Senior Software Developer

Location: Canary Wharf, London (Onsite only)

Salary: £45,000 – £50,000 per annum

Job Type: Full-time, Permanent

Start Date: Immediate

Company Overview

Planet Education Networks Ltd is a growing technology and education group building multiple modern platforms across education, SaaS, and marketplace domains. Our products include student management systems, HR platforms, domain management systems, e-learning platforms, and consumer-facing applications such as food delivery and property management platforms.

We build systems intended to scale globally, handling potentially millions of users at peak times, and work closely with both UK-based teams and overseas senior software developers.

Role Overview

We are seeking a Senior Software Developer to join our UK team based in Canary Wharf. This is a hands-on, senior technical role requiring strong software engineering fundamentals, architectural thinking, and a deep understanding of how scalable systems are designed and delivered.

This role goes beyond coding. You will be expected to contribute to database design, system architecture, and technical decision-making, while collaborating with non-technical stakeholders and overseas development teams.

You will report directly to the Head of IT.

NOTE: This is a strictly onsite role — no remote or hybrid working

Key Responsibilities

Software Development & Architecture

• Design, develop, and maintain modern web applications using React, JavaScript, Next.js, Node.js, SQL and NoSQL
• Make sound architectural decisions suitable for high-scale, high-availability systems
• Design and review database schemas, data flows, and performance considerations
• Ensure applications are scalable, secure, and maintainable for global usage
• Review code and architectural contributions from overseas senior developers

Database & System Design

• Participate in database design and optimisation for large-scale systems
• Understand trade-offs between performance, scalability, and maintainability
• Work with backend and infrastructure considerations even when focusing on frontend-heavy projects

UI/UX & User Journeys

• Work closely with designers and business stakeholders to shape end-to-end user journeys

Communication & Documentation

• Translate non-technical business requirements into clear technical documentation
• Communicate technical decisions effectively to non-technical stakeholders
• Produce and maintain technical documentation, architectural notes, and implementation guidelines

Collaboration & Delivery

• Work closely with UK business teams, design teams, QA/testing teams, and external contractors
• Collaborate with overseas development teams to ensure consistent standards and delivery quality
• Contribute to improving engineering practices, tooling, and workflows

AI-Assisted Development

• Use AI tools (e.g. GitHub Copilot, AI agents) to accelerate development
• Critically review AI-generated code and ensure it meets production standards
• Help define best practices for AI-assisted development within the team

Required Skills & Experience

Essential

Minimum 5 years’ professional experience in software development

Strong hands-on experience with:

o React / Next.js

o JavaScript / TypeScript

o Node.js

o SQL and NoSQL databases

• Proven experience in database design and system-level thinking
• Strong understanding of software architecture and scalability
• Experience building or contributing to systems used by large user bases
• Strong sense of UI/UX principles and user-centric design
• Excellent communication skills (technical ↔ non-technical)

Desirable

• Experience working on global-scale or high-traffic platforms
• Experience collaborating with offshore development teams
• AI-assisted development experience (Copilot, agents, etc.)
• Exposure to DevOps, infrastructure, or cloud environments
• Team or project leadership experience (non-managerial)

What We’re Looking For

• We are looking for a well-rounded senior engineer, not just a coder.
• You should be comfortable:

Hiring Process

• Direct application only (no agencies)
• Fast 2-stage interview process
• Candidates must be prepared to discuss and demonstrate past projects they have worked on (commercial or significant personal projects)

What We Offer

• Competitive salary (£45k–£50k)
• Exposure to multiple large-scale platforms
• Direct impact on system design and product direction
• Long-term growth opportunities within a growing technology group
• Canary Wharf office location

Benefits

• Annual leave (7.2 weeks)
• Workplace pension scheme.
• Company Sick Policy.
• Statutory maternity/paternity pays.
• Career development opportunities
• Training and self-development opportunities.
• Gym membership discounts
• Retail discount schemes
• Cinema discounts
• Grocery discounts
• Cycle to work
• Investing and savings opportunities
• Financial wellbeing – personal debt advise.
• Financial wellbeing education
• My Mind Pal (mental fitness)