At a Glance
- Tasks: Shape WhoSampled's future by building and maintaining software across the entire stack.
- Company: Join a dynamic team at WhoSampled, part of Spotify's innovative ecosystem.
- Benefits: Enjoy competitive pay, flexible work options, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Be part of a small team with big ambitions and excellent career advancement potential.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in music discovery while working with cutting-edge technologies.
- Qualifications: Strong experience in Python, Java, and modern web technologies like TypeScript and React.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 80000 £ per year.
Requirements
- The ideal candidate is a generalist at heart — someone who's equally at home writing a Django view, tuning a PostgreSQL query, or shipping a UI improvement, and someone who gets results without waiting for someone else to own adjacent layers.
- Strong experience building production software, with depth in at least two of: backend services, frontend web, data systems, or infrastructure — and enough exposure to the others to move between them without stalling.
- You are comfortable moving between languages and stacks. You're strong in Python (ideally with Django experience) and Java. Our Django codebase is where the current product lives, and new services may go out in Java.
- You have production experience with Postgres — schema design, query tuning, and knowing when to reach for something else. Familiarity with ElasticSearch is a plus; you'll be tuning clusters with us, not from scratch.
- You have modern web app experience with TypeScript and React. You've shipped user-facing features, not just prototypes.
- You are comfortable with the production stack: Linux, GCP (or equivalent cloud), networking fundamentals, and a real sense of what it takes to keep a system reliable under load.
- You thrive with ambiguity and ownership. You move forward without perfect specs, make well-reasoned calls with limited oversight, and know when to stop and ask.
- You are practical about AI. You already use it to automate toil, improve data quality, and ship faster — and you have opinions about where it helps and where it doesn't.
- You care about craft. Clean, testable code; documentation the next person can actually use; systems you'd be happy to hand off.
What the job involves
- We're a small team with an outsized impact, and we're growing. As a Senior Fullstack Engineer, you'll be one of the first engineering hires into this team — a genuine opportunity to shape how WhoSampled evolves as a standalone product and as a foundational layer within Spotify's ecosystem.
- As a small team, our work spans across the stack: you’ll work as much on data pipelines and backend APIs as you will on our web app.
- Build and maintain across the stack: Contribute to backend services, APIs, data pipelines, and where needed, frontend interfaces, embracing Spotify's infrastructure patterns and continuing making WhoSampled the industry-leader in showcasing the story behind the music.
- Improve metadata matching: Evolve how WhoSampled's database is matched to Spotify's catalog, moving beyond heuristics toward ML-assisted approaches, including entity resolution and LLM-powered disambiguation. Better matching means more of WhoSampled's archive surfaces meaningfully within Spotify.
- Drive infrastructure modernisation: Lead meaningful infrastructure work that brings WhoSampled onto more robust, scalable foundations, working closely with Spotify's platform and security stakeholders.
- Take end-to-end ownership: Design, build, ship, and operate. You're accountable for the reliability and performance of the systems you own, and proactive about improving them.
- Be AI-forward: Bring AI tooling into your engineering practice; whether for data quality, matching, operational automation, or developer productivity.
Senior Full Stack Engineer (WhoSampled) in London employer: Spotify
At WhoSampled, we pride ourselves on being an innovative and dynamic employer that fosters a collaborative work culture where every team member's contributions are valued. As a Senior Full Stack Engineer, you'll have the unique opportunity to shape our product's evolution while working alongside passionate professionals in a supportive environment that encourages continuous learning and growth. With access to cutting-edge technology and the chance to influence the future of music discovery within Spotify's ecosystem, you'll find meaningful and rewarding employment here.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior Full Stack Engineer (WhoSampled) in London
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to folks in your industry on LinkedIn or at meetups. A friendly chat can lead to opportunities that aren’t even advertised yet.
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your skills! Create a portfolio showcasing your projects, especially those involving Django, Python, and React. This gives potential employers a taste of what you can do.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for interviews by practising common technical questions and coding challenges. We recommend using platforms that simulate real interview scenarios to boost your confidence.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen by the right people. Plus, we love seeing candidates who are proactive!
We think you need these skills to ace Senior Full Stack Engineer (WhoSampled) in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Versatility:Make sure to highlight your experience across different stacks and languages. We want to see that you're comfortable moving between backend services, frontend web, and data systems. Don’t just list your skills; give us examples of how you've used them in real projects!
Be Specific About Your Experience:When discussing your production software experience, dive into the details! Talk about your work with Django, PostgreSQL, and any other relevant technologies. We love seeing concrete examples of how you’ve tackled challenges and delivered results.
Emphasise Your Ownership Mindset:We’re looking for someone who thrives in ambiguity and takes ownership of their work. In your application, share instances where you’ve made decisions with limited oversight or navigated through unclear specs. Show us that you can drive projects forward!
Apply Through Our Website:Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way for us to keep track of your application and ensure it gets the attention it deserves. Plus, we love seeing candidates who take that extra step to connect with us directly.
How to prepare for a job interview at Spotify
✨Know Your Tech Stack
Make sure you’re well-versed in the technologies mentioned in the job description, especially Python and Django. Brush up on your PostgreSQL skills, including schema design and query tuning, as these will likely come up during technical discussions.
✨Showcase Your Projects
Prepare to discuss specific projects where you've built production software. Highlight your experience with both backend services and frontend web development, especially any user-facing features you've shipped using TypeScript and React.
✨Demonstrate Problem-Solving Skills
Be ready to talk about how you handle ambiguity and make decisions without perfect specs. Share examples of when you’ve taken ownership of a project and how you navigated challenges, particularly in a small team environment.
✨Emphasise Your AI Experience
Since the role involves being AI-forward, discuss how you've used AI tools in your previous work. Whether it’s for automating tasks or improving data quality, having concrete examples will show that you’re practical about integrating AI into engineering practices.
