React Job: Software Engineer Team Lead - iPlayer Catalog

Job Introduction

We want the BBC to be as renowned for the quality of its engineering as it is for the quality of its content. We aspire to be the best, so that we can engineer outstanding digital products, at scale. Working here in an engineering leadership role means leading a world-class team and a chance to do the most meaningful work of your career

BBC iPlayer is one of the UK’s most well-known and loved brands, and we’re looking for a passionate Software Engineering Team Lead to join a collaborative, cross-discipline, agile team. We welcome applications from all, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexuality, social background, religion and/or belief.

It is an exciting time to join iPlayer, as our mission is to be the future of BBC TV. This is a place where your work impacts millions of iPlayer users every day. You will have the opportunity to work on a website that operates at a huge scale.

We’re looking for a Software Engineering Team Lead who cares about creating performant, accessible and operationally excellent systems that offer great user experiences. We’re looking for someone who values communication and collaborative approaches to finding the right solution, and is willing and excited to learn new skills and share their knowledge with others. You’ll manage an established team of engineers (5-6), and as Team Lead you’ll be responsible for supporting and developing the team through line management to continued success.

Main Responsibilities

• Recruit, mentor and manage an effective software engineering team
• Be accountable for the design, development and operation of effective software that meets complex requirements for the immediate team and broader BBC
• Be hands-on wherever possible, pairing with team members to achieve the team’s tasks and objectives
• Work in an agile, cross-discipline environment
• Work with delivery, product and UX leads to design software and create implementable specifications and tasks at product and roadmap level
• Learn new technologies, keep abreast of existing technologies and help introduce them where appropriate
• Promote skills, knowledge sharing and personal development
• Understand, contribute to, and promote the product goals/priorities
• Ensure the team’s software works well in its operating environment
• Ensure that the team’s technical product documentation is always complete, accurate and coherent
• Ensure troubleshooting and resolution of issues throughout the product life cycle including out-of-hours support for incident resolution
• Work with other technical leaders in the broader organisation to define, document and distribute best practice and standards
• Define, lead and encourage continuous improvement of the team’s delivery and development processes

Are you the right candidate?

Essential Technical Skills & Experience:

• Expertise designing, building, owning, operating and supporting modern API applications that run in the Cloud (we use Typescript, NodeJS and AWS but open to experience with other similar technologies)
• Expertise in API architecture and key technologies (Lambda, SNS, S3, EC2)
• Expertise in modern development tools and practices (e.g CI/CD, DevSecOps, Pair Programming, TDD)
• Expertise in choosing and applying design patterns
• Developing software with scale, security and reliability in mind

Essential Leadership Skills & Experience:

• Recruitment, line management and mentoring experience
• Effective leadership and collaboration inside and beyond a team
• The ability to influence diverse and senior stakeholders effectively
• Establishing and promoting best practices within teams
• Being flexible, and comfortable adapting to changing priorities, as well as prioritising work across multiple initiatives yourself

About the BBC

We care a lot about our technology, for example keeping our stack up-to-date, following best practices and industry standards. Our current stack utilises ReactJS, React Router, Redux, Typescript and NodeJS on AWS, and all team members have the opportunity to steer our technical direction.

We also care a lot about the people in our teams. There are great opportunities to grow your career within the team and BBC, and a mentorship programme to make sure you are well-supported. We believe strongly in developing talent from within the team. We have training and conference budgets, and 10% of your time is dedicated for you to explore, innovate and learn new technologies. There are also regular opportunities to collaborate with other teams around the BBC.

We are happy to consider flexible work based on your personal situation, such as hybrid working.

The BBC is committed to building a culturally diverse workforce and therefore strongly encourages applications from underrepresented groups. We are committed to equality of opportunity and welcome applications from individuals, regardless of their background.

Package Description

• Excellent career progression: The BBC offers great opportunities for ambitious individuals to seek new challenges and work on many different and varied products.
• Unrivalled training and development opportunities: Our in-house Academy hosts a wide range of internal and external courses and certification.
• A vibrant digital community: We have a strong focus on continuous improvement and engineering excellence. We host regular talks from internal and external speakers, and provide generous opportunities to attend industry events and conferences.
• Benefits: We offer a competitive salary package, a flexible 35-hour working week for work-life balance and 26 days holiday with the option to buy an extra 5 days, a defined pension scheme and discounted dental, health care, gym and much more.