We're looking for a Junior Creative Developer to join our studio in Newton Aycliffe.
This isn't quite a traditional junior developer role - and it isn't a traditional web designer role either.
We're looking for someone who sits somewhere between the two.
You'll probably consider yourself a developer first. You enjoy building things for the web and understanding how they work, but you're equally interested in how they look and feel.
You notice good typography. You care about spacing. You appreciate great websites. And when something doesn't look quite right, it bothers you.
That's the person we're looking for.
First, a little about us
Heüvel is a specialist digital agency working exclusively within the hospitality industry.
We work with hotels, country estates, wedding venues, resorts and distinctive hospitality businesses to create the digital experiences that sit at the heart of their brands.
That specialism matters to us. Rather than trying to be an agency for everyone, we've deliberately built Heüvel around an industry we understand, enjoy and believe we can make a genuine difference to.
Our work takes us behind the scenes of some incredible places. We get to understand how they operate, what makes them special and how guests experience them - then translate that into digital.
For someone who cares about design, that's a pretty exciting canvas to work with.
Where we're going
We're also at an important stage in Heüvel's growth.
The agency is growing quickly, our team is expanding and the type of work we're doing is becoming increasingly ambitious.
At the same time, we're investing heavily in technology and exploring new ways of designing, developing and delivering digital experiences.
That includes our own hospitality technology platform, which we're developing alongside the agency. It means we're gradually becoming more than a traditional digital agency.
We're building a business that sits at the intersection of hospitality, design and technology. And we're looking for people who want to be part of that journey.
Joining Heüvel now means joining a small team where you'll have the opportunity to influence how we work, learn directly from experienced people and see the impact of what you create.
We're ambitious about where we're going, but equally protective of what makes being a small studio enjoyable.
We want to build a team of talented people who care about their craft, enjoy working together and are genuinely proud of the work that leaves the studio.
What you'll be doing
Heüvel is a digital hospitality specialist. We design and develop digital experiences for hotels, estates, wedding venues, resorts and other hospitality businesses across the UK.
You'll work alongside our senior developer and wider studio team to take projects from initial creative exploration through to finished websites.
Your role will include:
- Exploring creative concepts and different approaches to a brief
- Designing complete website experiences
- Presenting and reviewing concepts internally
- Iterating designs based on feedback
- Turning approved concepts into working websites
- Developing responsive experiences across desktop, tablet and mobile
- Building and integrating websites within WordPress
- Testing, refining and quality-assuring your work
- Helping take projects through to launch
Initially, you'll have plenty of support. As your experience develops, we'll expect you to take increasing ownership of the entire process.
Our aim is to develop you into someone capable of taking a brief from initial concept through design, development and ultimately launch.
The technical side
We're looking for someone with existing web development knowledge.
The more experience you already have with technologies such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP and WordPress, the better.
Experience with areas such as Git/version control, APIs, databases, responsive development and debugging would also be valuable.
But we're recruiting at junior level for a reason.
You might be a graduate. You might be self-taught. You might have been freelancing. Or you might already be working as a junior developer and looking for something more creative.
We're more interested in what you can do, how you think and how quickly you can develop than how you learned it.
You'll also work with modern development tools, including AI-assisted design and coding workflows, and we'll expect you to be curious about emerging technology and how it can improve the way digital experiences are created.
AI isn't a substitute for understanding what you're building. We want someone who wants to use these tools to become a better developer and designer.
The creative side
This part matters.
You don't need to be a formally trained graphic designer, but you do need a good eye for design.
You should care about typography, layout, composition, imagery, spacing, movement and the small details that turn an ordinary website into a great one.
We're looking for somebody who actively notices great digital work and is naturally interested in design.
We'll help you develop that ability further, but the instinct needs to already be there.
Who we're looking for
You'll probably be someone who is:
- Curious and keen to learn
- Technically minded but creatively driven
- Genuinely interested in web design and development
- Excited rather than threatened by how rapidly technology is changing
- Comfortable experimenting with new tools and approaches
- Happy receiving feedback and iterating your work
- Detail-oriented
- Able to solve problems rather than simply follow instructions
- Comfortable working closely with other people
That final point is important.
We're a small team.
You won't disappear into a development department with 30 other developers. You'll work closely with the people around you every day, share ideas, review work together, solve problems together and occasionally disagree about whether something should move three pixels to the left.
Being good at what you do matters.
Being someone we enjoy working with matters too.
What you don't need
You don't need previous hospitality experience.
We'll teach you the industry and you'll quickly learn what makes hospitality digital experiences different.
You also don't need a particular degree, qualification or career path.
If you've got the ability, curiosity and visual instinct we're looking for, we want to hear from you.
Working at Heüvel
This is a full-time role based from our studio in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham.
You'll work directly alongside experienced developers and creatives, with the opportunity to learn quickly and have genuine involvement in live commercial projects.
Because we're a specialist studio rather than a large agency, you'll see much more of the project lifecycle than you might elsewhere.
You won't spend your first year changing buttons and waiting for somebody to give you something interesting to do.
We want you involved.
And as your ability grows, so will your responsibility.
Applying
We'd like to see what you've made.
That could be commercial websites, freelance projects, university work, personal projects, GitHub repositories, experimental designs or simply something you built because you wanted to see if you could.
We're not expecting an enormous professional portfolio from someone applying for a junior position.
We are looking for evidence that you love building things for the web - and that you care what those things look like.
Send us your CV, some examples of your work and a little about why you think you'd be a good fit for Heüvel.
Pay: £22,000.00-£29,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Casual dress
- Company events
- Company pension
- Employee discount
- Free parking
- On-site parking
- Referral programme
Work Location: In person
