Lead/Principle Software Engineer

You’ll play a key role in the full software development lifecycle, from solution design through to deployment and operational support, while collaborating with multidisciplinary teams to deliver innovative solutions that make a real-world impact., * Design, develop, deploy, and enhance Back End platforms, applications, and services that support mission-critical programmes.

• Deliver secure, scalable, and maintainable software solutions that meet both functional and non-functional business requirements.
• Participate in Agile ceremonies, including sprint planning, story refinement, estimation, and retrospectives.
• Deliver incremental software releases and continuous improvements through modern Agile delivery practices.
• Collaborate closely with engineers, architects, and product stakeholders across cross-functional teams.
• Take ownership of the services and applications your team delivers, ensuring ongoing reliability, performance, and supportability.
• Build, maintain, and optimise Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipelines.
• Contribute to engineering standards, best practices, and quality assurance processes across the development lifecycle.
• Support knowledge sharing and foster a collaborative engineering culture.
• Assist in troubleshooting, root cause analysis, and resolution of production issues when required.

Essential

• 5+ years’ commercial software engineering experience delivering production-grade solutions within complex environments.
• Strong commercial experience developing applications using Java.
• Experience working with other JVM-based technologies such as Kotlin and/or Scala.
• Experience with messaging and event-streaming technologies such as Kafka.
• Strong experience integrating with Back End services including PostgreSQL, Redis, and S3/Object Storage solutions.
• Deep understanding of microservices architecture, distributed systems, and modern software design patterns.
• Experience working with Big Data technologies and data-intensive applications.
• Experience operating within Agile DevSecOps environments.
• Knowledge and application of Zero Trust Architecture principles.
• Strong experience with CI/CD pipelines, automated deployments, and modern software delivery practices.
• Commitment to clean coding standards, code reviews, defensive programming, and high-quality technical documentation.
• Experience using source control and collaboration platforms including GitHub, GitLab, and the Atlassian Suite.
• Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to design and implement scalable technical solutions.

Desirable

• Experience working within AWS, Azure, or other cloud-native environments.
• Knowledge of containerisation and orchestration technologies such as Docker and Kubernetes.
• Experience supporting highly regulated industries such as Defence, National Security, Government, or Critical Infrastructure.
• Exposure to high-volume, real-time, or event-driven architectures.
• Relevant industry certifications across software engineering, cloud, or security disciplines.

What You’ll Bring

• Strong Back End engineering expertise with a passion for developing secure, scalable, and reliable systems.
• The ability to lead technical discussions and influence engineering decisions across teams.
• A thorough understanding of modern software engineering principles and best practices.
• A proactive approach to ownership, taking responsibility for services from initial design through to production support.
• A collaborative mindset with the ability to work effectively across multidisciplinary teams.
• Excellent communication skills and a commitment to continuous learning and technical improvement.
• The ability to thrive in challenging and highly secure technical environments.

Testing & Quality

Essential Experience

• Strong advocate of Test-Driven Development (TDD) and quality-first engineering practices.
• Experience using modern testing frameworks and automated testing tools.
• Proven ability to build scalable, secure, maintainable, and well-tested software solutions.
• Commitment to continuous improvement, engineering excellence, and delivering robust code into production.