Tech Lead, Platform Foundations — Shape the Core OS in London

Tech Lead, Platform Foundations — Shape the Core OS in London

London Full-Time 140000 - 140000 £ / year (est.) Home office (partial)
Zebra People

At a Glance

  • Tasks: Lead the development of innovative features and improve platform functionality.
  • Company: Join a fast-growing Unicorn company with a dynamic culture in London.
  • Benefits: Competitive salary up to £140K, annual bonuses, stock options, and 25 days holiday.
  • Other info: Flexible work environment with opportunities for mentorship and career growth.
  • Why this job: Make a real impact on a product used by major clients like Coca Cola and Hulu.
  • Qualifications: Experience in leadership roles and strong problem-solving skills in software development.

The predicted salary is between 140000 - 140000 £ per year.

A Unicorn company that has recently opened up a Platform Foundations division in London is looking for multiple Tech Leads to join their London-based teams. It’s an opportunity to have an immediate and real impact on the future of their product. They have a self-autonomous environment where initiative is rewarded and you’re given a huge degree of independence.

With over 180,000 customers (including Coca Cola, Hulu and Universal) and growing, the product is a work operating system that allows any given client to shape workflows their way. They can boost their team’s alignment, productivity and efficiency by customising any workflow. It allows you to centralise all work, processes, tools and files into one operating system.

They’re looking for an engineer who can look beyond the code and see the bigger picture. The Platform Foundation team works across teams and has the responsibility of working with layers of their infrastructure, getting into the nitty gritty with data orientation and data flows. You’ll be able to shape the future of their product by creating new features related to these and take responsibility for developing and improving search functionality within the platform. Because of this, there’ll be the opportunity for you to write a lot of new code, increase APIs development, and ultimately ensure the platform’s software components are versatile enough to effectively tackle various user cases and scenarios. They are rapidly looking to expand the team; so you’ll have plenty of input into mentoring and helping to train up more junior members of the team.

They’re looking for a Tech Lead with plenty of skin in the game in leadership positions (though open to highly experienced seniors with leadership experience seeking career advancement) who comes with experience of closing a whole product cycle, with end-to-end ownership from a product-based company. Primarily you’ll be working on the backend of their stack with Node.JS, Ruby, and Kafka, impacting everything from the development of APIs and the user interface to the database. However, they know that a good developer can pick up a new language quickly, so they’re really not fussed on your background as long as you have a strong track record of solving complex technical problems and would be happy working with their stack going forward.

Their software engineering stack looks like this: React, Redux, Ruby, Node, AWS, Linux, Elasticsearch, Cassandra, Kubernetes, Docker, and Kafka.

Based near Tottenham Court Road Station (right by the Meta offices), they’re offering a salary of up to £140K. On top of that is a pretty impressive annual bonus of 8-10%, as well as stock options. There are 25 days holiday plus your bank holidays. They are looking for people to come into the office 3 days a week at the moment, though the manager is looking to reduce this over time.

The first stage of the interview process is a short intro call with the Internal Recruiter, who’ll give you a bit more info on the product and project as well as take any questions you have around them. There’ll be some light technical questions but nothing heavy. This is followed by three separate technical interviews; one around the day-to-day activities they do and another that is more general. The final stage is an opportunity for you to meet people face to face in their Central London office and is a chance for you to get to know your new potential team.

Tech Lead, Platform Foundations — Shape the Core OS in London employer: Zebra People

Join a dynamic Unicorn company in London, where innovation meets autonomy. As a Tech Lead in the Platform Foundations division, you'll enjoy a collaborative work culture that values initiative and offers substantial opportunities for personal and professional growth. With competitive salaries, generous bonuses, and stock options, plus a flexible approach to office attendance, this is an exceptional opportunity to make a meaningful impact while advancing your career in a vibrant city.

Zebra People

Contact Details:

Zebra People Recruitment Team

StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫

We think this is how you could land Tech Lead, Platform Foundations — Shape the Core OS in London

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 Zebra People 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 Zebra People.

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 Zebra People.

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 Zebra People 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 Tech Lead, Platform Foundations — Shape the Core OS in London

Leadership Skills
Backend Development
Node.js
Ruby
Kafka
API Development
Data Orientation

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 Zebra People.

Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Zebra People 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 Zebra People

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 Zebra People 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.