Lead Developer
Location: GB, NET, Newcastle Upon Tyne
Department: Development
Employment type: Full-time
Required experience: Mid-Senior level
Required education: Unspecified
Industry: Information Technology and Services
Company profile: hedgehog lab is a post-PC digital agency. We architect, design, develop, and market apps & digital solutions for phones, tablets, TV, kiosks & and other post-PC devices.We helps brands & enterprises prepare for a future dominated by post-PC technologies. We specialise in working with our clients on Innovation & R&D on mobile & emerging platforms.
Description: hedgehog lab is on a growth trajectory and we are looking for an experienced technical architect/lead who can help us deliver great products & digital solutions to our customers across the globe.What does "growth trajectory" mean anyway? Isn't it one of those words "serious business" people use to say, "we're doing OK!". To put it simply, we are looking to nearly treble our team this year from 10 to 25+ people on the back of a 300% increase in revenue & massive growth in our client base. While we have always been about premium digital experiences, our current customers (who consist of some of the biggest FTSE 250 & Fortune 500 companies) demand that we take our skills & the team to the next level to deliver a world-class service. We would love for you to come on that journey and help us do some award-winning work.As a fairly flat organisation with fluid responsibilities within our team members, the role is what you make it. You will be "reporting" to the Technical Director (because he owns the company and insists everyone report to him) but in essence you are in a leadership position helping architect great technology, mentor developers,  collaborate with other team members across disciplines & drive the business forward.While there are no constraints on your contributions we do see the following as key responsibilities of this role,Work with the business team on pre-sales efforts that include estimation of effort, technical feasability, reviewing RFI/RFP documents (fancy word for project briefs) & being involved in pitches.Work with the design team to provide them support & direction during the UX & UI stages of a project.Work with the development team to architect, model, design (and a few more words we can't think of) great software. This can be on the web, on the desktop, or on mobile. The platform does not matter. What matters are your skills in designing robust & reliable software systems.Work with clients to support them on any technical & operational issues.Be responsible for core engineering operations like dev ops, technical due diligence & setting technical processes in collaboration with the Technical Director & other Lead Developers.Support & mentor developers across our global offices.Roll up your sleeves and write some code to support developers either to cover strained resource or provide technical expertise around complex subjects like performance, scalability etc.
Requirements: While we have no general template to finding the perfect Lead, we do believe that the following characteristics would help us in narrowing down our perfect candidate.Experience working in developer & senior developer roles. Whilst we have no requirement around a minimum number of years (because it simply doesn't tell us anything about your capabilities), please be realistic that a Lead role might be unsuitable for you if you are fresh out of university or have a couple years experience building websites on the side.We do not care if you have specific mobile platform experience (i.e. iOS/Android development) but it would be a plus if you have an understanding and working experience of any mobile SDK/languages.Experience working in an agency or software development environment in the service sector predominantly delivering 6 or 7 figure projects.Evidence of software development best practises including Agile development using Scrum, TDD/BDD, API design.Evidence of a deep understanding of software design patterns, architectural patterns and key challenges facing large scale mobile or web platforms.Evidence of responsibility in delivery exceptional quality & understanding of QA processes.Evidence of leadership & management skills. We aren't necessarily looking for the next Linus Torvalds or Steve Woz. Amazing ninja coding skills are always desirable but we are really looking for someone who has the ability to lead teams, work under pressure and is not flustured under difficult situations.Evidence of being a self-starter who can learn any language, tool or platform with little support and guidance. Willingness and openness to learn new technologies would be a definite plus.Evidence of entrepreneurial qualities including being pro-active, taking calculated risks and going beyond the call of duty.Good writing, listening & speaking skills. For extra bonus points, Github or Bitbucket account with evidence of contribution to open source projects.
Benefits: What can you expect in return for being a perfect Lead?A competitive salary with inclusion in our company profit sharing scheme & a healthy bonus package related to performance28 days holidays (that's excluding bank holidays)Best of breed equipment (Macbook Pro, mobile phone of choice & tablet of choice)Customised benefits package that works for you A transparent & open company culture where politics is shunned & everyone plays as a team. We work incredibly hard but also play hard.  
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