Part-time Full Stack Engineer at School Space
Applications close: 5pm on 20th March 2025
Interviews start: Week Commencing 31st March 2025
Preferred Start date: ASAP
Location: Fully Remote or Hybrid, based on the candidate
Hours: 5 days per month (25% of FTE), flexible based on the candidate
Salary: £300/day rate
Contract Type: Part-time
About us
School Space aims to create thriving schools at the centre of thriving communities. We do this by partnering with schools across the UK to hire out their spaces in the evenings and weekends to a range of community groups. The income generated is used by our partner schools to improve educational outcomes and facilities for their students, in addition to building a stronger connection with the surrounding community.
Our culture
Since we were founded as a social enterprise by two school students in 2011, we've grown to become a tight knit team of around 25 people who are united by a goal of changing the education sector for the better. We also have a fabulous remote team of over 150 Community Connectors who work at our partner schools in the evenings and weekends.
You will become part of a team who have generated over £5.5 million for schools, taken part in prestigious programs by top names such as Techstars and Goldman Sachs, and been recognised as one of Escape the City’s 100 best organisations to escape to, finalists in the UK’s best Social Enterprise award, and winners of Digital Agenda’s Impact Tech award.
From working directly with the founders, to regular training days, daily stand-ups and socials, we encourage all team members to contribute to our culture and aim to develop every team member at School Space. We are a fast paced work place with a friendly atmosphere - working at School Space will expose you to many new learning opportunities and a chance to have a say in the growth and development of a company striving to create a big impact. Our core values are Transparency, Positivity, Initiative, Community, Passion and Learning - and if selected to interview with us we will be assessing whether you evidence these.
Full Stack Engineer at School Space
Why does this role exist?
We are looking for an experienced Full Stack Engineer to lead the day-to-day management and evolution of the School Space booking platform on a part-time basis. The current version of the platform is a containerised Node.js application that leverages Express for its API and resides on AWS. The Full Stack Engineer in this role will take end-to-end ownership of the School Space codebase, ensuring seamless functionality, robust security, and high-quality standards throughout the entire stack.
What will you be accountable for?
1. Optimise and own the platform
o Work with our Senior Leadership Team to improve the current platform and its integrations such that we can respond faster to customer needs.
o Be the primary point of contact for all bug resolution and platform improvements
o Ensure best practices for error handling, logging, and performance monitoring.
2. Frontend Development
o Create and maintain responsive, user-friendly interfaces using a modern frontend framework (e.g., React, Angular, or Vue).
o Integrate frontend features with the Node.js API.
o Implement design and UX guidelines, optimising for speed and accessibility.
3. Database and Data Management
o Design and optimise database schemas (e.g., PostgreSQL, MySQL, or MongoDB).
o Collaborate on data modelling to meet functional requirements.
o Implement secure data storage solutions in line with AWS services where applicable.
4. Testing and Quality Assurance
o Write and maintain unit and integration tests for both frontend and backend.
o Ensure complete test coverage for critical features.
o Oversee continuous integration processes, including automated testing and reporting.
5. Deployment and Infrastructure
o Deploy and maintain the application within containerised environments (e.g., Docker).
o Manage AWS services such as EC2, ECS, or EKS for production and staging deployments.
o Integrate with AWS Secrets Manager for secure storage of sensitive credentials.
6. Security and Compliance
o Implement security best practices for Node.js applications and frontend frameworks.
o Handle secure transmission of data, including transport layer security (HTTPS) and AWS Secrets Manager usage.
o Conduct regular security audits and vulnerability assessments.
7. Collaboration and Documentation
o Work cross-functionally align technical solutions with business requirements.
o Maintain comprehensive documentation for the codebase, APIs, and deployment processes.
o Conduct code reviews, provide constructive feedback, and promote best coding practices.
How will you know it’s going brilliantly?
* 99.9% platform uptime
* Product roadmap milestones are achieved on schedule
* Weekly sprints generate visible and value-adding functionality to the platform
* Platform improvements measurably save time for internal teams and keep customer satisfaction high
* Internal stakeholders feel informed and satisfied with development timelines
What will help you succeed in this role?
1. Professional Experience in Node.js and Express
1. Demonstrable expertise in building and maintaining APIs using Express.
2. Familiarity with containerised Node.js deployments.
2. Proficiency in Modern Frontend Frameworks
1. Solid knowledge of at least one major JavaScript framework (React, Angular, or Vue).
2. Understanding of state management, component-based architecture, and optimised rendering.
3. AWS, DevOps and Database Management
1. Experience with AWS services (EC2, ECS/EKS, Secrets Manager, RDS).
2. Comfortable setting up, configuring, and maintaining CI/CD pipelines (e.g., GitHub Actions, Jenkins).
3. Skilled at container orchestration (Docker, possibly Kubernetes).
4. Strong knowledge of SQL or NoSQL databases.
5. Familiarity with designing efficient data models and indexing strategies.
4. Familiarity with other business systems and their APIs
1. Xero, Stripe or similar accounting and finance systems
2. Zendesk or similar customer communication platforms
5. Security Best Practices
1. Familiarity with OWASP Top Ten and secure coding principles.
2. Ability to implement encryption, secure configuration management, and identity access management.
6. Excellent Communication and Problem-Solving
1. Ability to articulate complex technical concepts clearly.
2. Skilled at identifying, debugging, and resolving issues quickly.
School Space Safeguarding Statement
School Space believes that no child or vulnerable person should ever have to experience abuse of any kind. School Space is committed to the safeguarding of children and recognises that as an organisation we have a responsibility to ensure all our staff members are trained and supported to recognise safeguarding concerns and that we promote safeguarding best practice. We aim to foster an understanding in each of our team members of their safeguarding responsibilities, whilst putting in place procedures to support everyone who uses a school space to safeguard children's wellbeing and protect them from harm.
We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, colour, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.
If you have any questions about the role you are also welcome to contact us on team@school-space.org.
#J-18808-Ljbffr