Senior Full Stack JavaScript Engineer (Findmypast)

Find your magic with us

Connecting people to their family stories is special. We’re proud to deliver these magic moments. Through technology, data and insights, we bring people closer to their past, to benefit their future.

We’re a fast-growing team of motivated individuals, and we’re passionate about delivering our product. We dedicate our time to solving meaningful, complex problems, and at Findmypast you can be a part of this magic.

About the Role:

Findmypast (a DC Thomson brand) is looking for a Senior Full Stack JavaScript Engineer who wants to make a difference and join our growing engineering team developing our product to solve problems and deliver in a lean-agile environment. Together we can try to find new ways to create a great experience for all our users and help to impact the way people research social and family history.

Our core programming language is JavaScript (ES2020) with our website running React.js and GraphQL, while our back-end platform is a collection of Node.js microservices running under Kubernetes.

We do have legacy systems. Although our platform is a mix of JavaScript and other languages (including C# & Elixir), we specialise in using JavaScript here. Depending on the team you join, there may be some or no work with these other languages.

You will be joining our engineering team and be a valued member working closely in a collaborative, autonomous, cross-functional team.

Key Responsibilities:

• Designing, developing and deploying user experiences with a focus on usability, high availability, low latency and scalability
• Improving Node.js services to meet our product needs
• Continuously improving our product by innovating on the service through the use of A/B tests

Don’t worry if you don’t know all our languages or technologies, although the more you know will help your application. We help all our new Engineers get up to speed quickly through a thoughtful and supportive induction programme, ongoing mentorship, and daily learning time.

If you’re keen to read more about how our Engineering team works and hear about some recent remote onboarding experiences, read our engineering principles and check out our tech blog.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience:

Please see below the essential criteria for this role.

• A proven track record in Full stack JavaScript Engineering roles
• A few years of experience coding with JavaScript and you are up for learning more
• A deep knowledge of and care about sound engineering practices
• A strong communicator who loves working as part of a team

If you feel that this matches your experience, then we look forward to hearing from you!

Recruitment Process:

Here’s what you can expect after applying.

1. Introductory Meeting

If your application is shortlisted, you will be invited to attend an Introductory Meeting (remote/virtual) with our Talent Acquisition Specialist (this will take approximately 20-30 minutes).

2. Pairing Session

The next stage is a one-hour pairing session with two of our engineers where you’ll be asked to solve a problem and turn that solution into working code. Your solution should be written in JavaScript and we are looking for someone who is able to logically work through a solution and reason about how performant it is and communicating your thought process clearly. Like any normal pairing session, you are free to use Google to look up syntax or documentation if needed.

3. Depth of Expertise Interview and Values Session

The third stage will be a virtual/remote interview that will take approximately 90 minutes in total. The first 60 minutes will be a Depth of Expertise/Technical Interview with two of our Engineers, covering engineering practices, values and approaches, as well as architectural design through to scalability. The remaining 30 minutes will be a Values Session with one of our Engineering Leads.

If you have additional requirements in the interview process, please don’t hesitate to let us know. We promote an inclusive environment, and we are an equal opportunity employer. Plus, we’d love to know your pronouns, so please let us know when you apply.

We want Findmypast to be the best company for all our diverse employees and customers. If you’d like a deeper understanding of our commitment to diversity, check out our Careers Page.

Why join our team?

• We’re driven by the desire to create a fantastic customer experience
• We’re passionate about processing big data and to make it easy for our consumers to build their family journey
• We collaborate across teams, working in an Agile environment where we focus on individual development and a growth mindset
• We promote flexible working, including working from home, and we support each individual’s personal wellbeing
• We work in small teams, so that employees are develop in a supportive environment and test out their ideas, whilst having a direct impact on the business
• We promote professional development and wellbeing (this means you will have a mentor and/or a buddy, learn from colleagues, and be able to discuss new information and across teams)

You won’t find any bureaucracy here, but you will find:

• A generous holiday allowance with the chance to buy more
• A pension contribution that stands out in the market (9.5% matched company contribution with a 6% contribution from the employee’s side)
• All the health and wellbeing benefits you’d expect and some you wouldn’t (check out our Careers Page to learn more)
• The chance to work with smart and fun people on products that will bring joy to millions

To apply for this role, please follow our online application process and submit a CV and cover letter.

Findmypast is a remote-first organisation with office hubs in London and Dundee. This role is permanent remote-first position, working 35 hours per week, with regular team days in our London Fleet Street office.  We offer a generous package including 26 Days Holidays + Bank Holidays, health cash plan, corporate gym discounts, excellent pension, a competitive salary, and many more staff discounts and benefits.

We are an equal opportunity employer and encourage applications from everyone and do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability or any other protected characteristics.

If you have any issues with your application, please email recruitment@dcthomson.co.uk

Please note that we reserve the right to close the vacancy early once we have received suitable applications. Therefore, please ensure you submit your application as early as possible to avoid disappointment.