About PlusPlusMinus

PlusPlusMinus is a development consultancy that crafts bespoke digital products in true partnership with our clients. We work with a focused portfolio of clients across industries including hospitality, financial services, e-commerce, and civic technology — building software that serves real needs and delivers meaningful outcomes.

We are not a feature factory. We are craftspeople who take pride in the code we write, the products we ship, and the relationships we build. Our culture is defined by four core values:

• Craft Excellence — Everything we build is an act of creative care. We chase excellence in every line of code, every interface, and every interaction. We keep our codebase clean and take pride in maintaining high standards across all deliverables.

• Client Partnership — Clients are partners in our process, not simply customers. We build what matters, protect scope with integrity, and never abuse client trust.

• High-Performing Teams — We are a team with shared accountability. Collective responsibility for outcomes — stronger together than as separate contributors. We Work Out Loud (# WOL) and maintain consistent communication to build trust.

• Calm Culture — We operate from competence, not panic. Sustainable rhythms, right-sized workloads, and the precision of an operating room over the chaos of an emergency room.

Our Approach to AI

We are an AI-forward consultancy — but with a clear philosophy: AI enhances human judgement, it doesn't replace it. We treat AI as a strategic enabler that eliminates bottlenecks, accelerates delivery, and frees our team to focus on higher-value creative and architectural work. Every engineer at PPM is expected to leverage AI tools thoughtfully as part of their daily workflow — from code generation and refactoring to testing, documentation, and problem-solving.

What we don't do is outsource thinking to AI. The craft still belongs to the craftsperson. Human creativity, architectural judgement, client empathy, and team collaboration remain at the centre of everything we build. AI makes us faster and more capable; our people make us excellent.

Role Overview

As a Senior Full Stack Engineer at PPM, you will be a driving force behind the technical quality and delivery of our products. You'll work within cross-functional teams through our cycle-based delivery methodology, taking ownership of features from conception to deployment.

At the Senior level, you are expected to create solutions and deliver quality — not just complete tasks. You solve complex problems, set standards for the team, and support more junior engineers. Your work is reviewed by peers — not because it needs to be caught, but because collaboration sharpens the craft.

You'll mentor colleagues, champion AI-augmented workflows, and ensure that our engineering output reflects the craft excellence we promise our clients.

What You'll Do

Core Engineering

• Design, build, and ship features iteratively, delivering working software in short cycles

• Write code that is maintainable, performant, accessible, and secure — following well-established patterns and PPM's engineering standards

• Move fluidly between front-end and back-end development, owning features end-to-end

• Leverage AI tools strategically throughout the development lifecycle — using AI-assisted code generation, refactoring, test writing, and debugging to accelerate delivery without compromising code quality or architectural integrity

• Apply automated testing practices as a core part of the development process, not an afterthought

• Communicate risks proactively to the project team when they may impact client deliverables or timelines

• Write your own tasks and estimates — we work with missionaries, not mercenaries. The person responsible for the work articulates the work themselves

Front-End Development

• Build responsive, device-adaptive interfaces using React, modern CSS-in-JS libraries, and progressive enhancement techniques

• Implement animations, transitions, and interactions in modular, scalable ways that delight users

• Apply semantic HTML structures, rich schema markup, and open graph tags for SEO and accessibility

• Work with GraphQL data structures and front-end state management patterns

Back-End Development

• Develop and maintain RESTful and GraphQL APIs that interface with relational and non-relational databases

• Implement secure authentication and authorisation mechanisms

• Build with Node.js and TypeScript, applying sound architectural principles

• Understand deployment pipelines and CI/CD processes to ship code to relevant environments

Team & Culture

• Support and guide more junior engineers through code reviews, pair programming, and knowledge sharing

• Contribute to PPM's engineering culture by researching modern frameworks, sharing insights, and opening innovation discussions

• Champion AI-augmented workflows within the team — evaluate new tools, share what works, and help establish practices that maintain quality standards

• Participate actively in team planning, delivery ceremonies, and retrospectives

• Work Out Loud (# WOL) — share progress transparently and keep the team informed

• Maintain and improve existing codebases, libraries, and internal tooling

• Take full ownership of your work, proactively manage tasks, and preempt potential challenges

What We Look For

We care less about ticking boxes on a checklist and more about how you think, build, and collaborate. The right candidate will demonstrate:

Technical Approach

• Full-stack fluency — you move comfortably between front-end and back-end, and you understand the system as a whole, not just the layer you're working in

• Architectural judgement — you choose the right tool, pattern, or framework for the job and can articulate why. You understand trade-offs between speed, scalability, and maintainability

• Quality as a habit — testing, code review, and clean code aren't things you do when there's time; they're how you work

• AI-augmented workflow — you use AI tools daily to accelerate your output, and you know where AI helps and where it falls short

Engineering Maturity

• Ownership mindset — you take full responsibility for your work from task writing through to deployment. You think ahead about dependencies, risks, and downstream impact

• Systems thinking — you consider how your changes affect the broader codebase and product, not just the immediate ticket. You avoid regressions by understanding the system

• Root-cause orientation — when something breaks, you don't just patch the symptom. You diagnose the underlying cause and solve it properly

Collaboration & Communication

• Transparency by default — you Work Out Loud, surface problems early, and keep your team informed without being asked

• Strong written and verbal English — you can write clear task descriptions, meaningful PR summaries, and participate confidently in standups, cycle planning, and client-facing sessions

• Team over individual — you lift others up through code reviews, knowledge sharing, and mentorship. You care about the team's output, not just your own

Experience That Matters

We expect you'll bring solid professional experience — likely 5+ years building production software across the stack. You'll have worked meaningfully with Node.js, TypeScript, relational and non-relational databases, and API design (REST and/or GraphQL). But we're far more interested in the depth and quality of that experience than in counting years against a checklist.

