Senior Full Stack Node Developer

About The Role

Hippo is a rapidly growing digital consultancy passionate about building and delivering transformative digital solutions for a diverse range of Public and Private sector clients. We are recruiting for a Senior Full Stack Node Developer to join our Hippo Herd. We work at the intersection of strategy, design, and technology to solve complex problems and create lasting value. Our collaborative and agile culture empowers our teams to make a genuine impact.

As a Senior Full Stack Node Developer, you will play an important role in making Hippo the best Consultancy out there. You will work as part of a multi-disciplinary team combining data, design, product, delivery, analysis and engineering to deliver bespoke digital services that make a positive and meaningful impact on organisations and society.

• Lead the production of user‑centred software, ensuring development is based on business requirements and follows best practice.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues and stakeholders to explore, design and deliver solutions to complex client problems.
• Take ownership of software development and deployment pipelines, resolving issues and potential bottlenecks before they occur.
• Communicate and present prototypes, solutions and progress to internal and external stakeholders in a clear, concise manner.
• Build great relationships with your team and stakeholders, identifying and ensuring that challenges are overcome.
• Mentor other engineers and support consultants in their professional development through coaching and guidance.
• Promote Hippo’s Engineering Herd internally and externally through knowledge sharing, workshops, or blogs.

• Excellent experience in Node.js and modern JavaScript/Type Script frameworks.
• Proven track record of delivering high‑quality, robust, and scalable solutions within a delivery team.
• Expertise in coaching and guiding others on the best way to achieve an optimal solution.
• Excellent verbal/written communication skills, able to articulate in both technical and non‑technical terms.
• Extensive experience in the full development lifecycle delivering user‑centred digital solutions.
• Advanced full stack skills across the front end (React/Next.js) and back end (Node/Express).
• Deep knowledge of containerisation (Docker, Kubernetes) and Microservices architecture.
• Expertise in RESTful API design and complex system integration.
• Proficiency in agile methods and using techniques such as Scrum, Kanban, and TDD.
• Strong experience in Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, Cloud Formation) and public cloud architecture (AWS or Azure).
• Proficient in CI/CD tools and automated testing strategies.

• Previous experience of working on GOV/NHS projects or in a consultancy environment.
• Experience with event‑driven architectures and messaging systems (e.g., Kafka, RabbitMQ).

• Contributory Pension Scheme (Hippo 6% & Employee 2%)
• 25 Days Holiday plus UK Public Holidays
• Perkbox access for a wide range of discounts
• Critical illness cover
• Life assurance and death in service cover
• Volunteer days
• Cycle‑to‑work scheme for avid cyclists
• Salary sacrifice electric vehicles scheme
• Season ticket loans
• Financial and general wellbeing sessions
• Flexible benefits scheme with options including private health cover, private dental cover, additional company pension contributions, additional holidays (up to an extra 2 days), wellbeing contribution, charity contributions, and tree planting.

At Hippo, we’re dedicated to creating a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace that works for everyone. We understand that having a diverse team unlocks our capacity for innovation, creativity and problem solving. We actively encourage applications from underrepresented groups including women, ethnic minorities, LGBTQ+, neurodivergent and people with disabilities. We are committed to providing an inclusive and accessible recruitment process that reflects our workplace culture.

Hippo is a registered Disability Confident Employer, Mindful Employer, Endometriosis Friendly Employer and a member of the Armed Forces Covenant.

We are headquartered in Leeds and have offices across the UK in Glasgow, Manchester, Birmingham, London and Bristol. Candidates must be located within reasonable travelling distance from one of our offices. You may be required to work on‑site at a Hippo office or at an in‑town client location for a number of days per week (client dependent). We offer a generous relocation support package of up to £8,000 to help make your move smooth.