Neptune North – Software Developer
Software Developer – Newcastle upon Tyne
Who we are
Neptune North is a newly created Joint Venture between Oliver Wyman, a global leader in management consulting and part of the NYSE listed Marsh McLennan, and Rokos Capital Management (RCM), a global alternative investment fund manager.
We pride ourselves on employing and developing only the very best talent in the North East, ensuring unparalleled quality and expertise in every project we undertake so that we can surpass our clients expectations, solve challenging problems and deliver innovative solutions.
If you’re a great developer and great communicator who loves working on demanding initiatives and solving challenging problems that need to be delivered at pace then Neptune North could be the right place for you.
We do everything from our home in the heart of Newcastle City Centre, where we are building a team of exceptional people and an incredibly intellectually stimulating environment from which to work.
Our Culture
An exciting aspect of joining a newly created business at this stage is the opportunity to be in from the start and help define the culture.
There are things that we won’t compromise on though:
- We are looking for exceptional talent with excellent communication skills
- Collaboration is key, both internally and with our clients. We believe we do our best work when we are together and working hand in hand with business users
- Curiosity is something we embrace and value highly
- We want people who are positive and passionate, have proven problem solving capabilities, can work quickly to find solutions to complex challenges and unlock big opportunities
- People need to be able to take ownership and be trusted to deliver, going the extra mile when needed
- We want people who are highly motivated and have a high desire to learn
Responsibilities
- Ownership of technical products and projects – our developers actively engage with a wide range of business functions to leverage their knowledge and exposure
- Exercising judgement and acumen to understand the true business need beyond the stated requirements
- Challenging current systems and processes to achieve common goals through technical excellence and innovation
- Keeping abreast of industry and technology trends that will keep us at the forefront of what is possible
- Having impact from day one – we empower and trust our developers to leverage their skillsets
What makes a great candidate
- Excellent programming and technology skills, including an in-depth understanding of and recent programming experience in C#/.Net or other object orientated languages such as Java or Python
- Experience working with SQL databases
- Azure or AWS experience
- A strong enthusiasm for programming and technology and an appetite to work in a dynamic and integrated team
- An entrepreneurial nature, willing to take ownership and run towards problems and someone who thrives on innovation
- The ability to own all aspects of development projects from start to finish
- A desire to understand and solve business problems, build domain knowledge and increase market understanding
- The ability to communicate clearly and professionally with our clients as well as team members
- Financial Services experience a bonus, but is not essential
- A minimum 2.1 degree obtained in Computer Science, or a related field, ideally from a Russell Group University
Why join us?
- You can have an impact from day one – we empower and trust our developers to leverage their skillsets
- Work on a wide variety of projects alongside exceptionally talented people, often closely correlated to world events and trends
- Deliver demonstrable business value working hand-in-hand with the customer
- Learn from industry experts on how financial markets and world economies work
- Ownership of technical products and projects – our developers actively engage with a wide range of business functions to leverage their knowledge and exposure
- Exercising judgement and acumen to understand the true business need beyond the stated requirements
- Challenging current systems and processes to achieve common goals through technical excellence and innovation
Interview Process
- Coding Challenge – We would like to get a better sense of your programming potential. You will be sent some questions hosted by Codility to be completed at a time that suits you.
- Aptitude Test – You will complete a speed-driven aptitude assessment.
- Management Interviews – You will meet with members of our Technology Management Team. These will be a combination of technical questions and an assessment of team and cultural fit.
- Team Technical Interview – As a final step you will meet 1-2 other team members for a technical interview.
At Neptune North we are committed to cultivating a work environment that embraces diversity, equity and inclusion at its core. We believe that our people’s diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences will help us to attract, develop, and retain top talent.
We will not discriminate against any individual on the basis of their gender, age, race/ethnicity, identification as an LGTBQIA+ individual, religion, or disability (or any other characteristic protected by relevant local law).
