Senior Digital Engineer

hastingsdirect; Bexhill-on-Sea; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Car Allowance

Hybrid working

Flexible working

Bonus scheme

Wellbeing program

Job summary

Hastings Direct in the UK is seeking a Senior Digital Engineer to drive software delivery across the full development lifecycle within agile teams. You will lead and collaborate across engineers, QA, and product to shape technical direction and deliver high quality, customer-facing web applications.

The role emphasizes leadership, React JS expertise, and a strong UI/UX sensibility, with hybrid working from Bexhill or Leicester and a supportive, delivery-focused culture.

Qualifications

• Experience building enterprise-level, customer-facing web apps.
• Strong React JS expertise and modern frontend tech.
• Proficient in RESTful APIs and JWT authentication.
• Ability to mentor juniors and lead technical decisions.
• Experience with Agile environments.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership and manage stakeholder expectations.
• Design, build, and modify complex frontend systems.
• Estimate engineering tasks and guide peers.
• Debug and test to ensure performance and reliability.
• Mentor junior team members and share knowledge.

Skills

React JS

JavaScript

UI/UX

REST APIs

JWT

CI/CD

DevOps

Testing Library

HTML/CSS

Node.js

Tools

Node.js

NPM

CI/CD Pipelines

Jest

Job description

We're a digital insurance provider with ambitious plans to become The Best and Biggest in the UK market . Over the past few years, we've made significant investments in our data and tech capabilities, particularly within our CIO function. Our CIO team is at the forefront of driving innovation and ensuring our technology infrastructure supports our ambitious goals. We've nurtured our 4Cs culture, fostering collaboration, creativity, and continuous improvement.

We're proud of the journey we're on as a company and know that our continued success will rely on the contribution of our talented colleagues. The CIO team plays a crucial role in this journey, working on cutting edge projects that enhance our digital presence and improve customer engagement.

We provide insurance to over four million customers, but we know there's even bigger opportunity out there. The fact you're now reading this job advert means we've tempted you to find out more about #lifeatHD - we really hope you like what you see, and you'll join us to share in the success of the exciting chapter that lies ahead.

We understand some people may not apply for jobs unless they feel they tick every box. If you are excited about joining us and think you have some of what we are looking for, even if you're not 100% sure, we would love to hear from you. Our CIO team is always looking for passionate individuals who are eager to make a difference and contribute to our success.

Hybrid working available from either our Bexhill or Leicester locations.

What does the role involve?

This is an exciting opportunity for a Senior Digital Engineer to work across all aspects of the software development lifecycle; providing leadership, supporting and delivering high quality software changes across Hastings' systems and platforms. You will be responsible for working across all aspects of the software development lifecycle and operating within agile teams from application support and change functions. As a senior member of the team, you'll play a pivotal role in shaping our technical direction and supporting others to deliver high quality solutions.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Providing technical leadership, making informed decisions on behalf of the team, and effectively managing stakeholder expectations.
• Designing, building, and modifying complex software systems in line with agreed standards and best practices.
• Estimating engineering tasks and offering guidance to peers to ensure efficient delivery.
• Quickly and effectively debugging and testing complex code to maintain performance and reliability.
• Mentoring junior team members, offering support, sharing knowledge, and helping them grow in their roles.

Skills we would love you to have:

• Hands on experience in an IT role supporting and developing enterprise-level, customer and employee-facing web applications.
• Expertise in JavaScript, with a strong focus on React JS, this is essential.
• UI/UX development experience, with a keen eye for design and usability.
• Extensive knowledge of front end technologies including HTML/HTML5, XML, DHTML, CSS/CSS3, SASS, LESS, JavaScript, React JS, Redux, Flex, jQuery, JSON, Bootstrap.
• Strong proficiency in JavaScript fundamentals, including object models, DOM manipulation, event handling, data structures, algorithms, and JSX.
• Current experience with ReactJS workflows such as Flux, Redux, Create React App, and data structure libraries.
• Solid understanding of RESTful APIs and token based authentication (e.g., JWT).
• Familiarity with popular front end development tools such as Node, NPM, CI/CD pipelines, DevOps practices, and performance testing frameworks like Jest and React Testing Library. Experience with performance and memory tuning using relevant tools.

What we offer

• Reward
• Salary - Attractive salary based on experience + Car Allowance (pay reviews also completed each year)
• Flexible Working - We champion a flexible and hybrid working approach so please speak to your recruiter to discuss in more detail, including days in the office and at home.
• Competitive Bonus Scheme - All colleagues are eligible for our annual 4Cs performance bonus, which is usually paid in March. The scheme is based on Hastings' performance against our business goals and your own personal performance.
• Physical Wellbeing - We like to help our colleagues take a proactive approach in keeping themselves well, that's why we fund our colleagues