Job Description

Company Background

Our motto is 'Be Your Best'. And it is a philosophy that drives the products and services we offer our customers and support our teams. Our purpose is to build products and services that support our customers improve productivity. We have built market leading software solutions to help the industries we work in be at their best, though smart scheduling, H.R. insight, efficient payroll, consultancy and more. Our flagship software was created in 2012 in response to requests from hospitality clients for an efficient labour scheduling tool and is used to optimise labour scheduling and management. In recent years, S4labour has grown into new markets releasing new products as well as looking to expanding internationally in the near future.

Our aims are to:

? Provide our clients with ever superior customer service

? Understand better our clients' labour costs

? Improve their profitability and labour productivity

? Supporting our customer in improving their service

S4labour was 'built by operators, for operators' and is one of our unique selling points. Given labour can account for +30% of operational costs in hospitality, there is a clear need for a tool that matches labour supply with demand and is easy for operators to use and interpret. We are providing an easy to use, intuitive system which helps people run their business better.

S4labour is growing and now deployed in over 2,000 UK sites and receiving fantastic customer feedback. We also have an experienced team of consultants who have worked in the industry for most of their professional careers (our CEO is also a qualified beer sommelier and our CTO a trained chef!) so understand our clients' needs.

S4labour is a small, friendly, exciting and highly ambitious and innovative business. We are expanding rapidly, with an annual growth rate of circa of 50% a year with more new products being developed. You will have real accountability and ownership from day one, coupled with a comprehensive induction and training. This is the role today, but we want to know where you can take it in the future. Besides the role we would love to know what else you could bring to our organisation.

If you get excited at the prospect of helping to build a small company while developing yourself and challenging us, then we'd love to hear from you.

Overview

We are seeking a Prompt-Based Development Engineer to join our fast-growing product and engineering team. This role is focused on leveraging large language models (LLMs) to accelerate software development through structured prompt engineering, automation, and toolchain integration. The ideal candidate will combine a deep understanding of software development principles with the creativity to design high-performing prompts that translate requirements into functioning code components.

This is a high-impact role working under the Chief Product and Technology Officer (CPTO) to deliver innovative solutions faster, reduce traditional coding burdens, and contribute to a scalable prompt engineering framework across the organisation.

Key Responsibilities

Design, refine, and implement prompts to generate application logic, documentation, and testing scripts using LLMs. Collaborate with product managers, prototyping leads, and software engineers to translate user stories and technical specifications into prompt-based deliverables. Create reusable prompt templates for common development tasks (e.g., CRUD operations, data validation, API scaffolding). Continuously experiment with different prompt patterns and chains to improve code generation quality and relevance. Work closely with QA to ensure prompt-generated code passes unit and automated tests. Analyse prompt performance metrics (e.g., accuracy, edit distance, rework rates) and optimise accordingly. Contribute to internal documentation and knowledge-sharing around prompt best practices. Stay up to date with developments in AI-assisted programming, LLM tools, and industry trends.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Prompt Effectiveness Rate:

?80% of prompt-generated outputs require no or minimal editing.

Prompt Reuse Rate:

?70% of prompt templates reused across projects.

Development Acceleration:

30%+ reduction in average development cycle time through prompt-based workflows.

Bug Detection Post-Prompt:

?1 bug per 5 prompt-generated features post-release.

Collaboration Satisfaction Score:

?4.5/5 average feedback from collaborating engineers and product leads.

Qualifications and Skills

Experience

Essential

3+ years in software development (full-stack).
Proven ability to translate requirements and user stories into functional code components and systems.

Demonstrable experience or a strong, demonstrable interest in leveraging Large Language Models (LLMs) and AI-assisted tools within the software development lifecycle.

Desirable

Experience with prompt engineering, designing and refining prompts for code generation, documentation, or testing and an understanding of Hands-on experience with AI-assisted development environments or tools (e.g Cursor, Windsurf, GitHub Copilot, v0 by Vercel, or similar). Exposure to SaaS product development, building and consuming APIs, and working with modular or microservices architectures. Experience in payroll systems, workforce management, or related HR-Tech domains is a significant plus.

Technical Skills

Proficiency in JavaScript/TypeScript and frameworks such as Angular, React, or Node.js. Strong understanding of software development principles, design patterns, and best practices. Familiarity with version control systems (Git) and agile development methodologies (Scrum/Kanban). Familiarity with OpenAI, Anthropic, or other LLM providers. Understanding of RESTful APIs, JSON, and CI/CD pipelines. Understanding of database technologies (MySQL).

AI & LLM Proficiency

Practical understanding of how LLMs (e.g via OpenAI, Anthropic APIs) can be applied to software development tasks.

Ability to critically evaluate and iterate on LLM-generated outputs.

Knowledge of or willingness to quickly learn prompt engineering techniques and best practices.

Soft Skills

Excellent analytical thinking, strong debugging skills, and a creative approach to problem-solving, both in traditional code and in prompt design. A keen eye for detail and a commitment to producing high-quality, maintainable code and effective prompts. Strong ability to work effectively within cross-functional teams, clearly communicate technical concepts, and be receptive to feedback. A passion for staying up-to-date with rapid advancements in AI, LLMs, and software development tools, with a proactive approach to learning and experimentation while maintaining high quality of deliverables

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field preferred.

Reporting Line

Reports to: Lead Engineer Works closely with: Prototyping team, Product Managers, QA Engineers

Work Environment

Location:

Hybrid (Banbury HQ or remote)

Hours:

Full-time, flexible working considered
Job Type: Full-time

Pay: From 45,000.00 per year

Benefits:

Casual dress Company events Company pension Free parking Life insurance On-site parking Private medical insurance Referral programme
Schedule:

Monday to Friday
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Banbury OX16 2SP

Reference ID: PBDMAY2025