At a Glance
- Tasks: Design and develop innovative services that solve real user problems.
- Company: Join a pioneering connected commerce marketing company with a vibrant culture.
- Benefits: Enjoy a competitive salary, wellbeing fund, flexible working, and extra days off.
- Other info: Be part of a diverse team committed to growth and innovation.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in a fast-paced environment while shaping the future of technology.
- Qualifications: Proven experience in JavaScript/TypeScript and strong leadership skills.
The predicted salary is between 75000 - 75000 £ per year.
Location: 1-2 days per week in the London office
Salary: Up to £75,000 (+ £1,800 wellbeing allowance + up to 10% bonus)
Who are we?
We’re the original pioneers in connected commerce marketing. Since 2008, we’ve been partnering with major retailers, powering global brands, and building meaningful connections with shoppers.
About the role
The Senior Software Engineer is the technical anchor of a Plan-Apps squad. The role is hands on and remains firmly in the codebase, but the defining contribution is not throughput: it is the technical direction of the work and the standard of engineering around them. This role owns the design of new features rather than the implementation of someone else's design. It is the person the squad turns to when a problem is ambiguous, when a decision carries architectural consequences, or when a piece of the platform needs to be reasoned about beyond the ticket in front of them. It is also the person who raises the level of the engineers around them, through review, pairing, coaching and example. Most of what this role builds is new. SMG is solving problems our users face today by designing and standing up new services, and the Plan-Apps ecosystem is becoming service oriented and more data centric as we do it, with new data warehousing and clearer boundaries between services. Senior engineers shape what those services are and how they fit together, rather than working around an estate that is already fixed.
What you’ll do
- Design and stand up new services that solve real user problems, setting their boundaries, interfaces and data ownership so they fit the wider Plan-Apps estate.
- Define the code architecture for new features within the squad's domain, and take end to end ownership from design through implementation to production deployment.
- Make and justify technical decisions with an understanding of their longer term cost.
- Break down ambiguous or poorly specified problems into deliverable work for the squad.
- Contribute to shared libraries and reusable components, flagging where duplication is emerging.
- Act as a point of contact and learning for less experienced engineers; coach and guide them through review, pairing and day to day support.
- Provide technical leadership on projects, coordinating engineering effort across the squad.
- Contribute to hiring through technical interviews and assessment.
- Maintain and optimise our cloud infrastructure with attention to reliability, security, performance and cost.
- Build and improve CI/CD pipelines and automated testing within the deployment patterns.
- Identify and drive improvements to code quality, developer experience and performance, making the commercial case as well as the technical.
- Provide technical input into requirements and tickets during refinement, surfacing feasibility, effort and risk.
What you’ll bring
- Significant hands on experience delivering at senior level, with a track record of owning features from design through to production.
- Deep knowledge of JavaScript and TypeScript, including strong command of React and Node.js.
- Demonstrable experience defining technical architecture for non-trivial features, and articulating the trade-offs behind those decisions.
- Evidence of raising the standard of engineers around you: mentoring, coaching, review culture, or leading a project team.
- Practical experience with NoSQL databases, ideally MongoDB, and comfort working with relational data.
- Strong cloud infrastructure experience: designing, deploying and optimising cloud infrastructure.
- Experience with containers, CI/CD pipelines and Infrastructure as Code such as Terraform.
- Strong grasp of security and performance considerations in production web applications.
- Excellent communication skills, including the ability to explain technical decisions to non-technical stakeholders.
Desirable
- Experience line managing engineers, or clear readiness to take it on.
- Experience decomposing a monolith into services, or defining service boundaries in a distributed system.
- Exposure to data warehousing or analytical data modelling alongside transactional systems.
- Experience designing API-first architectures, webhook integrations or third party platform integrations.
- Familiarity with observability and SRE practice: monitoring, logging, tracing and incident response.
We're looking for people who enjoy the buzz of change, the satisfaction of building something better, and the joy of working with a close-knit, values-driven team. If you love variety, thrive in a fast-paced environment, and embrace change with energy, this could be your right role.
Don’t meet every single requirement? We still want to hear from you. If you believe you’d thrive in this role, your unique perspective might be just what we’re looking for.
Why SMG?
At SMG, we hire for the future, which is fast-moving and changing shape. Do you have the potential to help shape our business? We’re looking for brilliant, diverse talent who want to grow with us - people who are curious, ambitious, and eager to learn, whether as specialists or across teams.
We value those who take ownership of their growth and bring fresh perspectives. That’s why we’re committed to equity, inclusion, and building a place where everyone feels empowered to grow. At SMG, it’s not just about filling a role but building the future together.
- 10% discretionary bonus
- £1,800 yearly wellbeing fund (on top of your salary!)
- Free Headspace subscription
- £500 yearly “Uni Fund” for learning
- 4 extra Wellbeing Days off per year
- Annual Summer conference + year-round celebrations
- 4pm finishes every Friday
- Flexible and hybrid working
Explore all our benefits here
Useful Links Before You Apply
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Senior Software Engineer (JavaScript/TypeScript) in London employer: SMG
At SMG, we pride ourselves on being an excellent employer by offering a supportive work culture that values your skills and contributions. With flexible scheduling and the opportunity to make a real difference in the community through our partnerships with local housing charities, you will find meaningful and rewarding employment while enjoying opportunities for personal and professional growth in Gloucester.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior Software Engineer (JavaScript/TypeScript) in London
✨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 SMG 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 SMG.
✨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 SMG.
✨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 SMG 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 Senior Software Engineer (JavaScript/TypeScript) in London
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 SMG.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at SMG 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 SMG
✨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 SMG 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.
