We’re Hiring

Purpose of Role
We're seeking an exceptional software engineer to join the small and very enthusiastic data and recommendations team at Last.fm. Most of our backend is written in C++. The position is full-time and based in London.

You’ll help us scale and build exciting new features. You have a strong desire to learn new things and improve existing ones. You pay attention to detail and take great pride in your work. You’ll be working with a great team of very passionate engineers.

Responsibilities

• Analyze, test, optimize, maintain, design and build core backend software components
• Code using primarily C++ (STL/Boost)

Requirements

• Expert knowledge developing and debugging in C++ on *nix
• Experience building large-scale server applications
• Interested in: computational complexity, scalability, bloom filters, caching algorithms, multithreading, radix trees, LSH, template metaprogramming, debugging core dumps, thrift, boost spirit, bogosort, and much more
• MSc in computer science or related is a plus

Purpose of Role
Last.fm is looking for a Web Developer with a combination of strong PHP / SQL experience.
You will join a team of PHP and front end web developers who deliver high quality software following an Agile development process. The ideal candidate will be good at "getting things done", and have experience using Last.fm / Audioscrobbler.

Responsibilities

• Designing and implementing core software components for new Last.fm website features
• Improving our internal PHP tools and frameworks
• Identifying bottlenecks and profiling Last.fm's existing PHP codebase

Essential

• Extensive experience with object-oriented PHP & standards-compliant SQL
• Independent problem solving skills, ability to write code that scales well
• Understanding of how the web works, from HTML to HTTP
• Flexibility: we're a small company, but we move quickly

Desirable

• Experience with PostgreSQL, MySQL
• Subversion (http://subversion.tigris.org)
• Memcached (http://memcached.org)
• Knowledge of Agile engineering practices including Test Driven Development
• Experience with HTML, CSS and Javascript
• Smarty templating system (http://smarty.php.net) and extensions
• Linux Shell Experience
• Web services and syndication
• Experience working on high-volume websites
• Experience with the Last.fm APIs
• A preference for VI over Emacs

Purpose of Role
Last.fm is looking for a QA Test Engineer professional to join our agile team of web engineers. As part of this team you will help to assure us that the software we develop is of a high standard, remains stable and bug free, and provides our users with a quality experience.

The ideal candidate will be an experienced Last.fm user with a solid QA or Testing background, proven technical and problem solving skills, the ability to define our processes and implement them, and a passion for automation, user experience and music.

Responsibilities

• Support the web team by as part of our scrum group by reviewing product requirements and providing feedback to product managers
• Organise and implement a regression testing and QA strategy
• Drive, build and implement automated testing
• Work with Product Managers and the Development Lead on release schedules and project
• Ensure the application of proven Quality Assurance techniques
• Develop, maintain and execute functional and acceptance tests
• Develop efficient and comprehensive test plans and test strategies
• Apply and encourage acceptance testing of the team’s output
• Support your team in Test Driven Development activities
• Manage QA activities during the deployment of software changes
• Play a significant part in the reviewing, agreement and execution of production deployment plans to facilitate minimal disruption to normal service during software upgrades
• Ensure that the regression test pack is maintained and software changes or enhancements are communicated effectively following software releases
• Identify opportunities to increase or reduce release scope in order to ensure projects remain on track
• Assess product usability and reliability and provide recommendations to developers and product managers
• Coordinate with customer support, operations and software development staff

Essential

• Experience of testing web sites, particularly automated testing
• Experience working in a Scrum / Agile team
• Understanding of the importance of user experience
• Understanding of browser compatibility issues
• Proficiency in test case generation and execution
• 
  
  Desirable
  
• Experience with Selenium (http://seleniumhq.org/)
• Experience with Hudson (http://hudson-ci.org/)
• Team Lead experience
• Experience working on high-volume websites
• Encyclopaedic knowledge of QA and Testing techniques, including Test Driven Development
• Experience with HTML, CSS and Javascript
• Experience with PHP
• Linux Shell Experience
• Experience with Web services and syndication
• Experience with the Last.fm APIs

What is a Griot?

