Join Smartbox and make a meaningful impact as our newest team member Are you a passionate Software Developer who wants to play a part in creating technology that gives a voice to those without speech? Smartbox is seeking a dedicated and talented individual like you to join our team and make a real difference in the lives of people with disabilities. At Smartbox, we take pride in being a leading company in assistive communication technology. Our innovative products, combining specialised hardware, advanced software, and engaging content, are used by individuals with diverse needs worldwide. All around the world, our products, accomplishments and aspirations are a reflection of our teams’ values: passionate, caring, empowering, achieving together and enabling change. We believe that everyone deserves a voice, and our inclusive culture reflects this belief. By joining Smartbox, you will become part of a team that values diversity, fosters collaboration, and supports a community of users who rely on our technology to communicate effectively. In addition to the rewarding nature of our work, you will collaborate with talented professionals who share a common goal of pushing the boundaries of innovation while considering the environmental impact of our products and processes. We strive to develop sustainable solutions that minimise our carbon footprint and promote a greener world. By joining Smartbox, you will have the chance to shape a more inclusive society while actively contributing to our sustainability efforts. Together, let's make a difference that extends beyond communication technology and leaves a positive mark on our planet. How will you be making a difference? Working on anything from UI to core functionality, from fixing bugs to integrating new technologies. Designing, developing, deploying and maintaining desktop applications and/or REST APIs using C# and .NET Core. Writing clean, working, cross-platform C# code (.NET 8) and associated tests, and improving the standard of existing code as you touch it to make it more testable, reliable and maintainable. Implementing monitoring and alerting, and supporting production services. Working closely with electronics engineers, product specialists, UX designers and other developers to design, develop and support robust solutions. Participating fully in the planning of your team’s work. Collaborating with stakeholders and customers to solve problems in a way that meets their needs. Helping to evolve your team practises and processes. The successful applicant will also be asked to perform other duties on an ad-hoc basis and will need a proactive attitude to this. Essential Qualifications/skills/experience Passionate about changing lives with assistive technology. Exceptional recent Computer Science (or similar) graduates or those with a few more years of professional software development experience in modern C# or similar (e.g. Java, C++). Knowledge of Computer Science fundamentals in data structures, algorithm design, problem-solving, and complexity analysis. Excellent understanding of software design principles. Confident and experienced with automated testing – from unit tests to system and integration tests. Confident working on problems from scratch – resourceful in turning problems into simple solutions, and proactive in working with stakeholders to resolve ambiguity. Confident in picking up an existing codebase, refactoring and improving test coverage to deliver safe code changes. Versatility - enjoying turning your hand to new things, with a flexible approach to evolving business priorities. Willingness to develop across multiple platforms and architectures. Great interpersonal and communication skills. Strong analytical thinking, with attention to detail. For application developers: Windows or iOS desktop application development. For backend developers: REST API development using C# and ASP.NET. Experience developing, deploying and maintaining APIs in AWS/Azure - including the use of load balancers, SQL/NoSQL data stores and caches. Understanding of REST API principles and best practices including API versioning, authentication/authorization models and techniques, and secret management. Familiarity with Entity Framework or other ORM tools. Experience in applying OWASP secure coding practices. Confident in applying cloud best practices for identity and access management, hosting, deployment and monitoring. Useful Qualifications/skills/experience Knowledge of professional software engineering best practices, including coding standards, architecture patterns, code reviews, source control, build processes, testing, and operations. Experience in configuring build systems for .NET (e.g. Team City, Jenkins etc). Experience in building and configuring software installers (e.g. MSI). Keen interest in the product, and customer needs. Experience in working in an effective Agile team. Experience with AAC or assistive technology. For application developers: Any of the following technologies: WPF/XAML, Avalonia, Entity Framework, Javascript. For backend developers: Knowledge of RDS/SQL Server/NoSQL/DynamoDB/S3 for structured data and file storage. Proficiency in deploying and managing