Year in Industry 2027-28

Closes 8 January 2027 at 16:00 (UK time)

You must be on a University course with a Year in Industry to apply for this role.

Please read all of the information below and then submit your application via the form at the bottom of the page.

Interested in finding out more about how we recruit and work at Harker? Check out our Jobs at Harker page: harkerapp.com/jobs.

Key Details

Contract: Full-time, 1 year FTC
Start Date: Flexible, summer 2027
Pay Rate: circa £25k
Reports to: Chief Technology Officer
Location: Liverpool (with hybrid working)
Seniority: Entry-level
Department: Software Development
Application Deadline: 8 January 2027

Harker is on a mission to solve homelessness with data by building the next generation of case and information management software for homelessness services. Join our team at an exciting time of growth as expand our roll-out, add new features to the platform, and begin to support charities to make a greater impact on the lives of vulnerable individuals.

This job involves working on frontend and backend development of a large software project, with the opportunity to take ownership of features throughout the project. This role is flexible, but requires self-discipline, good teamwork skills and a desire to learn new technologies and make technical decisions.

Working at a Start-Up

A Year in Industry placement at a start-up with a small team (around 7 staff) is a lot different from a placement at a larger, more established corporation.

Working at Harker, you’ll be a key member in a small team and will be expected to be self-reliant, find your own work at times and take on a lot of responsibility. Conversely, this means that you get to play a part in key technical decisions and take ownership of your work.

You’ll also be required to take on additional duties outside of software development from time to time, such as customer support, recruitment, and office operations.

You should think carefully as to whether this is the experience that you would personally want from your Year in Industry.

How to Apply

⛔️ Application Deadline: Friday 08/01/2027 16:00 GMT (UTC+00:00)

The application process for this job is in five parts:

1. Submit the online application form

Click the button at the bottom of this page. As a part of this you will be required to:

a. Answer a few questions
b. Submit your CV
c. Submit a Supporting Statement
d. Submit a short video introducing yourself

2. Non-Technical Interview

Shortlisted candidates will be invited for an interview (either in-person in Liverpool or via Microsoft Teams) which will consist of a variety of non-technical questions to allow us to get to know you better.

w/c 25/01/2027

3. Technical Test

Shortlisted candidates from the non-technical interview will be asked to complete a short (3-hour) take home technical test to demonstrate their software experience ability. This task will involve a Java backend and a frontend implementation in TypeScript.

w/c 08/02/2027

4. Technical Interview

Candidates who submit a satisfactory response to the technical test will be invited to a technical interview (in-person in Liverpool) which will consist of some technical questions, questions about your technical test, and you will be offered the opportunity to show a portfolio of your past work, if you wish.

You will not be disadvantaged if you do not share a portfolio, but it does provide you with another opportunity to demonstrate how you meet the job criteria.

w/c 22/02/2027

5. Founder Interview

Candidates shortlisted from the technical interview will attend a final interview (either in-person in Liverpool or via Microsoft Teams) with the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operations Officer, and Chief Technology Officer, which is an informal conversation to get to know you better, with some questions about your application so far.

Expected early March

Please note that the dates given above are indicative and are subject to change, but we will keep applicants informed of any changes.

Guaranteed Interview scheme

We welcome applications from disabled people and offer a Guaranteed Interview scheme. As long as you meet the below Essential criteria for the job (as outlined below in the job listing), and you identify as disabled as per the definition in the Equality Act 2010, you will be guaranteed an interview. You do not need to prove or disclose your disability to us to qualify for this. Please indicate your preference in the form if you would like your application to be considered under this scheme.

Job Details

Job Overview

With guidance from other developers, Software Developer Interns work across all aspects of our stack developing features for our flagship software project. Software Developer Interns are given the freedom to take ownership of their work, from conception all the way to testing, and are encouraged to learn as they go when working on tasks, whilst still working collaboratively with other developers, and are expected to present their features in software meetings. They are offered dedicated time each month to up-skill, and their usual day-to-day duties involve debugging and picking up Jira tickets.

