Octopus Energy Equality Internship 2024 - Backend Engineer
London, UK
Octopus Energy Equality – Internships /
Internship /
On-site
Location: London office
Duration: Full time, 1st July – 23rd August
Salary: £27,000 (pro rata)
Application deadline: 29th March 2024
Addressing Black representation in the energy industry
At Octopus Energy, our mission is to drive the global renewable revolution and make green energy affordable for all. In order to succeed, we need to build a team that represents everyone in our society. Unfortunately, Black professionals make up < 2% of the energy workforce which is a significant under representation compared to the ethnic composition of the UK. To help address this, we have created an internship programme that is only open to candidates who identify with any Black, Black British, African or Caribbean background. We are committed to promoting equality, and this internship is an important step in our effort to foster greater diversity and inclusiveness in our business and industry.
This is our fourth year running the internship programme. You can hear from our past interns and learn about our previous internships from our 2022 blog, and our 2021 blog.
Who we are
We are an international energy supply company who put customers at the heart of everything we do. We empower our people to give outrageously good customer service, and fight to make energy fairer, more affordable, and more accessible for all. We are striving to halt the climate emergency by unlocking a smart, 100% green grid. We are using technology to transform the energy system; making electricity green and affordable, creating one-of-a-kind energy innovations.
Our work is powered by freedom, autonomy and responsibility. We won best company to work for in 2022 and were voted as one of the 50 best places to work in 2022 on Glassdoor. Our Group CEO, Greg, has recorded a podcast about our culture and how we empower our people - give it a listen to find out more about Octopus Energy!
What you'll do
You’ll learn about the fundamental architecture of Kraken, the software platform that drives Octopus Energy, and work towards deploying changes to our live production instances. You will learn key skills and techniques (e.g. git, testing and SQL) that are required to be a great backend developer. As an intern, you will work within an existing team alongside some of our super talented developers to deliver new features in Kraken. This is a chance for you to make a real impact on the experience of our customers and Kraken users.
What you'll have
We're looking for someone with a general interest in technology and problem-solving; someone diligent and thoughtful. You do not necessarily need any formal education in programming or computer science but you should be able to demonstrate a reasonable level of ability and interest. We’re looking for applicants with a basic competency in Python or a similar programming language. It would be a bonus, but is not a requirement, to have experience with the following (in rough priority order):
- Django (or equiv. web framework)
- Databases and domain modelling
- An understanding of HTTP
Above all, we’re looking for someone who thrives on providing alternative opinions, challenging those around them and being challenged. If this sounds like you and you have a genuine passion for what we are doing then we'd love to hear from you!
*** IMPORTANT - HOW TO APPLY ***
Follow the link below to be taken to an application form where you will be prompted to 'Attach Resume/CV'. Please do not upload a CV. Instead, you should upload a cover letter made up of no more than 400 words. We’d like to know:
- Why do you think you are suitable for this internship at Octopus Energy?
- What interests you about a career in programming?
- Do you have any past experience with programming (this may be personal or academic)?
- A little bit about yourself!
If your application is successful you will be asked to complete a short programming exercise, at home, in Python. We will then schedule a 30 minute video call to discuss the exercise, find out more about you and talk about the internship.
Please also note that we are unable to sponsor visa applications for this role. We will review applications on a rolling basis, however we are not conducting initial calls until w/c 1st of April.
