Principal Software Engineer

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Here at First Utility we want to make a difference. We are changing the face of the energy industry by campaigning for more transparency, better communication and a speedier switching process. Through pioneering technology and sharing our knowledge, we put our customers firmly in control of their energy, so they can spend less on what they need and more on what they want.

We are proud to deliver award winning service and as we continue to challenge the industry, our talented people are integral to our journey; our people make that difference. As we continue to grow our Team and expand our service offering, we now have office locations in Coventry, London, Krakow and Hamburg.

We now looking for a Principal Software Engineer to help us continue to make that difference.

How the role fits in

The Customer Service Platforms (CSP) department is responsible for a wide range of customer facing and back office applications that are essential to the delivery of excellent customer service.We are an energetic, innovative and multi-skilled agile group split into four development teams working across a range of platforms including: Zendesk (our chosen CRM), Harmony (a series of next generation Zendesk apps) and AskFirst (our innovative and highly successful virtual agent).We enjoy a close working relationship with our customer service colleagues and take a collaborative and data driven approach to everything we do. Every problem encountered is considered an opportunity for innovation and good ideas are promoted quickly.Reporting to the Head of CSP, as a Principal Software Engineer you will play a critical role in the continued evolution of our highly successful Harmony product (see: https://www.zendesk.co.uk/customer/first-utility) including managing one or more agile development teams and taking responsibility for the technology choices we use going forward.

The role day to day

- Help drive and implement the engineering strategy, working with the leadership team to define technology direction

- Work with your team and other Principals to define and implement technical standards and improvements

- Be accountable for the overall delivery and quality of projects including the design and code review process and engineering discipline across projects in your functional area

- Be seen as the go-to senior person for multiple aspects of the technical stack and functional areaLine manage one or more agile delivery teams

- Provide coaching/mentorship to other members of the team when needed

- Promote agile, software craftsmanship best practices and a culture of innovation What you'll need to help you make the best of the role 

- Vast commercial experience

- Excellent verbal and written communication skills and the ability to interact professionally with a diverse group of colleagues

- Experience of working within a fast paced software development environment with a strong focus on software craftsmanship: TDD, refactoring, CI, CD, code reviews, design patterns, etc.

- A solid understanding of Agile / SCRUM methodologies recognised through one or more certifications (SCM, PSM etc.)

- Effective line management of one or more scrum teams (including 121s, personal development plans, and performance reviews) and able to demonstrate a servant leader approach

Technically Expert In;

Javascript ES6Node / ExpressReact and ReduxSASSPostrgresMocha/JestSinonChaiEnzymeWebpackEslint Technically Experienced In; Javascript ES7GraphQLReact ApolloMongoDBCucumber JSSeleniumWiremockNockDocker

The 'nice to have's'

Java, Scala or PythonBulmaHadoop / CassandraExperience working with microservices and containerised architectures

What you'll get in return

Our people are our business, so our mind-set is people first. Spending much of your time at work, we know it’s not just about a rewarding career, development opportunities and competitive salary - the work space, relaxation areas and coffee matter too! First Perks is our benefits portal where you can access BUPA Private Healthcare, childcare vouchers, pension scheme, cycle to work scheme, our staff tariffs and exclusive savings and discounts from nearly 900 retailers - including holiday deals to help you make the best of your 25 days holiday (plus Bank Holidays). First Perks features discounts for many of the biggest brands - from Lastminute.com to Amazon, from John Lewis to Tesco; there is something for everyone.We also give each team member 12 days of research. This gives our teams to go out and look into the new trends in technology, process or frameworks and help shape our technology roadmap. We’re proud to support our charity partner the NSPCC and offer regular fundraising events from bake-offs to London Marathon entries. Our teams enjoy quarterly socials, some more adventurous than others! One tradition we’ve held on to as we’ve grown is "Fruity Friday" - heaps of free fresh fruit for all, every Friday. So if you like the fast pace of an evolving business, feel it’s important to reach your full potential and enjoy your time at work, then a career with us could be your next move.