At a Glance
- Tasks: Join our team to design and develop an innovative cloud-based education platform.
- Company: The National College empowers educators with impactful technology.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, flexible working, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Collaborative environment with a focus on quality and innovation.
- Why this job: Make a real difference in education while working with cutting-edge tech.
- Qualifications: 5+ years in software development, strong Ruby on Rails skills, and a passion for mentoring.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 80000 £ per year.
About The National College
At The National College, we empower education professionals to transform children’s lives. Our all-in-one platform helps schools, trusts, and nurseries stay compliant, raise standards, and reduce staff workload through intuitive, impactful technology. If educators need it, we build it. We’ve created a unique platform that combines the world’s largest CPD and policy library with innovative software tools, developed in collaboration with thousands of schools and more than 1,000 education experts.
The Role
We are looking for a Senior Developer to join the National Education Group team and support the continued growth and evolution of our cloud-based SaaS platform. As a Senior Developer, you will play a key role in the architecture, design, and development of the platform across both front-end and back-end components, working closely with the Lead Developer and the wider engineering team. This is a hands-on, delivery-focused role, responsible for building new features and integrations, resolving technical issues, reviewing code, and helping to drive high standards of quality, performance, scalability, and engineering excellence.
Requirements
- Experience
- 5+ years' experience in software development roles.
- Demonstrable experience at a senior level, including ownership of complex features and mentoring or supporting less experienced engineers.
- Proven track record of building and maintaining high-performance web applications, preferably within SaaS or ecommerce environments.
- Strong portfolio demonstrating personal or professional contributions to software projects.
- Skills and Competencies
- Strong experience developing and maintaining Ruby on Rails applications within established, large-scale web platforms.
- Experience with cloud infrastructure and services, particularly AWS.
- Experience working within mature, long-lived codebases and evolving systems over time.
- Familiarity with DevOps practices and tools, including CI/CD pipelines and container orchestration technologies such as Kubernetes.
- Strong understanding of modern software engineering principles, development practices, and delivery methodologies.
- Ability to design, build, and maintain scalable, reliable, secure, and maintainable software solutions aligned to business and user needs.
- Experience developing SaaS applications and integrating with external APIs and third-party services.
- Strong knowledge of relational databases and query optimisation, ideally MySQL or Aurora.
- Solid understanding of front-end web technologies, including HTML, CSS/SASS, and JavaScript.
- Ability to implement responsive, multi-device user interfaces from UX/UI designs.
- Practical experience with automated testing frameworks and code quality tools, such as RSpec and RuboCop.
- Experience working within Agile environments using methodologies such as Scrum or Kanban, and tools such as Jira and Git.
- Strong attention to detail and commitment to delivering high-quality solutions.
- Excellent communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills.
- Comfortable working in a fast-paced, highly collaborative environment.
- Willingness to embrace modern development practices and productivity tools, including AI-assisted development.
- Desirable
- Knowledge of PHP/Laravel.
- Experience with video delivery platforms, learning management systems (LMS), or educational technology products.
- Qualifications
- Degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related discipline, or equivalent practical experience.
Senior Fullstack Engineer (Ruby) employer: The National College
At The National College, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer dedicated to empowering education professionals. Our collaborative work culture fosters innovation and creativity, providing ample opportunities for personal and professional growth within the dynamic field of educational technology. Located in a vibrant environment, we offer competitive benefits and a commitment to work-life balance, making us an ideal choice for those seeking meaningful and rewarding employment.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior Fullstack Engineer (Ruby)
✨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 The National College 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 The National College.
✨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 The National College.
✨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 The National College 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 Fullstack Engineer (Ruby)
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 The National College.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at The National College 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 The National College
✨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 The National College 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.
