Lead Software Engineer

Help us use technology to make a big green dent in the universe!

Kraken powers some of the most innovative global developments in energy.

We’re a technology company focused on creating a smart, sustainable energy system. From optimising renewable generation, creating a more intelligent grid and enabling utilities to provide excellent customer experiences, our operating system for energy is transforming the industry around the world in a way that benefits everyone.

It’s a really exciting time in energy. Help us make a real impact on shaping a better, more sustainable future. 

Kraken Customer

What we do: build the most AI-driven, innovative, forward-thinking platform for energy management. From optimizing resources to delivering cost-effective, exceptional customer experiences through advanced Customer Information Systems (CIS), billing, meter data management, CRM, and AI-driven communications, Kraken is powering the next wave of innovation in the energy industry.

Why we do it: future energy will not look like energy as we know it today. We need to not just think about our future, but build for it. Now.

Our team

All technology is written and maintained by a multi-discipline engineering team of around 1500 people globally. Our engineers work in ‘super teams’ which are focused on key areas of our platform as well as other innovative products. This includes client-side, server-side, and mobile engineers working closely with product experts, copywriters and designers. 

Teams are empowered to choose a way of working that works for them, often opting for a Kanban-like approach. Notion and Asana are then used to specify and manage work. Client-side, we use React,Next.js, Typescript, htmx and SASS; our mobile apps are built using native code or React Native. On the server-side, we mainly use Python. Most of our websites are powered by Django, Django-REST-framework and GraphQL (Graphene). Github, CircleCI and Terraform Enterprise are used as part of an immutable-infrastructure and continuous delivery pipeline. Datadog, Sentry and Cloudwatch are used to measure performance and monitor production.

We're passionate about building great technology to change the way customers use, and think about, energy for the good of the planet. This is a fantastic opportunity to work with us on problems that genuinely move us closer to Net Zero, and support the energy transition.

About this role

You'll be joining to build and lead a team of engineers on one of the French Market sub-teams - with close support and collaboration from the wider Kraken team and oversight from the French Market leadership that you will report to.

Your main focus will be to build a local, independent team, capable of dealing with the challenges that the French Energy Industry throws us. Our main area of expertise in this team is to turn complex, country specific regulation and make it a seamless process to interact with it from an end-user point of view reusing as much globally written code as possible. Kraken is used by tens of thousands of energy specialists all over the world, and we are in charge of ensuring that no matter the legal, political or regulatory landscape, we are always providing the best experience to our end users. 

As a Tech Lead, you will have management responsibilities of your team. We are looking for someone with prior lead/manager experience who is comfortable with the people management side of the job, specially in enabling growth of more junior team members. The ability to mentor and grow a team of Python developers comes at a premium for this role and we are looking for candidates who have a proven track record of delivering outstanding results in this area. While a huge number of our roles at Kraken are remote, we believe the strong emphasis on personal growth of a local team is best achieved with more face-to-face contact. To this end, this particular role is expected to be Hybrid role with 3 days a week on-site (on average).  

Together with the rest of the team, you will bring the same revolutionary customer experience, operational excellence and speed of innovation that Kraken is powering across energy retailers to other sectors. 

Some of ourcoding conventions are open-source.  

Kraken is a great place to learn, work with some talented engineers and level-up your skills.  

• You’ll be responsible for leading a team of engineers. This team is expected to grow in size over time.
• This role will involve line management duties, as well as being hands on and close to the code.
• Your team will be implementing the regulatory technical specifications needed to operate in the French energy market.
• This team will work hand-in-hand with global product teams and may need to share duties and responsibilities.
• Your team will be responsible for growing your code’s functionality in a way that makes it as easy to work with for our end-users as possible. We are looking for people interested in taking a very complex problem, and making anyone else be able to understand it and operate it with just a couple of clicks.
• Engage with stakeholders and clients to scope, prioritise and build new functionality and features.
• You may get involved in hiring for your team as it naturally grows, conducting interviews, marking tech challenges, making hiring decisions.
• Collaborate with a global team spread across the EU, US and APAC.

• You’ll want to have experience managing people, and ideally you’ll have been involved in hiring and onboarding new team members before. 
• We’re looking for someone with a general interest in technology and problem-solving; someone diligent and thoughtful. 
• Your level will be Lead Software Engineer and we expect you to have experience/expertise in the following (in rough priority order):Python and Django (or equivalent web framework), web development experience, as you will be required to work on full-stack projects, Domain modelling, HTTP and REST APIs, Writing robust and fault-tolerant software, Celery and async processing, Postgres
• Plus experience in the following would be a bonus:Terraform, React and Redux, GraphQL
• Previous experience in the French Energy Industry is always a plus

If this sounds like you then we'd love to hear from you.

Are you ready for a career with us? We want to ensure you have all the tools and environment you need to unleash your potential. Need any specific accommodations? Whether you require specific accommodations or have a unique preference, let us know, and we'll do what we can to customise your interview process for comfort and maximum magic!

Studies have shown that some groups of people, like women, are less likely to apply to a role unless they meet 100% of the job requirements. Whoever you are, if you like one of our jobs, we encourage you to apply as you might just be the candidate we hire. Across Octopus, we're looking for genuinely decent people who are honest and empathetic. Our people are our strongest asset and the unique skills and perspectives people bring to the team are the driving force of our success. As an equal opportunity employer, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected attribute. Our commitment is to provide equal opportunities, an inclusive work environment, and fairness for everyone.