Principal Engineer

“Learning is not the product of teaching, but the product of the activity of learners.” John Holt.

Our vision is to unlock human potential by assisting students through a supercharged learning process, enabling anyone to confidently and effectively develop the knowledge to succeed at every stage of life.
We’re a SaaS scale-up and one of the fastest-growing tech companies in the North. 

• Our HQ is in Leeds, where most of our 100+ team members are based.
• Our accessible study software is award-winning and used by 100,000s of students at over 800 universities & colleges worldwide. 
• We’re growing so we can achieve our mission to make learning quicker and easier for everyone.

We’re developing a new green-field product related to personal learning, and we are looking for a Principal Engineer to join the founding team.

Incubating the product

To bring this product to existence, this role will work as part of a small “Skunkworks” team including a Product Manager and UX Designer under the direct leadership of our Founder. Starting small while we validate the design and core functionality, this team will take ownership of the product and must work semi-independently from the rest of the company. Once the product has achieved product-market fit, we will integrate this unit into the broader company.

Year 1 Project Objectives

1. Design and validate the design and requirements of the platform in alignment with our vision and strategy, developing the product roadmap and GTM plan
2. Create and launch a product users love, based on our Learning Principles, and gain traction.
3. Build a community of users, advocates, and contributors who align with our mission and will expedite our growth.
4. Develop the value proposition for platform and education partners and secure at least one partnership, increasing the product's reach. 

North Star: # engaged users

Mission: To build, validate and establish the Personal Learning System product in alignment with our company vision, principles and strategy.

Target: Motivated students studying at online universities

Role Expectations

Career track and level: Individual Contributor Level 5

• Deep and wide technical skillset: knowing the right frameworks and techniques to use to release value quickly. Understanding how to solve real user problems with technology in the simplest way
• Expertise in Modern Front-End Technologies: Strong proficiency in HTML, CSS, JavaScript, animation and frameworks like React, with a focus on building at speed
• Bringing UX Designs to Life: Collaborates closely with design teams to translate UX concepts into fully functional, responsive, and accessible web applications, ensuring a seamless user experience.
• Pragmatism: the right solution might be the simplest technically. Obsession over code and architecture is an important attribute, but knowing the simplest way to build something is a super power. Experience from building things from scratch is essential
• Speed and agility: keep the team moving, avoiding unnecessary complexity and prolonged decision-making
• User and problem obsession: maintain a strong focus on user experience in every decision while designing for impact
• Collaboration with CEO and Subject Matter Experts: Work closely with the CEO, understanding their vision while ensuring what gets built is feasible, valuable, and aligned with business goals. Seek input from SMEs (internal and external) in AI, learning experience design, information architecture, and edtech.
• Balanced discovery & delivery: lead discovery to validate assumptions and ensure the product meets user needs while driving towards strategic vision

Key skills and qualities

• Technical knowledge: We have a diverse technology stack. We use Kotlin for backend services, TypeScript/React for Web frontend, Flutter/Dart for mobile, Kubernetes, Terraform and various cloud providers for infrastructure (including, but not limited to, AWS and GCP). We use Python, too. Feeling comfortable with static and dynamic languages is good to have. We don’t constrain solutions to using the stack we’ve mentioned here, though.
• Technical Leadership: Strong ability to lead and mentor teams, driving technical excellence and growth within the engineering function.
• Resourceful with an “I’ve got it” attitude: extreme ownership even when tasks are unfamiliar and challenging
• Low ego, strong backbone: can take on different perspectives while focusing on what’s best for the business and users. Able to challenge their assumptions as well as those of others when necessary.
• Coaching and Mentoring: Experience in coaching team members on best coding practices, architectural principles, and fostering continuous learning.
• Innovative Mindset: Encourages a culture of experimentation and embraces new tools and technologies to stay ahead of industry trends.
• Process Improvement: Skilled in identifying areas for process optimisation, fostering collaboration across disciplines, and improving efficiency.
• Communication Skills: Ability to clearly communicate technical decisions, challenges, and principles in an easily digestible manner.
• Community Engagement: Active participation and representation in relevant technical communities, conferences, and events.
• Cross-functional Collaboration: Experience working across disciplines (Product, Support, Sales and Engineering) to align on goals and streamline product development processes.

Experience and Background:

• Zero to One Leadership: 5-7 years leading teams to take products from concept to launch, ensuring technical alignment with product goals.
• Passionate about learning and knowledge management: impact-driven and knowledgeable about learning and productivity with personal experience using personal knowledge management or note-taking tools.
• Knowledge Sharing: Passionate about learning and technical knowledge management, fostering growth through tools and frameworks that enhance team productivity.
• Systems Thinking: Skilled in designing scalable architectures that balance current needs with future growth, ensuring long-term alignment.
• Engineering Innovation: Experienced in product discovery, user-centric solutions, rapid prototyping, and leveraging new technologies to drive innovation.
• Pragmatic Problem Solving: Ability to break down complex technical challenges into actionable steps, focusing on practical, efficient execution.

 💰Salary and benefits:

£70,000 - £90,000 dependent upon experience

🏖️ 33 days annual leave (Inclusive of bank holidays)

🎄 3 gifted days off at Christmas

💰 EMI Share Options Scheme

🎓 Generous individual learning and training allowance

⌚ Truly flexible hours to suit when you work best

💻 Full home working set up and beautiful collaborative office space

🚗 Free Leeds City Centre office parking

🌴 Nomad working policy with family travel insurance

🍼 Enhanced 26 weeks maternity and 4 weeks paternity (fully paid)

🤍 Health cash plan (from glasses to massages)

💸 6% employer pension contribution

 Location: 

We have a beautiful office space in Leeds and we love it when we get together to collaborate in person. We typically operate a hybrid way of working, however some of our roles support remote working within the UK, if you live more than 50 miles from the office. 

We will discuss ways of working with you at interview however if you have any questions before you apply please reach out to [email protected] 

💡 What to expect next: 

We’ll review your application and provide a response within 1 week. Even if it’s not the news you’d hoped for, we appreciate it’s good to know either way. 

If we invite you to meet with us for interview, here’s an overview of what the process will look like: 

1. Screening interview (30 minutes) - Recruitment Business Partner
2. Technical Interview (1 hour) - CTO/Head of Engineering and Principal Engineer
3. Coffee with the Founder
4. System thinking, architecture and tech leadership interview (1 hour) -  CTO/Head of Engineering and Principal Engineer
5. Culture & Values interview (1 hour) -  Founder and CTO/ Head of Engineering 

Ahead of your interview you will receive a confirmation email outlining who you’ll be meeting and when, anything you’ll need to prepare in advance and any resources we think you might find helpful.  

👀 Interested in learning more about a career at Glean? 

Here are a few further resources:

About Glean

Working at Glean Blog

The Glean Study Tool 

💌 Not quite the right role for you however you’d love to be a part of Glean’s journey? 

Let’s connect! Reach out to [email protected] and we’ll add you to our network, to keep you updated with any future opportunities we think you might be interested in.

📄 Applicant Privacy Notice 

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