Junior Software Engineer
Junior Software Engineer

Junior Software Engineer

Entry level 28800 - 43200 Β£ / year (est.) Home office (partial)
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At a Glance

  • Tasks: Join a team to build innovative software for personalised dog nutrition.
  • Company: Fast-growing pet food subscription company backed by Purina.
  • Benefits: Competitive salary, flexible hours, hybrid work, and generous holiday.
  • Why this job: Make a real impact in the pet food industry while growing your tech skills.
  • Qualifications: 6-12 months of coding experience in Python and eagerness to learn.
  • Other info: Collaborative environment with opportunities for personal and professional growth.

The predicted salary is between 28800 - 43200 Β£ per year.

Changing the world of pet food for good. We're a dog food subscription company with a big difference. We create truly tailored food for each and every dog we serve. We start by asking people a few simple questions about their dog. Then we use that information to create their dog's unique recipe – so their dog gets exactly the nutrition they need, in the taste they love, delivered to their door every month. It's clever stuff.

We are a fast-growing scale-up company, transitioning from our start-up roots and entering an exciting phase of rapid growth. As we evolve, we are focused on building a modern, scalable, and secure architecture that will support our ambitious plans for the future.

We've got bold plans. Having created an entirely new category in pet food, we're now scaling fast in the UK – backed by Purina, one of the world's largest pet food companies. You'll join a bunch of smart people working towards the same goals – and a bunch of smart-ish dogs, all working on their own thing. Together, we'll change the world of pet food for good.

The Role: As a Junior Software Engineer, you'll be part of a cross-functional squad, building high-quality software that helps deliver personalised nutrition at scale. You'll work closely with experienced engineers, gaining hands-on experience across our stack and learning how to design, develop, and maintain reliable systems that make a real impact for our customers. You'll contribute to new features, improvements, and technical initiatives while deepening your understanding of how we build, test, and deploy software in a modern engineering environment. You'll be supported by your team as you continue to develop your skills and confidence as a full-stack engineer.

Your responsibilities:

  • Technical delivery & quality: Design, implement, and maintain features within your squad's systems under guidance from senior engineers. Write clean, maintainable, and well-tested code in Python, our core language. Learn and apply best practices in testing, CI/CD, observability, and security. Participate in code reviews and contribute to improving quality and standards. Gain exposure to modern front-end frameworks and tooling used across our platform.
  • Collaboration & delivery: Work closely with your squad's Lead Software Engineer and Product Manager to deliver core capability services features and improvements. Collaborate effectively within your squad, sharing progress, asking questions, and seeking feedback. Help identify and flag potential risks or dependencies early in the development process.
  • Continuous improvement: Take part in retrospectives and suggest ideas to improve how the squad delivers software. Learn from feedback, proactively seek out opportunities to grow, and share what you learn with others. Contribute to documentation, demos, and internal learning sessions.
  • Growth & learning: Pair with and learn from senior engineers to develop your technical and problem-solving skills. Take ownership of smaller tasks or components, delivering them end-to-end with support. Build confidence working within an agile, product-led environment. Develop an understanding of our systems, architecture, and how your work fits into the bigger picture.
  • Commercial awareness: Understand how your work supports the squad's goals, customer needs, and business priorities. Show curiosity about the product and how technology helps us scale personalisation and operational efficiency.

About you: You have 6–12 months of commercial experience in software engineering. You have hands-on experience coding in Python (our core language). Experience in another modern language is a plus, as the skills are transferable. You're keen to grow as a full-stack engineer, with interest in both back-end and front-end development. You understand the basics of building APIs, integrating services, and working with databases. You're familiar with using Git and working within modern development workflows. You take pride in writing maintainable, readable code and enjoy solving technical problems collaboratively. You're proactive about learning, open to feedback, and value knowledge-sharing with your peers. You're motivated by building products that make a tangible difference for customers and their dogs. You're excited to grow your technical depth, learn from experienced engineers, and contribute to a high-performing team.

