Software Engineer

Summary

Join Laka, a fast-growing insurance company, as a Backend Engineer and help us build the world's best insurance platform. You will be part of a remote-first team using modern technologies like Node.js, Golang, and React. Your responsibilities include building microservices, REST APIs, and React UIs. We offer a collaborative environment with opportunities for professional development and a comprehensive benefits package. The role is based in the UK and requires commercial experience in backend development and modern frontend frameworks. We are looking for passionate and capable engineers who want to work on something more than just another app.

Requirements

• Have commercial experience with backend development. We work with Node.js and Golang
• Have commercial experience working with a modern frontend framework - we use React, Next.js and Redux
• Are comfortable with REST APIs as well as Graphql
• Are comfortable with SQL
• You know why testing matters, and you have experience of unit testing and end-to-end testing. We use Jest and Cypress
• Are a good communicator and team player - great pairing is a must for us
• Feel comfortable with a strong culture of mutual support and feedback
• Are keen to learn new things and recognise when it's time to use the 'best tools for the job' rather than trying to 'make things fit
• Are comfortable working within a remote-first team. We have offices in Bristol, London & Amsterdam if you fancy popping in
• Before you apply, please make sure that you currently have the right to work in the UK (we're really sorry, but we're not able to provide visa sponsorship for this role)

Responsibilities

• Help us build out our microservices platform, delivering a unique insurance model to cyclists across Europe
• Build REST APIs for our partners
• Build cloud app/services using a modern tech stack built using JavaScript, GoLang, with a SQL database, and hosted on AWS via Kubernetes
• Build out our React UIs, which includes internal and external applications
• Work collaboratively with other teams within Laka - helping to problem solve, providing excellent support and solutions, and overall contributing to the continued success of the business. We work closely with product owners who help us shape our roadmap and direction
• Deliver good quality code contributions
• Have excellent communication and collaboration skills
• Champion user empathy - you know what it takes to build great UX
• Work as part of a squad, and take part in our agile ceremonies, peer reviews and pair programming

Preferred Qualifications

• Are comfortable with a strong culture of mutual support and feedback
• Are keen to learn new things and recognise when it's time to use the 'best tools for the job' rather than trying to 'make things fit
• Are comfortable working within a remote-first team. We have offices in Bristol, London & Amsterdam if you fancy popping in

Benefits

• Remote-first way of working - you choose whether you work from home or our beautiful offices in London & Bristol (we have no minimum expectation of how many days you come in, although we'd love to see your friendly face!)
• Share options - we want you to be rewarded for Laka's success - everyone in the business is granted share options when they join
• Company bonus scheme - if the company hits its targets, you'll get an annual cash bonus
• Annual leave - 25 days holiday (plus bank holidays), with the option to roll over up to 5 days per year
• Pension scheme - Laka pays 3% of your base salary into your pension to help you save for the future
• Private medical insurance - we’ll give you individual private cover, with the option to add partners & dependants too (at a small cost)
• Home set-up allowance - in addition to letting you choose the kit you want (MacBook or Windows laptop, plus additional equipment like screens, keyboard, etc), we'll also give you a one-off budget of £200 to get anything else you want in order to make your homeworking environment a comfortable place to be
• Monthly lunch on us - £15 on the first Wednesday of each month to enjoy lunch on Laka - pop out locally with people in the office, or order-in at home, the choice is yours
• Company-wide events - we love getting everyone together as much as possible - expect regular events throughout the year, for team building, bonding, and general good old-fashioned fun!
• Regular socials - as if quarterly company events weren't enough, we also give each office a budget for a monthly social activity (think anything from low-key dinner & drinks through to adventure golf, paddleboarding, bowling, electric darts, trampoline parks and more!)
• Laka swag - we'll give you some lovely Laka kit to get you started, including a jumper & t-shirts so you can feel (& look) like part of the family
• Laka credit - for all you cyclists, we'll give you £10 credit per month towards insuring your bike(s) with us - plus give you access to a bunch of cycling industry discounts
• Mental health support - unlimited support via Spill, including one-to-one therapy sessions