Full Stack Developer

About the role

Help build the technology behind the largest shared service in higher education, combining people, data, automation and sector-leading AI to deliver outstanding support at scale.

Northumbria University Digital Services Limited is a forward-thinking and growing organisation, delivering 24/7/365 support to students and staff across higher education. We help university communities stay connected, supported and ready to succeed, whenever they need us.

At the heart of our technology roadmap is Ember, our sector-leading AI virtual assistant. Ember is already helping transform how students and staff access support, and we are continuing to develop its capability, integrations and intelligence as part of a broader AI-enabled service model.

We are looking for an enthusiastic Full Stack Developer to join us. This is a fantastic opportunity to play a hands-on technical role in developing Ember and the wider applications, integrations and digital services that support a modern, high-performing service operation.

Working as part of a multidisciplinary technology team, you will design, build and maintain scalable front-end and back-end solutions across the Microsoft ecosystem and third-party platforms. You will work with technologies including Azure, Microsoft AI, OpenAI, Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, the Power Platform and RESTful integrations, helping us improve efficiency, reliability and customer experience as the service continues to grow.

This is a hybrid role, with regular time spent on campus at Northumbria University in Newcastle upon Tyne.

The role is fixed term for 12 months.

What you’ll do

As Full Stack Developer, you will help develop and maintain the applications and integrations that underpin the NUDSL service for internal and external users, with a particular focus on the continued development of Ember.

Your day-to-day will include:

• Developing and maintaining full stack applications that support NUDSL services for internal and external users.
• Building, extending and improving Ember, our sector-leading AI virtual assistant.
• Developing new AI-enabled features, workflows and integrations that improve how students and staff access support.
• Designing secure, scalable integrations across Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, Azure services and third-party platforms.
• Delivering reliable data exchange with identity, access and service management platforms.
• Supporting AI and automation initiatives by prototyping and delivering new functionality.
• Translating business requirements into practical technical designs and working software.
• Applying modern engineering practices including Git source control, automated testing and cloud-first development.
• Participating in planning, stand-ups, code reviews and retrospectives.
• Working closely with technical colleagues, operational teams and non-technical stakeholders to deliver high-quality solutions.

Full details can be found in our job description.

About you

You will bring full stack development experience and enjoy building practical, reliable and user-focused solutions. You will be comfortable working across front-end and back-end technologies and confident integrating systems, services and platforms.

You may already be working as a Full Stack Developer, Software Developer, Application Developer or similar. You will understand how to turn business needs into secure, scalable and maintainable software, and you will be excited by the opportunity to work on a live AI virtual assistant that is helping shape the future of support in higher education.

We’re looking for someone who can bring:

• Knowledge of full stack development across front-end and back-end technologies.
• Proficiency with .NET/C# and web technologies such as JavaScript, TypeScript, HTML and CSS.
• Experience working with modern web frameworks.
• Good understanding of Azure cloud services, Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365 and the Power Platform.
• Experience designing and integrating RESTful APIs.
• Interest in AI-enabled products, automation and conversational technology.
• Familiarity with modern development practices including Git, automated testing and structured delivery.
• Strong problem-solving skills, with attention to usability, security, reliability and performance.
• The ability to analyse business processes and identify where technology can add value.
• Curiosity about emerging Microsoft, OpenAI and cloud technologies.

Experience in higher education, managed service environments, AI projects, virtual assistants or automation projects would be beneficial, but is not essential.

Why join us

This is a chance to make a real technical impact at an important stage of our growth.

You will help shape Ember, our sector-leading AI virtual assistant, as well as the applications, integrations and digital capabilities that support a large-scale service operation across higher education. Your work will contribute directly to better customer experiences, more efficient ways of working and a more modern, resilient technology environment.

You’ll also benefit from:

• A hands-on technical role in the largest shared service in higher education.
• The opportunity to develop and enhance a sector-leading AI virtual assistant.
• The chance to work across Microsoft cloud, OpenAI, automation and integration technologies.
• A varied role covering application development, APIs, cloud services, AI-enabled tools and business systems.
• The opportunity to help shape platforms such as Ember, CRM tools and service technologies.
• A supportive, inclusive and collaborative working environment.
• Training and ongoing professional development.
• Exposure to modern engineering practices and cloud-first development.

How to apply

Please send your CV and a covering letter to careers@normanmanagedservices.ac.uk, telling us why you would be a great fit for the role and for Northumbria University Digital Services Limited.

Please do not apply through this site using the link below, as your application will not be progressed.