The Times Top 100 Graduate Employers
Employer Interview: Enigma Interactive
Enigma Interactive are an award-winning specialist digital development agency based in Newcastle and London.
What placement roles do you offer to Computer Science Undergraduates?
We offer 12-month Developer placements to Computer Science and Software Engineering Graduates as part of their degree course.
What do students work on during their placement?
The work that our Placements do at Enigma will be varied, depending on the team and projects they are assigned to. This means, at times, it can be quite complex and require some level of R&D, whilst at other times, it may involve refining, maintenance and support.
Work can include:
- Implementation of front-end user interfaces and experience based on graphic designs
- Implementation of server-side logic and code based on technical / functional specification
- Design and configuration of data storage / database schemes
- Peer to peer testing and review of work delivered by teammates
- Client communications – including requirement gathering, involvement in weekly calls and Programme Board meetings
What are the key skills you’re looking for in students applying for placements?
For Enigma, placement students would be creative developers who have the following skills (or at least a selection of them)
- knowledge of object-oriented languages such as Java or C#
- Knowledge of front-end web technologies such as VUE, SASS or LESS
- Knowledge of web server technology such as Nginx or Apache
- Knowledge of database technology such as MySQL or Hibernate
However, having a positive attitude is key for our placements – those with the drive to learn new technologies and frameworks and the desire to contribute to a creative and collaborative multi-disciplined team are important.
We look for students, much like our other employees, who are passionate, not afraid to challenge, analytical and supportive.
In a nutshell, students with excellent coding and problem-solving abilities, a real passion for digital technology (specifically web development) and with an inquisitive mind would be the ideal candidates for a placement with us.
What support does Enigma Interactive offer for placement students?
Our Placements are treated like all our employees in that they are given a full induction when they first start, along with a period of on-boarding into their role, followed by continued support throughout their time with us, as and when required.
We integrate our Placements fully into their team, its projects and our business.
We appreciate that they are still students, and there will be gaps in knowledge and skillset, so we assign a ‘mentor’ who is there to answer any questions and provide support and guidance.
We know we have an obligation to support our Placements, not just as a means to ‘upskill’ them by providing technical knowledge and commercial insight, but to help them develop those all-important softer skills, as well as building their confidence and resilience.
We encourage our Placements to get fully involved with the vibrant social scene that Enigma offers. Activities include sports challenges, book club, Pilates sessions, pub lunches, plus a whole range of ad hoc evening activities such as axe throwing, crazy golf, cheese tasting and Escape Rooms, to name but a few. We’ve even had a visit from some birds of prey at our studio! This helps the students to fully integrate into our team and fosters a sense of belonging.
Being a Placement in a business is often a significant change for students – they are in a new commercial environment, with new challenges and new people. Given that, we are keen to support our Placements overall well-being and mental health – during their transition from student-life to the workplace, and throughout their time with us.
Have any of our students you’ve previously taken on placement been offered a role after graduation?
Yes – most definitely! Since we began taking placements, several of our Newcastle University students have been offered permanent Developer roles after Graduation.
Currently, we have three Developers on staff who started out as placements and another two who have been offered a full-time job when they graduate.
How can students find out about the placement vacancies you have available?
Each Autumn, we advertise our placements on the Newcastle University Careers site and also have the opportunity posted on the University Computing @ Newcastle: Employment and Enterprise blog.
We liaise with the Placement Co-ordinator to make sure that the opportunity is promoted and announced to all 2nd year students who may be interested.
Enigma also regularly attend the University Job Fairs where we promote our placements and any graduate opportunities that we have open.
Is there anything else you’d like to say?
Enigma has been offering placement opportunities to university students for over 20 years and the benefits to both the student and to our company cannot be overstated.
Placement students have brought Enigma talent, creativity, diversity and innovation. They have allowed us to expand our services, maintain the quality of what we build, commit to increased client work and hit deadlines, as well as contributing to overall business growth.
