About Autotrader

You’ve probably heard of Autotrader, but do you know what we’re all about?  

We're the most trusted, most visited automotive marketplace in the UK. A heritage brand and a tech innovator. We bring together vehicle buyers and sellers to give them real choices. Cars may be what we're best known for but we’re also the place for pretty much everything else on wheels, from e-bikes to caravans.

In the automotive world, change is a constant, that’s why we take our job of untangling the complex car-buying journey very seriously. 
 
At our core, we’re all about people. We go our own way while embracing diversity and celebrating our differences. We dedicate ourselves to the idea that we work better together. 

Autotrader is a beautiful, surprising and vibrant place to work. We might not be for everyone, but we could be perfect for you. 

About the job

We’re looking for a Technical Lead to join us and lead our engineering efforts with creativity, vision, and expertise. You will lead colleagues, producing innovative, maintainable solutions to problems whilst demonstrating a solid grasp of good system design and architecture. You will manage other engineers, supporting their continuous improvement. You will collaborate with other leads, helping define and deliver a longer-term technical vision.

While we appreciate that your experience may be more weighted toward either people management or coding, we're open to hearing from you as long as you're open to do both.

You might assume that our name, Autotrader, means you need to be a car enthusiast to work here. But that's not the case. We're looking for people who are passionate about their work and thrive in a collaborative environment.

What you'll do  

• Lead and mentor a diverse team of engineers, fostering a supportive and inclusive environment where everyone can excel. 

• Deliver software projects by leveraging your team efficiently, cultivating an engaging and productive environment

• Contribute as an engineer yourself; coding, designing, and shaping systems 

• Support our recruitment process by evaluating candidates at all stages
• Conduct code reviews, provide constructive feedback, and promote a culture of continuous learning and improvement

What we're looking for 

• Leadership in guiding and nurturing teams to achieve their full potential, fostering an environment of collaboration and continuous improvement

• Manage and mentor other engineers, providing support and guidance 

• A Software Engineering background (we don’t mind what languages you’ve worked with as long as you are comfortable working with a range of tools and tech) 

• Experience leading the delivery of technical projects  
• Collaboration and sharing technical expertise with others 
• Web application design and RESTful API know-how, particularly within a microservices architecture 
• A structured programming approach, including TDD, along with expertise in architectural and system design, and proficiency in SQL/relational databases.

During our application process, you will be asked two questions to help us learn more about you and how you align with our values. These will be used as part of our selection criteria, to determine if we progress your application further

Benefits and more

We’re offering a salary of 70k+ plus an additional 10% of your salary awarded to you in shares each year. These awarded shares will become yours in yearly instalments over the next three years, and you can choose to either sell them or keep them as shares. 

You'll have 28 days holiday per year, and that's in addition to bank holidays and half day closures on Christmas and New Year's Eve.

That’s not all. You'll be enrolled in our pension scheme, where our standard contributions are 7% and employee contributions are 5%. We also have comprehensive private medical cover, enhanced family leave provisions, a car salary sacrifice scheme, share-save options, and much more. 

We always want to give you the support you need and help prioritise your wellbeing, that’s why we provide access to a Digital GP service, as well as specialist support for assisted fertility, gender dysphoria, menopause, period care plans and lots more.  

On top of all that, our hybrid model, Connected Working, combines the best of both worlds – office and home working. You'll spend a minimum of 3 days a week in the office with your team, focused on collaboration and connection. 

Additionally, we have our remote-first periods at set times during summer and winter. During these periods, you can work remotely anywhere in the UK and from certain locations abroad.

Alongside a wide range of benefits, we'll help you settle in with confidence from day one. If you're successful, one of the first things you'll experience is our tailored new-starter induction programme, Great Start, designed to help you feel welcome, connected, and set up for success.