Key Responsibilities

Developing software features across our stack and producing documentation
Completing issues on Jira, reviewing PRs, and debugging code
Working with senior developers and the project lead to meet specification
Taking ownership of features and presenting demos during software meetings

Person Specification

Essential

Currently studying at a UK university for a degree in Computer Science/Engineering/Physics/Maths
Have a willingness to develop new skills and learn new technologies
Experience in TypeScript/JavaScript
Experience working in a team, ideally in a software environment
Experience managing your own tasks
Experience designing applications (web or native)
Good level of technical knowledge, evidenced by experience in a variety of languages/frameworks across the stack

Desirable

Experience with GitHub - ability to create Pull Requests and do code reviews
Experience implementing serverless architectures
Experience in Golang
Experience using Tailwind
Experience creating ReactJS components
Experience using MongoDB
Basic understanding of the technology behind AI/Natural Language Processing
Experience in AI-assisted programming (using Codex, Claude Code or similar)
Experience embedding AI in applications and writing relevant prompts

Desirable criteria are not expected, include any relevant experience in them in your application; but lack of experience in particular technologies is not a barrier to this job, you will be given time to get up to speed with the stack.

Equality

Harker welcomes applications from everyone and is committed to treating everyone equally, regardless of: age; sex; disability; ethnicity; gender identity; religion/belief; sexual orientation; marriage/civil partnership or pregnancy/maternity. In particular, we encourage applications from people from a minority background or from demographics that are underrepresented in the technology industry, including women and disabled people.

We are a Disability Confident Leader (Level 3) and take care to ensure good EDI (Equality, Diversity & Inclusion) practices in all our operations. If you are invited to an interview, a member of our team will be in touch via email to enquire about any access requirements or reasonable adjustments that we can make for your interview.

You can find our full equality statement at harkerapp.com/edi.

Right to Work

You must have the right to work in the United Kingdom to apply for this job and will be required to prove it upon successful interview. You may also be subject to additional background checks, including references.

Perks

Working at Harker will offer you a range of perks including:

24/7 access to our office space in CENTRAL TECH
opportunities to network, invitations to business events in Liverpool
a free flu jab every winter, under our Flu Jab Scheme
draught beer (local craft ales) available in the office
variety of snacks (noodle pots, crisps, protein bars) available in the office
dedicated CPD (Continuing Professional Development) time each month to up-skill
competitive pension scheme
free use of the office (and bar...) once a year to host a personal party
generous paid sick leave
very low meeting load (developers spend on average <10% of their week in meetings)

Working for a start-up in a small team, you will have the opportunity to voice your opinions and offer input at team meetings where key decisions are made.

Please note that perks are not contractual and may change at any point.

Working at Harker

You can find more information on what it’s like working at Harker on our Jobs page at harkerapp.com/jobs. This includes details on our flexible/hybrid working model and CPD scheme, along with videos from current staff on what they enjoy about working at Harker.

All staff at Harker are invited to our two-day annual company conference, Scapegoat, where we host tech and non-tech workshops along with team-building activities. Find out more about Scapegoat by reading our 2026 blog: harkerapp.com/blog/scapegoat-2026.

You find out more about the Software Developer YINI opportunity by reading Josh’s (2025/26 YINI) blog post: harkerapp.com/blog/yini-2025.

Questions?

Drop us a line if you have any questions or you’d like some more information: hello@harkerapp.com.

We are happy to have an informal chat with you if you wish to find out more about the role before applying, please reach out on the email above.

Informational Webinars

Interested in this role but have lots of questions and want to find out more? Find out more about the role, the application process, and ask any questions you have by registering for one of our informational webinars below via Microsoft Teams:

Support with your Application

You should seek support from your University’s careers support service, who may be able to help review your CV and application before your apply. For example, if you are a University of Liverpool student, you can access careers support at the Careers Studio on campus or virtually.

If you need any support with your application from us, then please reach out to Zack Walker, hello@harkerapp.com, +44 151 433 9190.

If you wish to submit your application using an alternate method, such as a video submission or by giving answers over the phone, please email or call us at the address/number above to arrange this.

If you are disabled, you may be eligible to receive support from the UK government through the Access to Work scheme.

Application

⬆️ We highly encourage you to read the full job description above before applying.

You will be required to upload a short Introduction Video as part of your application. This is video of yourself (between 30 - 60 seconds) where you introduce yourself and talk about why you want to work at Harker. We don’t expect a highly polished or edited video, and you don’t need to be experienced speaking on camera, you should speak naturally. This will be scored on communication and motivation alongside the other elements of your application.

Start or resume application