load balancing, caching and routing via AWS services or equivalent in Azure – e.g. API Gateway, Lambda, EKS / ECS. Additional information: In this role, you will have the flexibility to work between your home and our office locations in Malvern and Bristol. For this role, we require the candidate to work in the Bristol office twice a week as a minimum. You will need to maintain a deep understanding and knowledge of all our products and their uses. You will meet and keep in regular contact with other teams in the business. Why join us? Here at Smartbox, we are positive and inclusive about making adjustments, providing flexible working, and encouraging all staff to engage in a diverse range of year-round learning and personal development opportunities. In addition, you will work alongside highly motivated colleagues in an environment of strong teamwork whilst also having fun. This is a hugely rewarding role and a career to be proud of where every day you will go home knowing you made a positive difference in the lives of disabled people. Rewards and benefits At Smartbox our employees always do their best, which is why we give so much in return. In addition to your competitive salary, private medical insurance, and whooping 25 days of holiday plus public holidays, we’ll shower you with perks, including: Dress : We want you to feel comfortable in the office, smart casual is perfect. Food : You can find free healthy office snacks in our kitchens. Hybrid working : Two days a week in the office, for the rest of the week feel free to skip the commute and hit your deadlines from home. Laptop and home working IT kit provided. Flexible work schedule : balance is key to innovation, and we want to make sure you are at the top of your game with a schedule that will work for you (prior agreement from your line manager is required). Give back to the community : Each year every member of staff will get the opportunity to spend one paid day volunteering for a good cause of their choice. You, our best asset : We believe in investing in you and your development. Stay with us and grow with us We will reward you with more holidays for your long service Wellness : Stretch away the stress every morning with our online trainers, available via our cooperative perk website or hit the gym. We provide gym discounts too Wellbeing: You gain unlimited access to a benefit and Wellbeing app Yulife, providing store discounts and wellbeing services. Mental health : You will have access to the 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme for a wide range of support, advice and resources about Family, Health, Life, Money and Work. Peace of mind : Every employee benefit from a company pension, group life assurance, and income protection. Fun : Complimentary theatre and cinema tickets to Malvern Theatres. We organise many free social events including team outings and get-togethers. Eco-friendly : You can sign up for a cycle scheme (save 25%-39% on a new bike or E-bike by cycling to work), or lease an electric car through a salary sacrifice scheme after 2 years of service. Bonus potential : We work hard and Smartbox recognizes that with a discretionary annual bonus. Finances : Enjoy a wide variety of savings and discounts with Corporate Perks. You can save on electronics, food shopping, fashion, fitness, entertainment and all things travel. Our Commitments At Smartbox, we are committed to fostering an inclusive and equitable work environment where every individual's unique background and perspective are valued and respected, but how are we doing it? We are proud to have been awarded Disability Confident Employer status by the UK Government’s Department of Work and Pensions. We are also the Founding Partner of Purple Tuesday. You can find out more on thinksmartbox.com. We are committed to ensuring that our recruitment practices are barrier-free and as inclusive as possible. This includes making adjustments during the job application process and throughout your future career with us. Please email jobsthinksmartbox.com to discuss any such adjustments that we can make. At Smartbox, it’s not about fitting into our culture – it’s about adding to it. Our diverse team brings together unique talents and inspires each other to create amazing products that reflect the diversity of our users and customers. We’d love to hear from you Our ever-evolving team powers the business across the world and brings the next generation of AAC solutions to life. Together we experiment, innovate and create across the full product lifecycle. And, in a collaborative and close-knit culture, we support each other to search for better. We support our community and contribute to a sustainable future for our business and the planet. Join us as a Software Developer and take our technology and your career into new territories. Share your operational expertise and passion for making an impact within your cover letter and CV. We look forward to receiving your application. For a full job description, please visit: https://thinksmartbox.com/join-the-team/ Agencies Please respect that at this current time, we wish to try and recruit directly from the market rather than engage support from an agency.