Senior Software Engineer

THE ROLE

We are looking for a Senior Software Engineer to join our product team in Aarhus. This is not a role where you only write code. You are a systems developer. A real part of your time goes into discovery, meaning analysis and design: understanding the problem, shaping the solution, and deciding what is worth building. The rest goes into delivery. We work AI-augmented. Modern AI tools are a natural part of how we design, write and review software, so more of the typing is handled for you. That makes the harder, more valuable work the judgement: what to build, how it fits together, and whether it holds up as the platform grows. We use AI to move faster, and we believe people are what make sure we build the right things. Your work will reach hundreds of thousands of people across the Nordics: job seekers navigating labour market reforms, employment professionals adapting to new digitalisation strategies, and the institutions managing that change. Talking with the people who use the platform may be part of the job, so that what you build stays grounded in real needs.

WHAT YOU WILL WORK ON

Candeno serves municipalities, unemployment funds, and educational institutions across Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland. The platform has three sides: candidates navigating the labour market, advisors guiding them through digitalisation and compliance workflows, and companies recruiting talent. One platform, many contexts. We are actively building and improving core parts of the platform. You will: Discovery (analysis and design)

• Work with product managers, designers and stakeholders to understand real user problems before we commit to building. AI helps us move fast, so the harder work is knowing what is worth building.
• Explore options, weigh tradeoffs, and decide what to build and how.
• Contribute to architecture and system design that keep the platform scalable and maintainable.

Delivery (development and operations)

• Design, build and maintain robust, scalable features across the platform.
• Write clean, maintainable code, using AI tools where they help and applying judgement to what they produce.
• Review code and designs, test and debug complex issues, and give constructive feedback.
• Operate what you build: CI/CD, containers and cloud, and refactor as the platform grows.

Quality and craft

• Meet security standards and protect user data in a data-sensitive sector.
• Share knowledge and mentor other engineers on craft and good practice. This is technical mentoring, not people management.

WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR

You are a senior engineer who is as comfortable in the problem as in the code. Your foundation is strong delivery, and your edge is at the front of the process: you know how to find the right problem before jumping to a solution, and how to do it at a pace that keeps up with a team that ships. You will need:

• 5+ years building software, ideally SaaS.
• Strong with PHP and Laravel, and with JavaScript and React.
• Experience with containerisation (Docker, Kubernetes) and running services in the cloud.
• A considered approach to AI in your workflow. You use modern AI coding tools well, and you review what they produce critically.
• Strong system and product thinking. You can take part in discovery, not only delivery.
• Clear communication. You can explain a technical tradeoff to a PM, a designer, and another engineer, and make it feel simple.
• A degree in computer science, engineering or similar, or an equivalent proven track record.

The kind of person who does well here:

• Curious about the problem, not only the code.
• Ownership mindset. You follow a problem all the way through.
• Comfortable making decisions without a perfect foundation, and honest about the tradeoffs when you do.
• Direct. You share work early, give feedback clearly, and push back when something is not right.

WHAT THE FIRST SIX MONTHS LOOK LIKE

After one month You understand the platform architecture, our discovery and delivery process, and the team. You have taken ownership of your first delivery tasks and you are part of discovery conversations and team ceremonies. After three months You are leading delivery of key features and contributing actively to discovery, helping shape solutions and technical direction for upcoming work. AI tools are a fluent part of your daily work. After six months You show leadership in system design and architecture decisions and influence technical direction. You own discovery for meaningful pieces of work, from problem to buildable plan, and you mentor other engineers on craft and good practice.

WORKING AT CANDENO

We are a scale-up. That means real ownership, real impact, and a product that is still being shaped by the people who work on it. We are based in Aarhus, and this is an on-site role. The team is small, cross-functional, and works closely together. You will have real ownership of your work and close proximity to product, design and the rest of engineering. We are direct and focused on doing the right thing for users. We share work early and expect you to do the same.

WHAT WE OFFER

• Pension scheme and health insurance
• 5 extra days off after 2 years of seniority (10 in total)
• Daily lunch from Meyers Madhus
• A shared milestone programme that celebrates successes big and small
• An active social life: team events, clubs, and an engaged social committee

BEFORE YOU APPLY

This is a fully on-site role in Aarhus with no remote option. You must already have the right to work in Denmark and be able to be in our office every working day from your start date. We do not offer visa sponsorship or relocation support. Applications that do not meet these conditions will not be considered, so please only apply if all of them apply to you.

THE PROCESS

• A short screening call
• A first interview, a deeper conversation about your experience and the role
• A case interview, a practical brief sent in advance

No cover letter. You will answer three short questions when you apply.

ABOUT CANDENO

Candeno is a Nordic employment technology company based in Aarhus. We build the platform that connects candidates, advisors, and companies across municipalities, unemployment funds, and educational institutions in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland. Our work sits at the intersection of public sector compliance and modern product thinking, and we take both seriously.