Principal DevEx Engineer, Arbor Education
Developer Experience
£100-120k
More information about location
We helps schools transform the way they work using data
Job no longer available
We helps schools transform the way they work using data
101-200 employees
Job no longer available
£100-120k
More information about location
101-200 employees
Company mission
Arbor's mission to transform the way schools work for the better, and it starts by giving everyone the right tools and technology for the job.
Role
Who you are
- Significant experience leading developer productivity, Developer Experience (DevX), or Platform Engineering initiatives in a SaaS environment
- Proven expertise with Internal Developer Platforms (e.g., Atlassian Compass, Backstage, or similar) and experience implementing/operating IDPs at scale
- Deep familiarity with developer productivity metrics (DORA, SPACE, custom frameworks) and using them to drive change
- Demonstrable track record of introducing and scaling AI-assisted tooling within engineering workflows
- Experience designing and delivering templates, developer tooling, and service catalogues
- Strong technical background in software engineering (hands-on coding experience required)
- Proven ability to influence and lead cross-functional teams without direct authority
- SQL/BI experience (ideally with platforms like Snowflake) to query metrics and data
Desirable
- Prior experience in EdTech or other regulated SaaS environments
- Experience leading or managing small technical teams
- Familiarity with modern DevOps, CI/CD, and cloud-native patterns (AWS preferred)
- Track record of driving change in organisations scaling from legacy processes to modern DevEx platforms
What the job involves
- We are looking for an experienced and forward-thinking Principal DevEx Engineer (Developer Experience) to join our Engineering team and help us design, implement, and own metrics-driven approaches to productivity; drive process and tooling improvements; and introduce an Internal Developer Platform (IDP) to enable engineers to deliver value quickly, consistently, and with high quality
- The remit and focus of the role is to define and lead the strategy to improve engineering productivity, developer experience, and adoption of AI-powered tooling across Arbor’s product and platform teams
- It’s a broad and exciting role, so we’re looking for someone up for a challenge - if you’re a highly technical and collaborative candidate, this is the role for you
- AI Tooling & Process Integration
- Lead the adoption of AI-powered developer tools and embed AI-assisted workflows into engineering processes, collaborating with Engineering Managers and Tech Leads
- Identify, pilot, and scale AI tooling to improve productivity, velocity, and code quality across teams
- Productivity Metrics & Continuous Improvement
- Define and implement productivity metrics; develop dashboards and regular reporting for leadership and teams
- Design and execute strategies to systematically improve developer productivity and flow
- Identify sources of developer waste and remove bottlenecks through automation, better tooling, and process re-engineering
- Developer Experience & Internal Platform
- Own the strategy and implementation of our Internal Developer Platform (IDP), likely Atlassian Compass, to provide self-service tooling, templates, and documentation for engineers
- Develop and maintain a service catalogue within the IDP in partnership with the platform team
- Build and maintain templates, frameworks, and tools for rapid, consistent bootstrapping of new services and components
- Utilise the Atlassian platform to provide joined up developer experiences
- Collaboration & Leadership
- Partner closely with Platform Engineering to deliver foundational changes, before growing an autonomous DevX function
- Advocate for a culture of continuous improvement, sharing best practices internally and externally
- Over time, hire and lead a small team of Developer Experience (DevX) specialists
- Accountability
- Be accountable for delivering a 12-month roadmap focused on measurable productivity gains through AI tooling adoption and platform improvements
Application process
- Phone screen
- 1st stage
- 2nd stage
Our take
Arbor helps schools transform the way they work, saving teachers time and improving student outcomes.
The mess and stress of data and admin is a major source of unhappiness in our schools. 60% of a teacher's time is spent on admin-related work, 53% agree that it contributes to stress and it's only getting worse every year. Arbor is tackling this by building hassle-free school technology. The company has two products, a Management Information System to automate school workflows, saving teachers time, and benchmarking analytics to identify areas of concern and reduce time to intervention.
With a team of diverse and experienced individuals, including former teachers and education specialists, the company stands poised to enact meaningful change within the sector, Its mission is clear: to assist schools in prioritising what matters most - enhancing the well-being of teachers and fostering positive student outcomes worldwide.
Steph
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
Company
Funding (last 2 of 5 rounds)
Apr 2020
$4.1m
EARLY VC
Dec 2018
$2.4m
EARLY VC
Total funding: $14.2m
Company benefits
- Aside from the chance to work alongside a team of hard-working, passionate people in a role where you’ll see the impact of your work everyday.
- At Arbor we're passionate about learning, and to support this we have a dedicated training budget for all teams.
- Dedicated Mental Health First Aiders and Wellbeing Champions with ongoing support and learning around mental health.
- Depending on your role we can also offer you flexible working - just mention it in your interview and we'll let you know what your options are
- We have regular team socials where we spend dedicated time together. This year we've had BBQs, been to theatre shows, gone white water rafting, and more!
- Half-day summer Fridays Plus, we shut the office for a day at Easter and over Christmas so you get some extra time off then too!
- 25 days holiday (excl. bank holidays)
- EAP - Choice of comprehensive 24/7 support services with UK and Ireland's most trusted health and wellbeing network.
- We're all about making an impact! So everyone who joins us gets 1 day a year to volunteer for a charity or cause of their choice
Company values
- Own what you do - We act like owners, embrace responsibility and own the outcomes of our work - both good and bad!
- Everyday's a school day - Education and technology have changed more in the last 10 years than in the last 100. We need to embrace change and continually challenge ourselves to grow and stay ahead
- Make an impact - We take pride in being part of a movement to improve how schools work, so we're always thinking about how we can make a difference
- No-one can whistle a symphony - ...it takes an orchestra! We work together as a team to help each other, our partners and our customers to achieve their full potential
Company HQ
London, UK
Articles
Leadership
James Weatherill
(CEO)Previously Analyst at Ledbury Research for 3 years and Venture Manager at Therefore Ventures for 1 year
People progressing
Joined as Marketing Executive, being promoted to Marketing Manager after 1 year
Ulrik joined Arbor 10 years ago as a junior developer and has moved through the ranks to Principle Engineer and our longest serving engineer. A great representation of career progression at Arbor!
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at Arbor Education
Ben Ainger (Talent Acquisition Lead)
- At Arbor, our mission is to transform the ways schools work. That means we serve a broad and diverse professional community - from teachers to SLT to Support Staff - and an equally diverse student and parent community. We want to make sure we build the best products for our schools, and we passionately believe that starts with building a workforce as diverse as the communities we serve
- As of today we know we’re not there yet, but we’re committed to doing the work to improve. We want Arbor to be a workplace which represents, celebrates and supports people from all backgrounds, and which gives them the tools they need to thrive
- Our focus over the past few months has been on understanding where we need to improve, and on making sure that everyone at Arbor has had the chance to share their views. So far, we’ve established a Diversity and Inclusion Committee, surveyed our team, hosted training and workshops, and reviewed our recruitment process. We know we’ve still got big work to do, but we’re actively working on it. We look forward to hearing your thoughts on how we’re doing
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