We are re-engineering the laundry process from the ground up; our aim is for clinically-clean, net-zero carbon emissions for the whole process, from the collection, through washing and back to delivery. This has never been accomplished and we are determined to be the first truly sustainable and hygienic on-demand laundry company in the world. We don’t want to brag, but we did win the “Best Global Practice” award in 2020 for our service.

We are looking for a senior backend engineer to join the Oxwash engineering team, and help us build a world-class sustainable business. We are looking for someone who can work across a number of projects in 2021 (and beyond), and take a lead in crafting the architecture and practices necessary to build our vision.

Our backend code powers both our web, and our native apps, helping customers arrange the collection, cleaning, and delivery of their laundry. Behind the scenes, it’s responsible for driving logistical and computational efficiency. Our current software is  written in TypeScript, on the MEAN stack (MongoDB, Express, Angular, Node.js) and hosted on AWS. We don’t expect you to have flawless knowledge and endless experience in each of these areas - just an eye for architecture and a willingness to learn. We see learning and improving as part of the development process. 

You would join a small, friendly, and passionate engineering team and will be able to shape the future of Oxwash. We’re looking for someone who can help us identify and solve the problems as we scale our system, both in load and geography,   

This is largely a remote role, however we are trying to work together with other Oxwash teams in one of our ‘Lagoons’ (our dry and wet-cleaning hubs, where the magic happens) once or twice a week, when it is safe and responsible to do so. We currently have Lagoons in London, Cambridge, and Oxford.

Technologies you will work with

We don’t expect you to have a flawless knowledge of every part of our software stack. You would need to consider yourself to have a good knowledge of a couple of these technologies, and at least an awareness of everything else. As a young company, our software is evolving fast - so it’s more important that you’re able to pick up these parts quickly.

• Languages: TypeScript, JavaScript

• Frameworks: Angular (v2+), React, Node.js, Express, Jest

• Databases: MongoDB, Postgres

• Infrastructure: AWS Lambda, Elastic Beanstalk, Serverless framework

• We plan to use Python in future for data-focused work

• We also want to explore a possible Internet of Things (IoT) project with our washing cleaning and drying machines

Challenges you'll be working on

• Projects and features to simplify the lives of our processing and rider staff 

• Data-centric projects to drive growth for the business

• Refactoring an existing RESTful API into a modern and clean codebase

• Help craft the practices and standards of a growing engineering team and codebase

• Sharing your knowledge, and mentoring other engineers in the team 

What you'll need to be successful in the role

• You care about software engineering and see it as craft.

• You are somebody who isn’t afraid to voice their opinion, and are always willing to listen to others

• You have experience developing API-focused backend applications, in any programming language or framework, 

• You have an interest in working with modern web software, including TypeScript 

• You have experience helping to design scalable and modern software systems.

• You have experience using  relational and document databases, especially MongoDB and Postgres.

• You care about making the best user experience possible

• You like learning new things

Our Interview Process

We want to build a sensible and human interview process at Oxwash. We’ll never ask you brainteasers, we don’t do any whiteboard problem solving, and we’re not going to demand you spend hours on a homework activity. If you have any commitments, professional or personal, which we would need to work around - we are completely able to do so.

• Introductory phone call with Toni, our Head of Technology, so we can learn more about each other (30-60 minutes)

• A remote, e.g. Google Hangouts, technical interview with Head of Technology and CEO. You will not need to prepare anything for this interview, we’ll work together to understand and refactor part of our codebase. This is a great time to ask any more strategic questions. (90 minutes)

• If safe and possible, a face to face chat with the other members of the engineering teams, and a tour of one of our Lagoons (one of our washing hubs).

• We extend a Job Offer, if we think there’s a good fit between us!

The Perks

• Yearly conference budget (online for now, in-person when that’s possible)

• Free personal laundry, it’s important you know the Oxwash service!

• Free mental health support and counselling, provided by Spill (https://www.spill.chat/)

• Participating in one of the world’s best accelerator programs (Founders Factory) and with networks with others around the world (YC, OXFO L.E.V8, etc.)

• An enhanced sickness policy, and parental leave

• Share options available

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. This job description is intended to convey