• Location: Hybrid working a couple of times a week from our Cwmbran office.
• Right to Work: Applicants must already hold a legal right to work in the UK without time restrictions and without the need for future sponsorship. We are unable to provide Skilled Worker visa sponsorship.