Job Description

Full-time | Senior Leadership Role | Competitive Salary + Performance Bonuses

About TruTrade

TruTrade is one of the fastest-growing digital platforms in the UK construction sector.

We're building a multi-sided ecosystem for builders, merchants, apprentices, and colleges -- including professional estimating, live pricing, merchant integrations, project tools, eLearning, AI assistants, dashboards, and more.

We are now hiring a top-tier Senior Lead Developer to take full technical ownership of the platform and help drive the next stage of scale.

This role is for someone exceptional -- someone who has built serious systems, led teams, and wants to make a massive impact.

The Role

As our Senior Lead Developer / Head of Engineering, you will:

Lead technical direction

Architect the next evolution of TruTrade's platform Drive the migration to a modern MVC / microservices structure Set coding standards, performance benchmarks, and engineering culture
Be a Hands-On Senior Developer

We are not looking for a "manager only" You will be writing code daily. Full-stack development (backend + frontend) Lead major feature builds end-to-end Solve complex technical challenges at speed Review and improve codebase quality
Build & Guide the Development Team

Lead internal and external developers Review code, set standards, mentor others Shape hiring decisions as the team grows
Own Integrations & Core Platform Systems

Merchant pricing integrations POS/order APIs Estimating and quoting automation AI-driven workflows (LLMs, takeoff tools, assistants) User dashboards, reporting, and backend logic System security, scalability, uptime, and optimisation
Deliver Product at High Speed

Work directly with the founder and leadership Turn ideas into shipped features quickly Own delivery timelines and technical decisions Push the platform forward aggressively

Experience Required (Non-Negotiable)

Must Have:

7+ years professional coding experience Strong backend expertise (Laravel/PHP or Node/Python equivalent) Strong frontend skills (React / Next.js) Built and scaled real SaaS platforms Proven experience leading dev teams Excellent API design and integration background Strong database experience (PostgreSQL or similar) Ability to architect large systems with multiple moving parts Fast, accurate, and accountable -- not a drifter
Ideal Extras:

Experience integrating builders merchants (ERP, stock, POS, pricing APIs) Experience with AI tools (LLMs, vector search, embeddings, LangChain) Experience with multi-tenant platforms DevOps experience: Docker, CI/CD, Fly.io, AWS, Kubernetes Experience in construction-tech or trade-related software
This is a job for a serious developer -- not an agency, not a freelancer, not a junior.

What We Offer

Senior-level salary + performance bonuses Hybrid working (Warwickshire-based office + remote flexibility) Full ownership of the engineering function Direct collaboration with the founder Opportunity to build a national-scale platform Zero bureaucracy -- pure delivery, speed, and impact Long-term progression as Engineering grows

Who This Role Suits

Someone who wants:

Ownership Responsibility Autonomy and the chance to build something huge
If you've built complex systems and want to lead a platform that's scaling fast, this role is for you.

Apply with:

CV GitHub / portfolio A short list of platforms or systems you've personally built
Only experienced senior developers will be considered.

5 Questions for Applicant

QUESTION 1 -- Architecture & Scaling

TruTrade will be used by thousands of builders and merchants across the UK.Explain in detail how you would architect a scalable, secure multi-tenant SaaS platform using Laravel + React/Next.js.

Include how you'd structure the backend, database, API layer, tenant isolation, caching, queueing, and deployment.

QUESTION 2 -- Merchant API Integration

You need to integrate a merchant ERP/POS for live pricing, stock, and order submission.

Explain step-by-step how you would:

Authenticate with the merchant API Fetch live prices Handle rate limits Manage timeouts/failuresSync orders + track status Log and monitor errors What standards or patterns would you use?

QUESTION 3 -- AI Workflow Design

TruTrade will integrate an AI assistant to process plans, generate quotes, and support builders.

Explain how you would design an AI workflow using LLMs, vector search, embeddings, and image/document processing.What tools or frameworks would you choose and why?

QUESTION 4 -- Code Quality & Leadership

Explain your process for leading a dev team while still coding hands-on.

Include:

How you run code reviews How you prevent technical debt How you enforce standards How you mentor junior developers How you balance delivery speed with quality

QUESTION 5 -- Legacy ? Modern Migration

The platform currently includes legacy Laravel + Vue components being migrated to a modern React/Next.js + API-first backend.

Explain how you would plan and execute this migration without causing downtime or breaking features.

Detail the steps, phases, and testing approach.

Job Type: Full-time

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Leamington Spa CV31 2AU