Software Engineer

About Freedman International

Freedman International is a localisation and translation production agency working with major global brands. We translate and localise content across print, video, and digital formats for clients operating in multiple markets worldwide.

We are committed to becoming an AI-forward company, using technology and automation to improve how we work and deliver exceptional service to our clients. The Innovation and Transformation team is at the heart of this ambition

.

The R

oleThis is a hands-on technical role with real ownership, sitting within our IT function and supporting the wider busine

ss.
Across the organisation, people are increasingly using AI to build their own tools and solve their own problems. That’s a good thing, and we want to encourage it. Your job is to help make sure that what gets built actually works, can be supported, and adds lasting value. You will own a portfolio of bespoke systems and productivity tools, and you will help colleagues across the business turn promising ideas into proper, supportable soluti

ons.
You don’t need to know everything on day one. What matters is your curiosity, your instinct to investigate problems rather than escalate them, and your willingness to own things end-to-end. When you hit something you genuinely don’t know, you bring it to the IT Manager or the Fractional CTO with options, not just a ques

tion.

What You

’ll OwnYou will be responsible for a growing portfolio of internal systems and tools. The categories you can expect to work across i

• nclude:
  Bespoke s ystems: Internal systems that the business depends on, including integrations with Monday.com, Google Drive, LucidLink, and the OpenAI and Gemini APIs. You will keep these running, fix issues, update integrations, and improve them ov
• er time.Productivity tools: Workflow improvements built for specific teams or client engagements, often replacing manual processes with something faster and more r
• eliable.Dashboards and rep orting: Internal dashboards that bring together data from different systems to help teams see what’s happening and make better de
• cisions.Integr ations: Connecting our internal tools and third-party platforms so that information flows where it needs to go without manual
• effort.Productionising proofs-of-c oncept: Taking working ideas, including those built by colleagues using AI tools, and turning them into properly engineered systems that can be supported and e

xtended.
The portfolio will evolve. New requests come in regularly, and part of the role is helping to shape what we build

and how.

Wha

t You’ll Do
Syst

• em ownershipKeep the bespoke systems runn
• ing reliablyFix issues with urgency, understanding what’s critical and acting
• accordinglyUpdate API integrations and mode
• ls as neededMonitor for problems before users

report them
Pr

• oblem solvingInvestigate problems before reac
• hing for helpUse LLMs and AI-assisted coding tools (Claude, Gemini, Claude Code, Cursor), documentation, and other tools to work through unfamil
• iar territoryKeep pace with a fast-moving AI tooling landscape, and bring recommendations on what is w
• orth adoptingKnow when to fix something yourself, when to call in the AWS DevOps team, and when to escalate to the IT Manager or F
• ractional CTOCome with “here’s the problem, here’s what I’ve looked into, and here’s what

I recommend”
Supporting colleagues acros

• s the businessHelp colleagues turn AI-assisted ideas and prototypes into suppo
• rtable systemsProvide a sensible technical perspective on what’s worth bu
• ilding and howWork with the Director of Innovation on productionising pro

ofs-of-c

• oncept
  BuildingBuild new productivity tools a
• nd improvementsTake an idea from zero to a working prototype quickly, to prove out what is possible before committing to build
• ing it properlyWrite clean, well-structured code that others can pick up
• and understandApply sound development practices: version control, testing, documentation, sens
• ible deploymentWork within Freedman’s security and data handling standards, particularly where systems to

uch client data
Managing ex

• ternal resourcesWork efficiently with the AW
• S DevOps partnerBe clear about what y
• ou need and whenUse external partners as a multipli

er, not a crutch
What

• You’ll Wor k WithLanguages: Python (primary), po
• ssibly JavaScriptAPIs: OpenAI, Gemini, Monday.com, Google Drive, Xero, others as th
• e portfoli o growsAI tools: Claude and Gemini, both as products and as APIs, and AI-assisted coding tools such as Claud
• e Code and Curso rInfrastructure: AWS (managed by ou
• r DevOps partne r)Collaboration: Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Slack

, Microsoft Teams
You’re not expected to be expert in all of these on day one. What matters is your ability and wil

lingness to

learn.

W

• ho You Are
  Experience2 to 4 years of software d
• evelopment experienceComfortable with Python, A
• PIs, and integrationsA reasonable grounding in development methodology: version control, testing, documentation, struc
• tured problem solvingYou’ve built things

that r

• eal peopl e use
  MindsetCurious: When you hit a problem, your first instinct is to investigate. You reach for tools, read documentation, try things, and form a view b
• efore ask ing for help.Low ego: You’re not trying to look clever. You’re trying to solve the problem. You’re happy to use whatever tool gets you there, including LLMs, and happy to ask when y
• ou’re genui nely stuck.Organised: You can hold a portfolio of work in your head, keep things moving, and not lose
• track o f what matters.Owner: You treat the systems you look after as yours, not s
• omeone els e’s problem.Decisive: You form a view and recommend a path, rather th
• an waiting to be told.Ur gent when it matters: You understand when something is critica

l and act

• accordingly.
  CoachableYou learn from feedback and apply it, es
• pecially under pressureYou don’t just nod and revert to old habi
• ts when things get hardYou’re junior enough to grow but matu

re enough to own things