Senior Full Stack Developer / Head of Engineering

Volpe & Castello Limited; City of Edinburgh; Hybrid; GBP 108,000 - 132,000; Full time

Job summary

A technology firm in Edinburgh seeks a highly experienced Senior Full Stack Developer to lead the design and development of their technology platforms. This senior role not only involves hands-on development but also defining system architecture and overseeing the technology team. The successful candidate will play a critical role in enhancing operational capabilities and will be responsible for integrating various business systems. A market competitive salary of £120,000 per annum is offered, and the role allows for hybrid work arrangements.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in leading technology teams and projects.
• Strong understanding of modern web development technologies.
• Familiarity with cloud infrastructure and integration tools.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development of a robust client portal.
• Ensure system scalability and reliability as business grows.
• Establish development standards and best practices.
• Integrate key operational systems with the client portal.

Skills

SQL

HTML / CSS

React

Angular

Vue

PostgreSQL

MySQL

Git

AWS

Azure

Docker

Job description

Location: Edinburgh (Office-based preferred, hybrid considered)

Employment Type: Full Time

Salary: £120,000 per annum

Reports To: Director

Role Overview

We are seeking a highly experienced Senior Full Stack Developer / Head of Engineering to lead the design, development, and long-term management of our technology platforms. This role will take primary responsibility for the ongoing build and operation of our client portal, which is being developed in Java, alongside the supporting infrastructure that underpins our operations.

This is the most senior technical role within the organisation. The successful candidate will be responsible not only for hands‑on development, but also for defining system architecture, establishing development standards, and building the wider technology team over time, including DevOps and QA functions.

The position carries significant ownership and influence. Systems developed in this role will directly support core business operations including customer account management, reporting, warehouse operations, billing, and integration across multiple internal and third‑party platforms.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership & Team Development

• Act as the senior technical authority within the organisation
• Define and implement the long‑term technology architecture
• Recruit, build, and manage the technology team, including:
• QA / testing specialists
• Establish development standards, workflows, and best practices
• Oversee system reliability, security, and scalability
• Provide technical leadership to support business growth

Core Development

• Build secure, scalable backend systems and APIs
• Develop and maintain front‑end interfaces for customers and internal teams
• Write high‑quality, production‑grade code
• Troubleshoot and resolve complex system issues
• Ensure systems are robust, maintainable, and scalable

Systems Integration

• Integrate the client portal with key operational systems, including:
• Warehouse management systems (e.g. Vapour)
• Accounting platforms (e.g. Xero)
• CRM systems (e.g. HubSpot)
• Billing and payment systems
• Reporting and analytics tools
• Design and maintain data pipelines across systems
• Ensure data accuracy, reliability, and consistency

Infrastructure & Platform Ownership

• Design and manage system infrastructure
• Implement monitoring, logging, and performance optimisation
• Establish CI/CD pipelines and deployment processes
• Manage cloud or server environments
• Ensure system security and access controls
• Plan for scalability as the business grows

Automation & Operational Efficiency

• Identify and implement opportunities to automate manual workflows
• Improve operational efficiency through software solutions
• Build internal tools to support staff and customers
• Support the transition from spreadsheet‑based workflows to integrated systems

Required Technical Skills

Core Languages

• SQL
• HTML / CSS

Frameworks & Technologies

• Front‑end frameworks (React, Angular, or Vue)
• Database systems (PostgreSQL, MySQL, or similar)
• Version control (Git)

Infrastructure

• Cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or similar)
• Containerisation tools (Docker or similar)
• Experience building large‑scale client portals or SaaS platforms
• Experience designing system architecture from the ground up
• Experience hiring and managing engineering teams
• Experience integrating multiple business systems
• Experience working with financial, logistics, inventory, or asset management systems
• Experience handling large operational datasets
• Experience in high‑growth or scaling businesses

Personal Attributes

• Strong leadership capability
• High ownership mindset
• Structured and methodical approach to problem solving
• Calm under operational pressure
• Able to balance technical quality with delivery speed
• Comfortable working directly with senior management

Typical Projects in This Role

Examples of work the successful candidate will be responsible for:

• Leading the full development of the client portal
• Designing the long‑term system architecture
• Building automated billing and invoicing workflows
• Integrating warehouse and inventory systems into the portal
• Establishing secure authentication and access controls
• Scaling systems to support business growth
• Recruiting and building the internal technology team

Strategic Importance of the Role

This role is central to the company’s long‑term operational capability. The systems developed will support:

• Thousands of customer accounts
• Warehouse and inventory management
• Billing and invoicing
• Operational automation
• Data integration across multiple businesses

The successful candidate will play a key role in building the technical infrastructure required to support the next phase of business growth.