Lead Python Developer in Shadwell

Part of the extended Technology Leadership Team, the Lead Python Developer will design, implement, and maintain publishing software, systems, and customer-facing digital products. They will provide technical supervision and guidance across the team, establishing and maintaining the development processes and working practices.

MAIN ACCOUNTABILITIES

• Lead the development and maintenance of software, in line with organisational objectives for a specific team.
• Promote the creation of high-quality code using modern agile engineering practices such as TDD, CI/CD, pair programming, continuous monitoring etc.
• Work closely with QA and Product teams. Act as an expert in a number of knowledge areas and encourage the development and sharing of knowledge within the organisation.
• Identify process improvement opportunities and act on them accordingly.
• Encourage innovation by identifying, evaluating and adoption of emerging technologies.
• Collaborate with the Head of Engineering on recruitment and on-boarding of team members. Identification of capability gaps and ensuring continual development of team members through mentoring and coaching.
• Work closely with Head of Engineering and act as a representative for engineering to your respective team.
• Work closely with other Lead Software Developers to ensure consistent ways of working and help limit duplication and waste.
• Contribute to, and work in accordance to the Engineering Team Charter and other organisational strategies (and encourage team members to).
• Deal effectively with low-performing team members.
• Communicate up to Exec level, clearly, concisely and with authority and confidence.
• Communicate effectively with non-technical stakeholders using clear, non-technical language.
• Encourage a culture of continuous improvement within your team and across engineering.

KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS FOR THIS JOB

• Leadership and team building skills, with the ability to delegate responsibilities to team members.
• Practical experience in system design, development, testing and operational stability.
• Deep understanding of software design, code quality and ability to propose architectural options and evaluate trade-offs.
• Ability to work closely within an agile team using User Stories and acceptance criteria to understand functional and non-functional requirements.
• Deep knowledge and experience in Python and its ecosystem, patterns and pitfalls.
• Extensive experience of working in an agile environment (we use Scrum).
• Experience with extreme programming practices such as incremental development, continuous integration, test driven development and pair programming.
• Familiarity with modern front-end technologies and JS frameworks, such as React.
• Experience writing and consuming RESTful APIs in Python.
• Experience with AWS services (Lambda, SQS, API gateways, S3).
• Excellent time-management and organisational skills, with the ability to work to deadlines.
• Good communication, negotiating and influencing skills.

Excellent opportunity to positively impact patient safety whilst working on complex, challenging and career defining projects.

Basic salary £76,000 + excellent benefits. Hybrid role - between 4 - 8 days per month in the London office, the rest remote.