“A griot is a West African poet, singer, and wandering musician, a repository and sharer of oral tradition. According to Paul Oliver in his book Savannah Syncopators, "Though [the griot] has to know many traditional songs without error, he must also have the ability to extemporize on current events, chance incidents and the passing scene. His wit can be devastating and his understanding of history formidable." Griots may also use their vocal expertise for gossip, satire, or comment.”
Abstracted from Wikipedia with modification

We are looking for someone who can turn data and statistics into interesting consumer facing insights and stories using a variety of story telling tools and methods, then distribute these insights to the consumer via multiple media types across a wide array of platforms.

This is a new role in Last.fm, so this opportunity offers great scope to the right candidate to conceptualise and define their own methods, outputs and areas of focus.


Deliverables and Responsibilities
• Collaborate with Last.fm Data and Music Information Retrieval (MIR) development teams to access various data sources.
• Understanding, analysing and assessing Last.fm statistics and user data; defining the different sets of data, and the parameters of how that data can be used.
• Applying mathematical and statistical knowledge to undercover cultural and social implications & trends in music listening habits.
• Interpretation & translation of this data into accessible insights and storytelling via many different forms of media & communication such as their own writing, charts, visualizations, narrative, applications, etc.
• Packaging up data insights in compelling, coherent, engaging and creative ways which engage people so they hear and see the Last.fm story.
• Leverage tools such as Blog Posts, Audio Segments (Strip Shows, Liners, Chart Shows), Video Clips, Applications, Print.
• Distribution of the insights via product blogs, radio stations, internet streams, digital signage in Tube, etc.
• Design and produce a holistic results dashboard, where important metrics and campaign results would presented & displayed on a regular basis.
• Provide actionable metrics to inform product and marketing strategies.
• Activation & engagement of Last.fm’s community of passionate developers and users in order to support and inform business objectives
• Leverage http://build.last.fm/ and http://playground.last.fm/ + Last.fm forums as sources to harvest insights, stories, tools and trends
• Contribute to marketing and PR strategy by surfacing the Last.fm data
• Be the liaison between data and the rest of the organisation, such as Product Management, PR/Marketing, Executive team.
• Define own metrics and measurables of success


Skills and Experience
Essential:
- 5+ years in digital technology, new media or social networking industry
- A solid understanding of basic statistics + the ability to interpret data and calling out what is a meaningful result or just randomness/coincidence.
- Proven track record of demonstrating communication skills in all its forms and purposes, on a large scale
- Familiarity with SQL or similar query languages

Desirable:
• Second languages, especially European.
• PR/Marketing experience
• Project management experience, especially in a technical environment
• Product management experience
• Seasoned blogger/social networker

Education and Qualifications
• Honours degree or equivalent
• Achievement of a formal program of study relating to data visualization would be strong advantage

Key Relationships
• Data and MIR Development teams
• Creative production resources for visual, audio & video
• 3rd party developers
• External bloggers and/or other content providers
• Relevant technology communities
• Product Management team
• Marketing and PR
• Executive team

Behaviours & Personality
• Passionate about music with a deep and broad knowledge
• Ability to define the task at hand with minimal direction
• Creative, visionary, innovative
• Can translate technical information into something graspable and exciting for a broader audience
• Captures and predicts trends, curiosities, and movements in the social networking space
• Drive to get information ‘out there’
• Systematic & thorough without being bureaucratic
• A deeply held conviction that Last.fm will become ‘where you go on the web for music’, and the action-focus to make this reality
• Highly analytical, able to summarise & concise
• Quickly identifies and resolves problems
• Strong sense of personal ownership & self-motivated
• Obsessive attention to detail
• Prioritisation and multi-tasking is a habit for the person in this role

Other Information
The Griot will also have the discretion to engage outside experts to input into content, methods and tools.

To apply for this role, please send your CV with a short covering note to jobs@last.fm with Data Griot and Community Activator in the subject line. Last.fm does not consider applications presented via recruitment agencies other than those on our preferred suppliers list.

Purpose of Role
Collaborate closely with software development, product management and brand marketing to develop cohesive user-centric solutions for Last.fm’s UI across the web, desktop and mobile platforms.

Responsibilities
Contribute to shipping great product by providing holistic solutions for web and application UI design and visual direction.

