Software Engineer

Technology Systems & Delivery
Permanent - Full Time

London, GB, W12 7FA

BBC Studios Distribution
Job Closing Date: 29/04/2024
THE ROLE
ABOUT BBC STUDIOS

BBC Studios is the commercial arm of the BBC Group and is a thriving and exciting business. We invest in and produce amazing content and millions of users across the world interact with our products every week. We have a proven track record of growth and are ambitious for the future. As we grow, we are actively transforming our culture, investing in our employees and our ways of working, to build a bold, agile, inventive and inclusive business.

At the forefront of this transformation, we are building a brand new data platform for BBC Studios that will help unlock our ability to provide more personalised experiences for our customers and audiences and enable us to understand them better. Investment in data is crucial to our ambitions of making BBC Studios an area of growth for the BBC.

THE ROLE

We are currently looking for a talented backend or full-stack Software Engineer to join our data platform team here at BBC Studios. The team are responsible for building and maintaining the cloud infrastructure of the platform and building new software components to expand the capabilities of the platform - from high performance APIs to provide recommendations and audience segment data to tools to enable platform users to become more self-sufficient. We are looking for people that have experience developing high performance software solutions, are keen problem solvers and are energised by the opportunity to work on a brand-new key initiative.

Are you looking for a role that builds on your experience with building high quality software solutions? Are you keen to learn, grow, and develop? Do you want to work in a nurturing culture where you can flourish and be your best? Would you like to work on services that are used by key BBC products and millions of people each day? If so, this opportunity could be for you.

Main Responsibilities:

Our platform software engineers have an opportunity to work across a broad spectrum of projects, providing you the opportunity to dive into a number of aspects of the platform. From building and maintaining the cloud infrastructure of the platform to building new software components to expand the capabilities of the platform - such as producing high performance APIs to provide recommendations and audience segment data to tools to enable platform users to become more empowered.

As a Software Engineer you will help design and develop software solutions that meet complex product and business needs, supported by senior engineers and engineering leaders.

The data platform is a brand-new capability built using modern tools and components. We want to keep developing the platform and ensure we are keeping it up-to-date. Staying informed of emerging technologies and software engineering practices and understanding their potential impact on our software products, as well as staying up-to-date with developments in the open source community are key responsibilities.

WHAT DOES IT TAKE?

You will be a passionate hands-on engineer with experience in backend or full-stack software engineering. As a Software Engineer on our platform software engineering team, you will be developing high-performing, high-impact software products and services. We are looking for a person who is motivated by delivering high-quality solutions, driven to develop in their careers, and is a strong communicator.

You will be supported by your team and leaders to deliver value with an eye on quality, scale, and security. We don’t expect you to have experience in all of these but the list below gives you examples of the technologies and practices we value:

Technical Skills

Experience in backend software engineering using general-purpose programming languages (typically we use TypeScript and NodeJS but flex to whatever suits the job).
Can write clean, well-documented, and testable code that meets business needs using techniques such as Test Driven Development.
Can develop APIs that are performant, scaleable and maintainable.
Some knowledge of front-end web development and frameworks such as ReactJS and NextJS. (Not essential for this role, but good to mention if you have it).
Exposure to CI/CD pipelines for code validation and deployment.
Knowledge of ‘infrastructure/configuration as code’ tools and techniques. We take an infrastructure as code first approach to our products, predominantly using Terraform. (Not essential, but good to mention if you have it).
Comfortable working with other engineers to help troubleshoot and resolve issues in response to incidents during the product lifecycle.
A willingness to deliver user value early while balancing technical quality - having an iterative deliverable mindset.

Personal Skills

Goal-oriented - you’ll enjoy finishing the job by developing the final details.
Good communication skills - a great candidate will be able to communicate with other engineers and non-technical stakeholders, tailoring the message appropriately to the audience.
You will encourage continuous improvement in the way we work, and the tools and processes we use - we’re always aiming to make our team the best it can be.
Curiosity and an openness to change - we’re always learning new technologies and requirements often change. If that energises you, you’ll enjoy this challenge
PACKAGE DESCRIPTION

Job Reference: 14230
Band: C
Salary: TBC - This will be updated shortly, please check back tomorrow.
Contract Type: Permanent
Location: London - Television Centre

Working Pattern: Hybrid Working (Mix of working from home plus two/three days a week in the office).

We are really proud to share that we are a Level 2 Disability Confident Employer and so if you require any reasonable adjustments in order to apply please do contact us at Sharmin.Brennand@bbc.com with the job reference in the subject.

We offer flexibility, competitive benefits and the opportunity to be part of the BBC's exciting mission. Some of the key benefits you’ll get from working in this role are:
Flexible/Agile working - opportunities across the business. We believe in empowering you to do your best work, so we offer support and flexibility to balance work and home. We’re happy to discuss a formal flexible working pattern. Please indicate your choice under the flexible working question in the application. There is no obligation to raise this at the application stage but if you wish to do so, you are welcome to. Flexible working will be part of the discussion at the offer stage.
Unrivalled training and development opportunities - we operate a people-first culture and pride ourselves on your development. Our in-house Academy hosts a wide range of internal and external courses and certifications.
Excellent career progression - BBC Studios offers great opportunities for employees to seek new challenges and work in different areas of the organisation. Leaders at the BBC are passionate about helping our people grow in the organisation and you will have regular sessions with your line manager to support you with your career ambitions.
Benefits - We offer a competitive salary package, a flexible 35-hour working week for work-life balance and 26 days (plus an additional day which is a Corporation Day) with the option to buy an extra 5 days, a defined pension scheme and discounted dental, health care, gym and much more.

LIFE AT BBC STUDIOS

We don’t focus simply on what we do – we also care how we do it. Our values and the way we behave are important to us. Please make sure you’ve read about our values and behaviours here.

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. More information on our D&I plan can be found here.

BBC Studios puts sustainability at the heart of everything we do both onscreen and offscreen, including delivering against the BBC Group’s science-based Net Zero targets. More information on sustainability at BBC Studios can be found here.

DISCLAIMER

This job description is a written statement of the essential characteristics of the job, with its principal accountabilities, incorporating a note of the skills, knowledge and experience required for a satisfactory level of performance. This is not intended to be a complete, detailed account of all aspects of the duties involved.

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