Enabling our placement students to grow and progress as developers is not just of benefit to Enigma and our clients, but by extension to the whole digital sector.
We want our students to thrive during their year with us – to really enjoy their time here, to gain exposure to a variety of technologies and to hone their skills (hard and soft) and, hopefully, return to us when they graduate.
Interview with a Study Abroad student
Student name: Luke Williamson
Current course: Computer Science
Study abroad university: National University of Singapore
Study abroad country: Singapore
Why did you choose to do a year abroad? Why Singapore?
Doing a year abroad gives you a chance to experience a different environment to your own. That’s different culture, different pacing, and different people. I personally think it’s important to try to experience this whenever you’re given the opportunity, especially in your twenties when you have the freedom for it, as I think putting yourself in new environments like this is how you grow and develop as a person. Going to university was a big adjustment for me, as it is for anyone, but I really felt that I thrived from meeting new people and trying new things, and doing a year abroad was a chance to experience that again. I think it can seem quite scary, especially if you don’t know anyone in your destination country, but it’s a leap of faith I wanted to take, and as anyone else who did a year abroad will tell you, it will work out fine and be really fun!
I grew up in a quiet, rural area, so going to Newcastle gave me a chance to experience life in a city – but with my year abroad I wanted to take it a step further. I chose Singapore because it’s unlike anywhere I’ve ever lived before. It’s massive, modern, and has insane infrastructure unlike anything I’ve seen in England. It was an opportunity to see if I would want to live somewhere like this later in life. At the same time, it’s honestly not that big of an adjustment. Although the culture is for the most part completely different, the national language is English and the country surprisingly shares a lot of its customs and culture with England. Plus, It’s nearly always sunny, and the food is absolutely incredible!
What support did you receive from the university before your year abroad started?
The uni were hugely helpful. You were free to email or ask questions in person whenever you wanted to, and they had loads of resources available to help out, plus they had presentations to help make sure you were prepared and knew everything you needed to know beforehand.
What support have you had while in Singapore?
The uni do a monthly check in, and although I’ve ran into no personal or academic issues, you always know that the support is there when you need it.
What’s been your favourite thing about study abroad so far?
My favourite thing honestly could be the food… Don’t get me wrong, I really miss beans on toast! But the food here is absolutely unreal. I’m always pestering people for recipes because I don’t wanna lose all this stuff when I come back. Drinks too – nothing beats getting an ice-cold drink when its 35 degrees, and they’re really cheap here too.
What advice would you give to a student who is considering study abroad?
While I don’t think a year abroad would suit everybody, if you’re already considering it, then you’re probably the type of person who would love it. Just remember everyone else feels just as scared – I definitely did – but there’s a reason it’s so hard to find a student who regrets their year abroad, and so easy to find one who regrets not doing it!
What skills do you expect to gain from study abroad?
I think pretty much all of my social skills have massively improved since coming here. You meet so many people from different backgrounds and cultures and it’s really eye-opening. I already feel so much more confident when meeting people now and worry so much less what others may think of me. I also think my ability to adapt has massively improved, and that’s invaluable not just for jobs or uni, but life in general.
How are you finding life in Singapore? (e.g. daily life, culture, people, travel opportunities)
Getting used to the new routine took some adjustment but after a while it all fell into place, and it feels like the new normal. Singapore is incredibly culturally diverse, with people from Malaysian, Chinese, Indian, and Japanese backgrounds just to name a few. You’d honestly need a lot longer than a year to experience it all!
And that’s not even starting on the travel opportunities either. Changi airport is one of the biggest in the world, and you can get to almost any neighbouring countries super easily. I’ve been to Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Java, and I have plans to go to China soon, so it’s a great gateway to see all of Asia, not just Singapore.
Many thanks to Luke for supporting with this article. If you’d like more information on the Study Abroad opportunities for School of Computing students, please visit: Experience the World – Global Opportunities – Newcastle University