• Develop design strategy, concepts and prototypes from user flow analysis to final execution for products from features to branded experiences.
• Design user interfaces for the website, desktop and mobile products with the team in an agile environment (scrum methodology)
• Use a wide range of design techniques including (but not limited to): sketching, wireframing, storyboard creation, animation, mocking-up designs to pixel perfection, and prototyping (through pair programming with a developer) to illustrate ideas and turn them into reality
• Produce final UI assets including iconography, illustration, animation, typography and layouts
• Use data (ie. Omniture) and user testing to inform UI decisions, and promote the importance of UI internally and externally (with our partners)
• Collaborate with external developers, manufacturers and agencies to ensure that the last.fm user experience is consistent across a wide range of platforms and contexts
• Help define and document house standards for UI components and visuals; UI guidelines; and brand tone & manner to educate both internally and externally (with our partners)
• Manage multiple projects and deliver them on time, to spec and with an appropriate level of communication.


Skills and Experience
Essential:
• 3-5 years of design experience in a commercial environment
• Experience working closely with a development team in order to get products shipped
• Proven ability of overcoming browser/platform considerations
• Familiarity with modern web standards and limitations for front-end development (HTML, CSS, Javascript)
• User observation and/or user testing skills and methodologies
• Proficiency in candidate’s chosen design tools
• Strong project management and communication skills

Desirable:
• Experience with interface copywriting and SEO
• Familiarity with agile/scrum methodology
• Experience with using data (ie. Omniture) and user testing methods and software (ie. Silverback)
• Experience with IAB standards and different types of web advertising products
• Good presentation & business skills
• Experience working with multiple teams (in and out of house), freelancers and interns
• Experience of working in the online music space
• Experience of UI design outside web/software/mobile, (ie. Hardware, games)

Education and Qualifications
• Bachelor’s (Honours) degree or equivalent in Design
Behaviours & Personality
• Creative; innovative and visionary
• Inquisitive; continually asks “why?” and keeps abreast industry developments
• Comradely; a team player
• Industrious; good at getting things done
• Diplomatic; knows when to compromise and when to take a stand
• Communicative; open with information and concise
• Analytical; can take a fuzzy spec or requirement and make it very clear-cut
• Conscientious; attentive to the details as well as the big picture
• Pragmatic; adaptable, able to find your way through ambiguity

Other Information
Candidates must provide at least 3 samples of user interfaces they’ve designed as well as their CV for consideration. Please send your application to jobs@last.fm, and put User Interface Designer in the subject line.

We do not accept applications from agencies other than those on our preferred suppliers list.

Last.fm is always interested to hear from experienced online digital media sales people. You will have experience of direct client contact as well as liaising with agencies. You have a proven track record of growing a client base and generating repeat business.

You are the kind of person who loves to dive in at the deep end and make things happen. You have a professional demeanour as well as being fun to work with. You're creative, intelligent and use this to make the whole team look good. You are passionate about the potential of digital music and Last.fm in particular. You are a natural networker. Your music taste is not important, but you have to have an opinion.

In return, you will receive a very competitive package comprising of a base salary + sales commission. You'll be working as part of our talented sales team, developing relationships between our very cool client brands and the best music service in the world.

Last.fm is looking for an intern to join our Customer Support team. This position is a full-time internship for three months, based in our London office.

What you’ll be doing:

• Responding to enquiries received from members of the community, through support tickets and in the support forums.
• Capturing and forwarding new support issues to appropriate parties within the company.
• Documenting resolved cases in a manner useful for future reference, both internally and externally (e.g. FAQ).
• Investigating and troubleshooting technical problems and escalating these to the technical team if necessary.
• Supporting other team members and moderators in moderating user-generated content and community support issues.
• Performing other related tasks as assigned, such as assisting with quality assessment of upcoming site features and software releases.

Requirements:

• Experienced user of Last.fm with a very good knowledge of our products.
• Excellent writing and communication skills.
• A positive customer service attitude.
• Willingness to investigate technical issues and follow through.
• Ability to use own initiative and work with minimal supervision.
• Good computer software use and basic problem-solving knowledge of software needed to use Last.fm, incl. the Last.fm desktop client and supported web browsers is desired.
• Knowledge of at least two of the three major computing platforms supported (Windows, Macintosh, UNIX) is advantageous.
• Previous customer services or IT support experience is advantageous.
• Experience with helpdesk and support ticket systems such as OTRS and JIRA is another plus.
• Loving music is a must :)

If none of these roles take your fancy, take a look at our other London based roles within the rest of CBSi. http://www.cbsinteractive.co.uk/jobs/