Tech Lead, Zinc Work
£80-85k
+ Zinc shares, issued through the EMI Scheme
2 days a week in office
Automated employee reference and background checking software
Be an early applicant
Automated employee reference and background checking software
101-200 employees
Be an early applicant
£80-85k
+ Zinc shares, issued through the EMI Scheme
2 days a week in office
101-200 employees
Company mission
To change the way people prove their work identity.
Role
Who you are
- Full Stack Development 💻 – Strong experience across frontend and backend, ideally with TypeScript, Vue/Nuxt (or React/Angular), and Node.js
- Cloud & Infrastructure ☁️ – Experience with AWS and cloud-native systems
- Database Knowledge 📂 – NoSQL expertise, particularly with document-based databases
- System Maintenance 🏗️ – Proven ability to keep systems performant, scalable, and reliable over time
- Great Communicator 🗣️ – Able to clearly explain complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences
- Pragmatic & Ownership-Driven 🎯 – Makes sound decisions balancing speed, quality, and long-term impact
- Problem Solver 🧠 – Navigates ambiguity, finds solutions, and unblocks others
- Empathetic Leader ❤️ – Builds trust with direct reports, supports their growth, and fosters a positive team culture
What the job involves
- We’re expanding our engineering team and looking for a Tech Lead to help take Zinc to the next level
- In this role, you’ll be a true player-coach - building high-quality features hands-on, while mentoring and supporting engineers, and owning a core product area to keep it running at peak performance
- You’ll work closely with Product and the wider business to shape not just what we build but how we build it, ensuring long-term success
- And as the voice of engineering across teams, you’ll help communicate new features, align priorities, and set the pace. With a blend of coding and leadership, this is your opportunity to make a lasting impact on both our platform and our people as we scale
- Driving projects & productivity – Lead technical initiatives, ensuring your team delivers high-quality, impactful work on time
- Player-coach leadership 👥 – Balance coding (60%) with management (40%), including running 1:1s, performance reviews, and mentoring two direct reports
- Owning your product area 🎯 – Take high ownership of your product’s performance, stability, and long-term maintainability
- Cross-team communication ️ – Partner with Product, Customer Success, and Account Management to explain new features and technical decisions, through presentations, Q&As, and tailored updates
- Team onboarding & growth 🌱 – Support smooth onboarding for new engineers, helping them ramp up quickly and feel set up for success
- Reporting To: Sanjeev Ponnapula
Salary benchmarks
Our take
The existing processes for referencing and background checking suffer from notable inefficiencies, marked by biases, time-consuming procedures, and an intimidating experience for candidates. Addressing these challenges, Zinc Work aims to solve these processes by introducing an automated reference and background-checking solution.
Setting itself apart in the market, Zinc Work focuses on the user-friendly design of its solution, its swift integration into existing Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), and its high level of customisation. With a vision to offer a solution for background checks, Zinc covers a spectrum from criminal record checks to financial, education, identity, employment, and reference checks.
Funding secured in 2023 was led by esteemed financial services investor AVP (AXA Venture Partners) and supported by Seedcamp, and will facilitate the launch of groundbreaking industry initiatives. These include the introduction of the first reusable global Right To Work check, the first Employment verification reference integrated with HMRC, and a background check template library collaboratively contributed to by over 40 Zinc Work customers. This financial injection underscored Zinc's commitment to innovation and reinforced its position as a trailblazer in the realm of automated reference and background checking solutions.
Kirsty
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
43% female employees
Company
Funding (last 2 of 3 rounds)
Jul 2023
$6.8m
SERIES A
Mar 2022
$1.4m
SEED
Total funding: $8.7m
Company benefits
- 24 days holiday + Bank Holidays + your birthday off
- Apple laptop and latest tech gear for your home workstation
- £1200 annual benefits allowance (ThanksBen, from month 2)
- Early finish Fridays (16:00)
- Yearly company Retreat - this year in 🇫🇷
- Enhanced Maternity, Paternity, and Adoption Leave (2 months full pay, then statutory)
- Statutory pension with NEST (3% employer, 5% employee)
- Zinc shares, issued through the EMI Scheme
- Unlimited access to MoreHappi coaching
Company values
- Empathy: Seeking to understand your perspective first
- Collaboration: We will work teogether to solve problems
- Empowered: Empowering candidates with information and data
- Speed: We will work to deliver at pace
- Integrity: We are truth seekers, providing transparent information
- Pragmatic: We're a solutions oriented team that seeks to solve
Company HQ
London, UK
Leadership
Charlotte Lucy Hall
(Co-Founder)Previously a Marketing Manager at Superscript, Podcast Producer at Talent Hacks for Scaleups, and a Marketing Executive at ILTM.
Luke Shipley
(Co-Founder)Previously EMEA Head of Technology at Intelletec for 1 year. Has also co-founded stitch Leggings and Lean Lychee.
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