Lead Software Engineer

We’re supportive, inclusive and collaborative. We’re also on a mission to open the world to everyone, giving our customers unlimited choice, unmatched ease and unmissable value for their next getaway. Essentially, we are our customers’ personal holiday expert, the smart way to get away – and our engineering teams build the technology that makes the holiday happen.

The work we do in engineering underpins our vision to become the most loved OTA in Europe, providing a best-in-class experience for our customers pre- and post-booking. Our systems process 500 billion holiday offers every day, helping millions of customers find their perfect holiday. Our website serves 7,500 requests per second, backed by more than 100 services hosted on GCP, with deployments happening 600 times a month.

Our CCAI-powered contact centre bot handles 70% of all customer chat requests, answering 1.4 million queries in 2022 in less than 1 minute each.

Reporting to the Director of Engineering, Lead Software Engineers at loveholidays are the technical owners of:

• Supplier integration systems that process vast amounts of data.
• Industry-shaping, high-performance bespoke search and recommendation systems.
• Sophisticated real-time pricing systems.
• Complex domain modelling and implementation of booking payment, fulfilment and management systems.
• AI-powered solutions to assist customers pre- and post-booking.

Lead Software Engineers are also responsible for their team’s engineers’ line management and career development, building and running services at scale in the cloud, and supporting team productivity and growth. They collaborate with the technical leadership team, communicate technical strategies to stakeholders, and participate in recruitment. A proven track record in mentoring, supporting, and improving engineering teams is essential.

Required technical expertise includes algorithms, data structures, HTTP, web services, REST, containers, cloud technologies, testing, reliability, monitoring, and proficiency in multiple programming languages such as Type Script, Java, Golang, Rust, and Python.

Company pension contributions at 5%, an individualised training budget, discounted holidays, 25 days of annual leave (plus 8 public holidays), with increases based on service, and options to buy or sell leave. Additional benefits include cycle-to-work schemes, season ticket loans, and eye care vouchers.

We focus on creating an inclusive culture that fosters personal growth and collective success, valuing diverse perspectives and ideas to enhance our teams.

Screening call with the talent partner.

First-stage interview with two engineers from the team.

Technical challenge — options for a live or take-home task.

Final stage discussions covering three key areas.

loveholidays offers a personalized way to search for your next getaway, with flexible holiday options and ATOL protection, ensuring confidence in your booking. We provide various payment options to suit your needs.