At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead a backend team to build scalable, AI-powered platforms and services.
- Company: Whitespace, a leader in intelligent interfaces for enterprises.
- Benefits: Flexible hybrid work, 4-day work week during holidays, and EMI share options.
- Other info: Enjoy a great work-life balance with early finishes and generous leave.
- Why this job: Join a creative team and work on impactful AI-driven products.
- Qualifications: Strong leadership skills and extensive backend development experience required.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 80000 £ per year.
About Whitespace
Whitespace leads in creating intelligent interfaces for enterprises, empowering them to harness the full potential of AI and human collaboration.
Role Summary
We are seeking a tech lead to join our growing backend team in building scalable, AI‑powered platforms and services. You will work alongside engineers to design and deliver APIs, microservices, and backend systems that power our products and AI/agent integrations. This is a great opportunity for an experienced team lead who is looking to lead a team delivering at pace.
Responsibilities
- Backend Development: Drive the design, development, and maintenance of robust, scalable, and highly‑available backend services and APIs. Set and enforce the gold standard for code quality and engineering excellence, ensuring all delivered code is clean, well‑tested (unit and integration), and thoroughly documented. Contribute to the development of microservices that support multiple products, platforms, and AI/agent‑powered interfaces.
- Cloud Infrastructure: Work with Google Cloud Platform (GCP) and Kubernetes (GKE) to deploy and manage services. Contribute to CI/CD pipelines and follow container orchestration best practices. Use observability tooling (logging, metrics, tracing) to monitor and troubleshoot services.
- Collaboration: Drive cross‑functional collaboration with product management, designers, and development teams to define, plan and deliver end‑to‑end product features. Lead and actively contribute to technical discussions, architecture reviews, and code reviews, ensuring technical alignment and the highest standards of code quality and system design across the team’s output.
- Management Experience: Lead, mentor and motivate a team of backend engineers, fostering a collaborative and high‑performing environment. Conduct regular one‑on‑one meetings, performance reviews and career development discussions. Drive technical best practices within the team, ensuring high standards of code quality, testing and system design are consistently met. Work closely with product managers and other stakeholders to align technical strategy with business objectives and ensure timely delivery of features.
- Reliability & Quality: Beyond writing comprehensive unit and integration tests, support the implementation of advanced testing practices (e.g. end‑to‑end, load, chaos engineering) and enforce a culture of ownership over code quality and stability within the team. Proactively establish and audit adherence to established security and reliability patterns, identifying systemic issues and championing large‑scale improvements.
Required Skills & Knowledge
- Backend Development: Extensive experience with Node.js and JavaScript/TypeScript; a strong understanding of async patterns and RESTful API design.
- Cloud Exposure: Extensive hands‑on experience with cloud platforms (GCP preferred) and containerisation (Docker, Kubernetes).
- Databases: Experience with relational (PostgreSQL) and/or NoSQL (MongoDB, Redis, Firestore) databases.
- Version Control: Strong experience with Git‑based workflows and collaborative development practices.
- Agile Methodologies: Experience working within an Agile development process.
Nice‑to‑Haves
- Experience with Python for scripting or data processing tasks.
- Familiarity with React or frontend technologies to enable smoother collaboration with frontend teams.
- Exposure to message queues or event‑driven systems (Pub/Sub, Kafka, RabbitMQ).
- Experience with AI/ML‑powered services and agent frameworks.
- Familiarity with infrastructure‑as‑code tools (Terraform, Pulumi).
Benefits
- Work on impactful, cutting‑edge products powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning.
- Be part of an agile, close‑knit team that values creativity, quality and continuous learning.
- A flexible working environment, with typically 2 days of hybrid working in our Belfast office, and one of the best work‑life balances you’ll find.
- A (Mon to Thurs) 4‑day work week during the holidays — July, August and December.
- The last Friday of every month off.
- Early finish every working Friday at 3pm.
- 25 days of annual leave, plus all NI bank holidays.
- EMI Share options in a rapidly growing scale‑up.
Who We Are Looking For
- Has strong leadership skills and proven ability to lead and support a team in delivering high quality code.
- Can drive strong collaboration to achieve a shared goal.
- Employs strong analytical and problem‑solving skills to deliver solutions tailored to client needs.
- Stays up‑to‑date with the latest backend development trends, cloud‑native standards and best practices.
Tech Lead in Belfast employer: Whitespace
Whitespace is an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic and innovative work environment in Belfast where creativity and collaboration thrive. As a Tech Lead, you will not only lead a talented team in developing cutting-edge AI-powered platforms but also enjoy a flexible hybrid working model, a four-day work week during holidays, and generous leave policies that promote a healthy work-life balance. With a strong focus on employee growth and a culture that values continuous learning, Whitespace empowers its employees to excel and make a meaningful impact in the tech industry.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Tech Lead in Belfast
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to your connections in the tech industry, especially those who work at companies you're interested in. A friendly chat can sometimes lead to job opportunities that aren't even advertised yet.
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your skills! Create a portfolio or GitHub repository showcasing your projects, especially those involving Node.js, APIs, or cloud services. This gives potential employers a taste of what you can do and sets you apart from the crowd.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for interviews by practising common technical questions and coding challenges. Use platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank to sharpen your skills. Remember, confidence is key, so the more you practice, the better you'll feel!
✨Tip Number 4
Apply through our website! We love seeing candidates who take the initiative. Tailor your application to highlight your leadership experience and backend development skills, and don’t forget to mention your passion for AI and collaboration.
We think you need these skills to ace Tech Lead in Belfast
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV:Make sure your CV reflects the skills and experiences that match the Tech Lead role. Highlight your backend development experience, especially with Node.js and cloud platforms like GCP, to show us you’re the right fit.
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter:Use your cover letter to tell us why you’re passionate about leading a team in backend development. Share specific examples of how you've driven collaboration and maintained high code quality in your previous roles.
Showcase Your Projects:If you’ve worked on any relevant projects, don’t hesitate to include them! We love seeing real-world applications of your skills, especially if they involve APIs, microservices, or AI integrations.
Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way for us to receive your application and ensures you’re considered for this exciting opportunity to join our team!
How to prepare for a job interview at Whitespace
✨Know Your Tech Stack
Make sure you’re well-versed in Node.js, JavaScript/TypeScript, and the cloud platforms mentioned in the job description. Brush up on your knowledge of RESTful API design and async patterns, as these will likely come up during technical discussions.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills
Prepare examples of how you've led teams in the past. Be ready to discuss how you’ve mentored engineers, conducted performance reviews, and fostered a collaborative environment. This role is all about leadership, so make sure to highlight your experience in managing and motivating teams.
✨Demonstrate Problem-Solving Abilities
Think of specific challenges you’ve faced in backend development and how you overcame them. Be prepared to discuss your analytical approach to problem-solving, especially in relation to code quality and system design. This will show that you can think critically and adapt to challenges.
✨Engage in Technical Discussions
Be ready to participate in architecture and code reviews during the interview. Familiarise yourself with best practices in CI/CD pipelines and container orchestration. Showing that you can contribute to technical discussions will demonstrate your alignment with their engineering excellence standards.