What's in it for you? Competitive salary, reviewed annually. Annual bonus, based on company performance. Flexible core hours, giving you true work-life balance. Hybrid role to ensure this role works for you. 25 days of holiday (excluding bank holidays) which increases over time to a max of 27 days. 9/10 day working week to enhance your wellbeing without a reduction in pay and leave allowance. Optional 5 days unpaid leave and 1 paid volunteer day each year. When you need a change of scenery, you can work from abroad 2 weeks every 6 months. Health insurance for you, paid by us. Extended maternity, paternity, shared parental and adoption pay. 6 months at 70% pay. Flexible paid care leave to support immediate dependants, people close to you and pets. In-house L&D team, with access to year-round courses to help drive your development. 50% discount on all products. Discounted gym membership.

What's next? If this sounds like it matches your experience and what you'd love to do, we can't wait to hear from you. If you're unsure whether you fit our criteria exactly, please get in touch anyway. And because we believe that diverse teams perform better, we'd especially love to hear from you if you're from an underrepresented demographic.

Our Commitment: We're proud to be an active equal opportunity employer. We want to give everyone a fair chance to join us in changing the world of pet food for good. We do this by conducting a structured recruitment process for all candidates, as well as actively promoting our roles to communities that are underrepresented. During your interview process, you'll meet some of our team with varying levels of responsibility and experience. We want to give every candidate a fair interview process and if you need any reasonable adjustments made, please let us know.

Junior Software Engineer employer: Tails

As a Junior Software Engineer at our innovative pet food subscription company, you'll be part of a dynamic team dedicated to creating tailored nutrition for dogs. We offer a supportive work culture that prioritises employee growth through hands-on experience and continuous learning, alongside competitive benefits like flexible hours, generous holiday allowances, and health insurance. Join us in our mission to revolutionise pet food while enjoying the unique advantages of working in a fast-growing scale-up environment backed by industry leaders.
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Contact Detail:

Tails Recruiting Team

StudySmarter Expert Advice 🀫

We think this is how you could land Junior Software Engineer

✨Tip Number 1

Get to know the company inside out! Research their mission, values, and products. When you show genuine interest in how they’re changing the world of pet food, it’ll really stand out during your interview.

✨Tip Number 2

Practice your coding skills before the interview. Brush up on Python and any other relevant languages. You might even want to tackle some coding challenges online to get your brain in gear!

✨Tip Number 3

Don’t be shy about asking questions during your interview! It shows you’re engaged and eager to learn. Plus, it’s a great way to find out if the company culture is the right fit for you.

✨Tip Number 4

Apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen by the right people. Plus, you’ll be part of our journey to create tailored nutrition for dogs everywhere!

We think you need these skills to ace Junior Software Engineer

Python
API Development
Database Management
Git
Front-end Development
Back-end Development
Clean Code Practices
Testing Best Practices
CI/CD
Observability
Agile Methodologies
Collaboration
Problem-Solving Skills
Technical Documentation

Some tips for your application 🫑

Tailor Your Application: Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter to highlight your experience with Python and any relevant projects. We want to see how your skills align with our mission of delivering personalised nutrition for dogs!

Show Your Passion: Let us know why you're excited about working in the pet food industry and how you can contribute to our growth. A genuine interest in our mission will definitely catch our eye!

Be Clear and Concise: When writing your application, keep it straightforward and to the point. We appreciate clarity, so make sure your key skills and experiences shine through without unnecessary fluff.

Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to submit your application directly through our website. It’s the best way for us to receive your details and ensures you’re considered for the role as quickly as possible!

How to prepare for a job interview at Tails

✨Know Your Stuff

Make sure you brush up on your Python skills, as it's the core language for this role. Familiarise yourself with the basics of building APIs and working with databases, so you can confidently discuss your experience and how it relates to the job.

✨Show Your Curiosity

Demonstrate your interest in the company’s mission to change the world of pet food. Be prepared to ask insightful questions about their technology stack and how they personalise nutrition for dogs. This shows you're not just looking for any job, but are genuinely interested in their work.

✨Be a Team Player

Since collaboration is key in this role, think of examples from your past experiences where you worked effectively in a team. Highlight how you shared progress, asked for feedback, and contributed to improving the team's output.

✨Embrace Feedback

During the interview, express your openness to learning and receiving feedback. Share instances where you've proactively sought out opportunities to grow and how you’ve applied that feedback to improve your skills or projects.

Junior Software Engineer
Tails
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  • Junior Software Engineer

    Entry level
    28800 - 43200 Β£ / year (est.)
  • T

    Tails

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