ROLE OVERVIEW

Croud is a digital marketing agency with a unique business model, recently named Campaign's Global Performance Marketing Agency of the Year. 

We are recruiting for a Senior Software Engineer to lead the development of internal tools to unlock further client revenue potential, while supporting the productionisation of data science solutions and embedding best engineering practices in Croud.

We are investing in Data Solutions as a strategic priority. The team brings together a number of capabilities that sit within different parts of Croud, into one unit that will drive cutting edge development in a number of critical areas for the business.

The role sits in the newly created Data Science & Tools team within this department, reporting to Head of Data Science & Tools. The team’s remit is to drive innovation & revenue in two ways: develop & deliver revenue-driving/client-facing data science solutions and internal tools used within the agency.  

An example of tool is: PAX - which brings together a variety of data sources, intelligence handlers and bidding functions that enable SEO and Paid Search teams to plan activities for the same client more effectively, while leveraging automation and machine learning to improve marketing performance.

The right hire will share Croud’s values:

• Passion: loving what you do and being driven to excel with each new project
• Imagination: meeting challenges creatively and ready to try new ideas
• Integrity: accountable and always excellent to one another

Croud operates a hybrid working model with a minimum of 2 days a week based in our London office and the remaining days from home if you wish.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The Senior Software Engineer is accountable for the successful and efficient development of Croud’s client-facing/ revenue-driving tools.  Key performance indicators include the timeliness with which tools/ solutions are delivered, their usage, business value it creates (e.g. additional client revenue), internal (and external where appropriate) client satisfaction, and quality of work (whether the solution is fit for purpose and to the required standard).

The successful candidate will work closely with relevant members of the team to lead on the technical development of client-facing/revenue-driving tools: 

- Work with Head of Data Science & Tools and relevant stakeholders (e.g. Technical and Product directors) to translate the vision on tool ideas into a technical development roadmap. This entails solution design (in the broadest sense), as well as the planning of MVPs, features, dependencies, infrastructure/environment setup, testing plans, QA, monitoring & logging, maintenance plans, etc

- Technical delivery & oversight: both hands-on development as well as technical oversight of the development team:

• Currently, one Data Engineer (20% to 40%) in the UK is dedicated to tool development, plus - this is TBC - some time of a Data Engineer in the US
• For certain features, an additional data scientist will join the team and take responsibility for delivery (e.g. developing ML models)
• For certain high client-potential tools, external partners (software developers) can also be available on the development team
• Most of the required development is backend, in addition to some light-wight frontend work (Tools are mainly for internal use, so leveraging open-source frameworks like Flask are sufficient in many cases.) The postholder is expected to be more hands-on for such lightweight front-end development as this is a skills gap on the team.

- Support the productionisation of data science solutions e.g. setting up dev and prod environments, deployment, improvement of codebase (from an engineering perspective)
- Manage the maintenance and update/upgrade of deployed tools and data science solutions: CI/CD, parity with changing user requirements, technical updates (e.g. changes in third-party APIs), bug fixes, etc.
- Contribute towards the improvement of tools & data science solutions e.g. new features and upgrades
- Embed best engineering practices across the company - the Data Solutions teams in the UK, US and new offices as the company scales, to ensure that our Data Science & Engineering services are delivered to a consistent quality across clients and offices; and in a compliant, cost-effective manner
- Further the growth of software engineering capability: As the team begins to showcase the business value tools brought to the business (under the postholder’s leadership), emphasis will be on growing the software engineering arm of the DS&T team
- Communicate the operation and results of these solutions to internal teams and clients to get feedback and ensure work is delivered per expectations

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Essential:

• Excellent python programming skills
• Proficient Javascript and SQL
• Familiarity with front end technologies, and the ability to develop and maintain user interfaces, mainly for internal applications (using open source frameworks like Flask, Django, Streamlit would be sufficient in many cases)
• Demonstrable ability to craft maintainable, scalable code, TDD, SOLID software engineering principles
• Thorough understanding on software engineering and secure development best practice
• Strong applications/system design, deployment and maintenance experience on cloud computing platforms, Google Cloud Platform being highly desirable
• Strong CI/CD experience, Github Actions being highly desirable
• Productionising software applications, experience with Docker
• An ability to communicate clearly and effectively about technical topics with very varied types of stakeholders (from client CMOs to software engineers)

Highly Desirable:

• Experience with Google BigQuery
• Experience with infrastructure automation
• Experience with Data Build Tool (dbt)
• Experience with development and maintenance of ETL pipelines. (Not required but familiarity with statistical / ML models would be beneficial)
• Google Cloud Certifications

COMPANY BENEFITS

Croud offers a clear path to progression for all members of staff. We are committed to offering development opportunities alongside a support system of regular performance reviews. The opportunities are endless!

Croud offers competitive starting salaries alongside numerous company benefits. On completion of the three month probation period every employee is eligible for the benefits listed on our careers site which include:

• 25 days holiday a year
• Annual performance bonus
• Sale commission
• Recruitment referrals bonus
• Gym membership contributions
• Ride to Work scheme
• Rail card
• Season Ticket loan
• Free fruit, breakfast cereals and tea & coffee
• Free home office chair and screen
• Enhanced maternity and paternity package
• Life and income protection
• Medical cash plan
• Agile Working Policy

Standard hours are from 9.00am to 5.30pm, there’s flexibility if agreed in advance with your line managers (it may also be necessary on occasions to work outside of these hours).

Croud is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the grounds of a person's gender, marital status, race, religion, colour, age, disability or sexual orientation. All candidates will be assessed based on merit, qualifications and their ability to perform the requirements of the role.