SENIOR SOFTWARE ENGINEER - CHECKATRADE LABS

About Checkatrade Labs
Checkatrade Labs is the high-velocity innovation hub within Checkatrade, operating as an incubator and accelerator for cutting-edge ideas. We function like a startup within the business, taking on lifeboat projects to rapidly spin up and offload solutions to teams that lack the bandwidth. Our team thrives on building quick-turnaround solutions, validating new concepts, and exploring the future of home improvement services through emerging technologies like AI, automation, and even computer vision-powered drone inspections for roof repairs.
This is an ideal environment for engineers who are passionate about startups, love building from scratch, and want to experience the zero-to-one journey of launching new products.

Core Principles

• Get Things Done: Rapid execution and tangible outcomes are our priority.
• Do Things That Don’t Scale (at first): We focus on learning and validation over scalability in the early stages.
• Working Code Over Perfect Code: Shipping fast takes precedence over code perfection.
• Data-Driven Decisions: We prioritize strong instrumentation and analytics to validate our ideas.
• AI-Driven Innovation: We empower our teams with AI tools and automation to move faster and smarter.

What You’ll Do

• Work in small, autonomous teams alongside product entrepreneurs and designers.
• Own the technical direction of new product initiatives from concept to validation.
• Build and launch Minimum Viable Products (MVPs) in weeks, not months.
• Make key architectural decisions that balance speed with future scalability.
• Drive rapid experimentation while ensuring high standards of data collection and analytics.
• Collaborate directly with users and business stakeholders to refine product direction.
• Stay ahead of emerging technologies and leverage them to push the boundaries of what’s possible in home improvement services.

Who You Are

• A builder at heart with a passion for creating new products from the ground up.
• Excited about the zero-to-one phase of product development and rapid iteration.
• Comfortable working in ambiguous and fast-paced environments with shifting priorities.
• Self-directed with strong entrepreneurial instincts.
• Willing to wear multiple hats, diving into full-stack development, architecture, DevOps, and product strategy.
• Interested in AI-driven product development and its applications in real-world solutions.
• An aspiring tech co-founder or future startup CTO.

Required Experience & Skills

• Strong full-stack engineering experience with a proven track record of rapid prototyping.
• Proficiency in TypeScript, Node.js, React, and cloud platforms (preferably GCP).
• Deep experience with API development and modern software engineering practices.
• Strong data-driven mindset with experience in metrics-based development.
• Experience shipping products in fast-moving environments, particularly in startups or innovation teams.
• Understanding of rapid MVP development methodologies and lean startup principles.
• Familiarity with automation, AI tools, and cloud-based infrastructure.

Tech Stack

• Frontend: React, TypeScript
• Backend: Node.js, TypeScript
• Cloud: Google Cloud Platform (Cloud Run, Cloud Functions, Firestore)
• Tools: Retool for MVPs, PERN Stack (PostgreSQL, Express, React, Node.js) for more durable applications

• Work in small, autonomous teams alongside product entrepreneurs and designers.
• Own the technical direction of new product initiatives from concept to validation.
• Build and launch Minimum Viable Products (MVPs) in weeks, not months.
• Make key architectural decisions that balance speed with future scalability.
• Drive rapid experimentation while ensuring high standards of data collection and analytics.
• Collaborate directly with users and business stakeholders to refine product direction.
• Stay ahead of emerging technologies and leverage them to push the boundaries of what’s possible in home improvement services