VetDrive is a cloud-based practice management software designed for veterinary clinics to streamline their operations. Our platform enables clients to efficiently document patient clinical and purchase histories while gaining valuable insights through advanced data analytics. With tailored solutions such as the "on-farm" app for large animal vets, a desktop version for small animal vets, and QuickBooks integration, VetDrive offers comprehensive practice management for veterinary professionals.

Role Description

We're looking for a Lead Software Engineer who is as comfortable in a code review as they are in a sprint planning session. Someone who takes genuine ownership — not just of their own output, but of the entire team's success. You'll be the technical backbone of our engineering organisation: mentoring engineers, driving architectural decisions, and ensuring that what we commit to, we deliver.

This is a hands-on leadership role. You won't just point at problems — you'll solve them. You'll work primarily within our MERN stack environment, leading a team of talented engineers while collaborating closely with Product and leadership to translate business ambitions into scalable, production-ready software.

Are you a thought leader who can solve any problem, regardless of complexity or scale? Do you know which corners can and can't be cut? Can you balance technical ambitions with business objectives while building a culture where engineers genuinely thrive? If so, we want to hear from you.

Key Responsibilities

Team Leadership & Culture

Lead, mentor, and grow a team of engineers — setting a high bar while empowering people to do their best work
Foster a thriving engineering culture grounded in accountability, psychological safety, and continuous improvement
Monitor individual performance, identify strengths, and create tailored growth paths for each team member
Participate actively in hiring — sourcing, interviewing, and onboarding A-players who raise the collective bar
Promote and enforce coding standards, guidelines, and engineering best practices across the organisation

Delivery & Sprint Execution

Design, run, and continuously improve sprint ceremonies — planning, standups, reviews, and retrospectives
Own delivery timelines end-to-end: break down requirements, assign tasks, track progress, and remove blockers
Ensure every sprint commitment is met — hold the team accountable without compromising quality or morale
Manage day-to-day operational aspects of projects, escalating risks early and proposing solutions proactively
Work hands-on when needed — you're not above picking up a task to keep the team moving

Architecture & Technical Excellence

Design and own the system architecture for your product stream, with scalability and maintainability in mind
Lead technical decision-making across the full MERN stack — setting direction on patterns, tooling, and standards
Drive code quality through rigorous reviews, automated testing strategies, and clear engineering standards
Identify and address technical debt proactively; make pragmatic trade-offs with long-term health in mind
Stay current with industry trends and evaluate new technologies that could benefit the platform

Cross-functional Collaboration

Partner with Product Managers and leadership to translate business objectives into clear technical roadmaps
Collaborate across Design, Infrastructure, QA, and Strategy to deliver products that put users first
Act as the technical conduit to the business — communicating clearly with non-technical stakeholders
Influence the company's broader technical vision and contribute to engineering strategy at an organisational level

Requirements

Must Have

6+ years of professional software engineering experience, with a strong progression in scope and impact
2+ years in a technical leadership or team lead role, directly managing engineers
Proven track record of on-time, high-quality project delivery — you have examples and numbers to back it up
Experience leading a team of 4 or more developers through full product delivery cycles
Deep, hands-on expertise in the MERN stack: MongoDB, Express.js, React, and Node.js
Strong JavaScript and TypeScript fundamentals — you understand the runtime, not just the syntax
Solid grasp of RESTful API design, authentication flows, and backend service architecture
Experience with relational and non-relational databases, query optimisation, and data modelling
Demonstrated ability to design and architect scalable, highly available systems under real production load
Familiar with distributed systems concepts: caching, queuing, eventual consistency, and fault tolerance
Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, or Azure) and their core services (compute, storage, networking)
Understanding of security best practices in web application development
Strong command of source control workflows (Git), CI/CD pipelines, and automated testing strategies
Comfortable with Agile methodologies (Scrum or Kanban) — you can run a sprint, not just participate in one
Analytical mindset: you diagnose problems rigorously before jumping to solutions
Excellent written and verbal communication — you can explain complex technical concepts to any audience
Hands-on and not afraid to get into the weeds — ownership means everything to you
Performs under pressure with composure; you thrive in fast-paced, high-stakes environments
A genuine people-developer — you measure your success by how far your team has grown
You know which corners can and can't be cut, and you have the conviction to push back when needed

Nice to Have

Background in a SaaS or product-led company, particularly B2B or vertical SaaS
Experience scaling applications to high-traffic (millions of requests), including performance profiling and optimisation
Exposure to DevOps practices: infrastructure-as-code, container orchestration (Docker / Kubernetes)
Familiarity with UML, system documentation, and architectural decision records (ADRs)
Experience with real-time features (WebSockets, server-sent events) or event-driven architectures
Prior involvement in engineering hiring at scale — you've built interview pipelines and grown teams from scratch

Benefits