Bonus Points

• Hands-on experience with AI-assisted development tools (Copilot, Claude, Cursor, Cody)

• Integrated into a professional shipping workflow

• React experience (strongly preferred given our front-end stack)

• Cloud platform experience (AWS, GCP)

• CI/CD pipeline experience

• Consultancy or agency background with multiple concurrent client projects

How We Work

We deliver in four-week cycles — structured enough to create focus and accountability, flexible enough to respond to what we learn along the way. Engineers participate in planning, delivery, and reflection as a team. We believe in sustainable rhythms, clear goals, and protecting focus time.

Fridays are reserved for deep work — no meetings unless critical.

AI-Forward by Default

AI tools are woven into how we work, not bolted on as an afterthought. We expect engineers to use AI strategically across the development lifecycle — from code generation and testing through to documentation and debugging.

The key principle: AI handles the acceleration; you own the judgement. We never ship code we can't explain. AI is a multiplier for the craft — it doesn't replace the craftsperson.

What Success Looks Like

A Senior Engineer at PPM:

• Delivers outcomes, not just features — ships work that moves the product forward, not just closes tickets

• Raises the bar — the team's code quality, testing practices, and technical standards improve because you're on it

• Makes others better — through mentorship, code reviews, and knowledge sharing, the people around you grow

• Operates with composure — maintains calm, detailed care under delivery pressure, reflecting PPM's core values

• Multiplies through AI — uses AI tools to ship faster and at higher quality, while owning every architectural decision

How to Apply

If this role resonates with you, along with your OfferZen profile, submit a video recording of your answers to the Quality Gate Questions below. We want to hear you think out loud — not read a polished written

response. Keep it conversational; no production quality needed. Share via a link (e.g. https://www.loom.com — free and simple). Applications without a video will not be considered.

Application Quality Gate Questions

Why these questions? We value intentional applications from people who've taken the time to understand who we are and how we work. These questions help us identify candidates who are genuinely aligned with PPM's values and approach — not just bulk-applying to every opening.

Question 1: Craft & Quality

One of our core values is Craft Excellence — we believe everything we build is an act of creative care. Describe a recent project where you went beyond the functional requirements to deliver something you were genuinely proud of. What specifically did you do that elevated the quality, and how did it impact the end result?

What we're looking for: Evidence of intrinsic motivation around quality, not just "it worked." Specific technical decisions that show care — architecture choices, refactoring, testing strategy, performance optimisation, or user experience attention.

Question 2: Team & Collaboration

At PPM, we believe in team success over individual achievement and practice Working Out Loud (# WOL) — transparently sharing progress, raising concerns early, and keeping the team informed. Tell us about a time you identified a risk or blocker on a project. How did you communicate it, and what was the outcome?

What we're looking for: Proactive communication instincts, not just technical ability. Evidence they surface problems early rather than heroically trying to fix everything alone. Comfort with transparency.

Question 3: Systems Thinking

We expect Senior Engineers to think beyond their immediate task and understand systemic impact — considering how changes affect the broader codebase and product. Walk us through a technical decision you made that required you to balance short-term delivery pressure against long-term code health. What trade-offs did you consider?

What we're looking for: Evidence of architectural thinking and the ability to articulate trade-offs. Understanding of technical debt, regression risk, and downstream impact. Maturity in navigating competing priorities.

Question 4: Ownership & Planning

At PPM, engineers write their own tasks and estimates — we believe the person doing the work should articulate the work themselves. How do you typically approach breaking down a complex feature into deliverable pieces? What makes a good task description versus a vague ticket?

What we're looking for: Thoughtfulness about estimation, task clarity, and accountability. Alignment with an ownership-driven engineering culture where you shape the work, not just execute it.

Question 5: Calm Culture Fit

We describe our culture as the "precision of an operating room over the chaos of an emergency room." Tell us about a time you were under significant delivery pressure. How did you handle it — and looking back, what would you do differently?

What we're looking for: Self-awareness and composure. We want engineers who operate from competence, not panic. Bonus points for honest reflection on what they'd improve — we value growth mindset over perfection.

Question 6: AI-Augmented Development

PPM is an AI-forward consultancy with a clear principle: AI handles the acceleration; you own the judgement. We expect engineers to use AI tools daily — but we never ship code we can't explain. Give us a specific example of how you've used an AI tool (e.g. Copilot, Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT) to solve a real engineering problem or accelerate your workflow. What was the task, how did AI help, and what did you still need to do yourself to ensure the output met production standards?

What we're looking for: Practical, hands-on experience with AI-assisted development — not theoretical enthusiasm. Evidence they understand both the leverage and the limitations. We want engineers who use AI to go faster without losing the ability to reason about their own code. Red flag: candidates who either dismiss AI entirely or treat it as a magic box they don't need to validate.

Question 7: Values Alignment (Short Answer)

Having read about PlusPlusMinus, which of our four values (Craft Excellence, Client Partnership, High-Performing Teams, Calm Culture) resonates most with you, and why? Keep this to 2–3 sentences.

What we're looking for: A genuine, specific response that demonstrates they've actually engaged with our company information — not a generic answer that could apply to any company. This is our primary bulk-application filter.