Application Guide

How to Apply for Senior Engineering Lead

at Too Good To Go

🏢 About Too Good To Go

Too Good To Go is a mission-driven company tackling the global issue of food waste through a convenient app that connects users with surplus food from local businesses. Working here means you directly contribute to environmental sustainability while building technology that has a measurable impact on reducing waste. The company's culture is purpose-led, fast-paced, and collaborative, making it an exciting place for engineers who want their work to matter.

About This Role

As Senior Engineering Lead, you will build and manage a multidisciplinary team in London, owning the technical roadmap and ensuring alignment with business goals. This role is critical because you bridge the gap between stakeholders and engineering, translating complex requirements into scalable solutions while overseeing integrations with third-party services. Your leadership will directly influence the platform's ability to connect users with surplus food efficiently.

💡 A Day in the Life

A typical day might start with a stand-up with your multidisciplinary team to review progress on integrations and roadmap items. You'll then meet with business stakeholders to discuss new requirements, followed by a technical design session where you guide the team on architecture decisions. Later, you might review code or troubleshoot an integration issue with a third-party provider, ensuring the platform runs smoothly to connect users with surplus food.

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🎯 Who Too Good To Go Is Looking For

  • Experienced Solution Architect or Senior Engineer with a track record of designing integrations between complex systems, ideally using Java/Spring Boot or similar technologies.
  • Proven people manager who has led engineering teams, with the ability to mentor, hire, and foster a collaborative culture.
  • Comfortable working with non-technical stakeholders to define roadmaps and prioritize features based on business impact.
  • Hands-on technical leader who can still dive into code when needed and set technical direction for the team.

📝 Tips for Applying to Too Good To Go

1

Highlight specific examples of integrations you've designed and managed, especially if they involved third-party services—mention the technologies used (e.g., Java/Spring Boot, REST APIs, message queues).

2

Quantify your impact: include metrics like team size, project timelines, or efficiency gains from your roadmap decisions.

3

Tailor your CV to show both technical depth (architecture, integration patterns) and leadership experience (hiring, performance reviews, stakeholder management).

4

In your cover letter, explicitly connect your past experience to Too Good To Go's mission of reducing food waste—show you understand the business context.

5

Mention any experience with agile methodologies and cross-functional collaboration, as the role works directly with business stakeholders.

✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter

["Your passion for the company's mission and how your work can directly impact food waste reduction.", 'Your ability to lead a team and align technical roadmaps with business priorities, with specific examples.', 'Your experience with integrations and third-party services, emphasizing Java/Spring Boot or similar.', 'Your comfort in translating non-technical stakeholder requirements into actionable engineering work.']

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🔍 Research Before Applying

To stand out, make sure you've researched:

  • → Read Too Good To Go's impact reports or blog posts to understand their current challenges and successes in food waste reduction.
  • → Look at their app and website to understand the user flow and technical features (e.g., how surplus food is listed and claimed).
  • → Check their engineering blog or tech talks if available—any mention of their stack, especially Java/Spring Boot, cloud services, or integration patterns.
  • → Research their competitors (e.g., Olio, Karma) to understand the market and how Too Good To Go differentiates itself.

💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics

Based on this role, you may be asked about:

1 Describe a time you designed an integration between complex systems. What challenges did you face and how did you overcome them?
2 How do you prioritize features when stakeholders have conflicting demands? Give an example from your past.
3 How do you manage a multidisciplinary team? Discuss your approach to hiring, mentoring, and delegating.
4 Technical deep-dive: design a system to handle peak loads during high-demand periods (e.g., surplus food alerts).
5 How would you ensure the team's technical roadmap stays aligned with Too Good To Go's business goals?
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⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Avoid being too generic about leadership—use specific examples of managing teams and roadmaps, not just 'I led a team'.
  • Don't neglect the mission; if you don't show genuine interest in reducing food waste, you'll seem misaligned with the company's culture.
  • Avoid focusing only on backend or coding—this role requires stakeholder management and strategic planning, so demonstrate those skills too.

📅 Application Timeline

This position is open until filled. However, we recommend applying as soon as possible as roles at mission-driven organizations tend to fill quickly.

Typical hiring timeline:

1

Application Review

1-2 weeks

2

Initial Screening

Phone call or written assessment

3

Interviews

1-2 rounds, usually virtual

✓

Offer

Congratulations!

Ready to Apply?

Good luck with your application to Too Good To Go!

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