Lead Developer

Job Description
About the Role:
While you'll have heard our name, there's a lot you probably don't know about NEXT. Like how we create most of our systems ourselves – whether it's a website, mobile app or application. What's more, we're growing. Fast. And it's the kind of growth and investment that is exciting for everyone in our business.

Our huge warehouse estate in Yorkshire is held together by the Warehouse Tech team, the warehouses have an enormous amount of tech that allow us to receive, store, pick and pack items for our customers - handling everything from socks to sofas The Warehouse team focuses heavily on automation which includes 40 miles of conveyor linking everything together across our sites, hundreds of storage and picking robots - a very fast moving, continuously changing part of NEXT Technology.

As a key member of our team, you'll apply your expert knowledge of our development tools and technologies to deliver outstanding results. Your passion for the craft will shine through as you produce clean, concise, and highly efficient code. We're working on really exciting projects with the data platform that this team manages, so we'd love for you to be a go-to member of the team in this area specifically

We'll look to you to be an influential voice in defining and evolving our technical standards, helping to keep us at the forefront of our industry. As a natural mentor, you will guide and support your colleagues, reviewing code to uphold our high standards for performance and quality. You'll also be instrumental in championing our departmental processes, ensuring the team is aligned while helping to shape our standards to keep them current and relevant.

About you:
You will have proven Data Platform Engineering experience with the following:

• Full system development life cycle.
• Data streaming/ data pipelines
• Experience with infrastructure as code tools such as Terraform
• Kubernetes / containerisation
• Strong SQL experience, including stored procedures and CDC patterns
• Proficient in programming languages such as Java, Python, C# or Go.
• Good understanding of DevOps principles such as CI/CD pipelines (Azure DevOps / ArgoCD).
• Ability to strategise and work within technical constraints.

In addition, we're looking for you to have:

• Apache Kafka experience, including Confluent (Azure) and on-prem environments.
• Experience with Apache Spark, Apache Flink.
• Experience with custom Kafka implementations, such as connectors in self-managed Kubernetes.
• Experience with Kubernetes and Azure DevOps Pipelines.
• The ability to conceptually grasp complex technical challenges and contribute to solutions.
• A positive, outgoing, and proactive attitude, with the ability to think outside the box.

You'll be doing all this on a hybrid basis from our South Elmsall office in South Yorkshire. It's a fast-paced, encouraging, and supportive environment where everyone is committed to delivering for our customers and growing their own careers. Bring your energy. Play to your strengths. Let's Take It On.

About Us
You know Next, but did you know we're a FTSE-100 retail company employing over 35,000 people across the UK and Ireland. We're the UK's 2nd largest fashion retailer and for Kidswear we're the market leader. At the last count we have over 500 stores, plus the Next Online and it's now possible to buy on-line from over 70 countries around the world So we've gone global

About The Team

• 25% off most NEXT, MADE*, Lipsy*, Gap* and Victoria's Secret* products (*when purchased through NEXT)
• Company performance based bonus
• Sharesave scheme
• On-site Nursery available; OFSTED outstanding in all areas
• 10% off most partner brands & up to 15% off Branded Beauty
• Early VIP access to sale stock
• Access to fantastic discounts at our Staff Shops
• Restaurants with great food at amazing prices
• Access a digital GP and other free health and wellbeing services
• Free on-site parking
• Financial Wellbeing - Save, track and enhance your financial wellbeing
• Apprenticeship - Grow and develop on the job whilst gaining a qualification
• Direct to Work - Discount online and instore, collect your items the next day for free from your place of work or local store
• Support Networks - Access to Network Groups to empower and celebrate each other
• Wellhub - Discounted flexible monthly gym memberships, with apps, PT sessions and more

Conditions apply to all benefits. These benefits are discretionary and subject to change.

We aim to support all candidates during the application process and are happy to provide workplace adjustments when necessary. Should you need support with your application due to a disability or long-term condition, feel free to get in touch with us by email (please include 'Workplace Adjustments' in the subject line), or call us on and leave a voicemail.