Full Stack Developer

Company Description

Apella, an ABM Alliance company, redefines professional networking by combining advanced technology with a focus on meaningful connections. Utilising patented matchmaking AI and real-time scheduling, Apella delivers seamless interaction and tailored experiences at events and within communities. Its robust event app is designed for maximum interactivity, offering features like voting, open text input, and automated, flexible meeting coordination. Trusted by industry leaders such as Informa, DHL, the European Commission, and Bristol Myers Squibb, Apella is dedicated to transforming networking into impactful connections. Join us in redefining how professionals connect and collaborate.

Role Description

This is a full-time, hybrid, role located in Bristol for a Full Stack Developer. The Full Stack Developer will be responsible for developing and maintaining both the front-end and back-end systems of our platform. Responsibilities include designing and implementing user interfaces, building and maintaining server-side logic, troubleshooting application issues, and collaborating with cross-functional teams to enhance functionality. The ideal candidate will contribute to optimising our patented AI-driven solutions and ensure the delivery of high-quality, scalable software solutions.

What You’ll Be Doing

 

Platform Development

• Develop and maintain core platform features across frontend and backend systems
• Improve the reliability and performance of the event matching and scheduling engine
• Enhance user preference selection, scheduling logic, and company profile management
• Refactor and stabilise legacy components while introducing cleaner architectural patterns

Integration Development

• Build and maintain integrations with:
• CRM platforms (e.g. HubSpot)
• Community platforms (e.g. Circle)
• Messaging providers (SMS and email)
• Develop secure and reliable APIs and services for data exchange between systems
• Support the extraction and operation of matching algorithms and related data pipelines

Frontend & UX Improvements

• Improve usability and consistency across participant-facing interfaces
• Resolve navigation, routing, and state-management challenges
• Collaborate with UX designers to evolve the event configuration dashboard and new “Builder” workflow

System Stability & Quality

• Identify and resolve bugs impacting live event delivery and user experience
• Improve validation logic, permissions models, and role-based access controls
• Contribute to testing, QA, and regression prevention

Collaboration

• Work closely with Product Owners, outsourced engineering teams, and UX designers
• Participate in sprint planning and technical discussions
• Support operational teams in diagnosing issues affecting live events

Skills & Experience

 

Essential

• Strong commercial full-stack development experience
• Experience with modern frontend frameworks such as React, Vue, or similar
• Backend development experience with frameworks such as Laravel, Node.js, or similar
• Strong understanding of RESTful APIs
• Experience with relational databases such as MySQL or PostgreSQL
• Comfortable working with and improving legacy codebases
• Experience integrating third-party APIs
• Familiarity with Git-based workflows and agile development practices
• Ability to write clean, maintainable, well-structured code

Desirable

• Experience with event-tech or community platforms
• Familiarity with HubSpot integrations
• Experience with authentication systems and role-based permissions
• Knowledge of AWS or similar cloud infrastructure
• Exposure to CI/CD and DevOps practices
• Understanding of asynchronous processing or message queues

About You

• Pragmatic problem solver with strong debugging skills
• Comfortable working within complex and evolving systems
• Able to balance rapid delivery with long-term maintainability
• Strong communicator who collaborates effectively across technical and non-technical teams

What We Offer

• Competitive salary based on experience
• Permanent PAYE employment with full benefits
• Hybrid working model based in Bristol
• Opportunity to influence the evolution of a growing event-matching platform
• Collaborative, entrepreneurial working environment

If you’re excited by building scalable platforms, solving complex engineering challenges, and improving real-world event experiences - we’d love to hear from you.