Software Engineer

The Software Engineer will play a critical role in both the sustainment of the current environment and the delivery of new capabilities. The selected individual will develop solutions to complex technical issues and problems, applying sound engineering principles to deliver high-quality, maintainable software.

They will regularly demonstrate initiative and creativity in solving technical challenges and contribute to the continuous improvement of software development practices.

As a Software Engineer at Leidos, you will be immersed in one of our key programmes. On behalf of our central government customer, you will have direct impact on the current and future iterations of one of our most important pieces of critical national infrastructure.

This is a senior technical role. The individual will contribute to technical decision making, collaborate closely with engineers, architects, testers, and delivery teams, and be a key contributor to the successful delivery of software solutions.

What will I be doing?

• Design, develop, debug, test, document, and deploy software enhancements aligned with the Software Development Strategy.
• Develop and maintain Java-based backend services and APIs that process business events and workflows, integrating with downstream systems and data services in a secure, highly available environment.
• Contribute to the design and implementation of software solutions by analysing requirements, system flows, data usage, and technical constraints.
• Produce clean, maintainable, and well-documented code in accordance with established engineering standards.
• Participate in code reviews and contribute to maintaining software quality across the development team.
• Develop and maintain unit and integration tests to ensure software quality and reliability.
• Work collaboratively with architects, engineers, and test teams to ensure new and modified software is fully verified prior to release.
• Support and contribute to the continuous improvement of CI/CD pipelines, quality gates, and security scanning processes.
• Assist in breaking down technical designs into deliverable tasks and contribute to Agile delivery activities including estimation, planning, and backlog refinement.
• Investigate and resolve defects, production issues, and operational support activities as required.
• Contribute to test automation initiatives within the project and work alongside the test team to improve automation coverage.
• Support Agile development practices and actively participate in Scrum ceremonies.
• Effectively communicate technical information, risks, and implementation considerations to team members and stakeholders.
• Mentor and support less experienced engineers, sharing knowledge and promoting good engineering practices.

• Proven software engineering experience, including hands-on delivery using:
• Java (Java 8 and modern Java versions such as 17 and 21)
• API design and implementation
• Strong understanding of software engineering principles, design patterns, and modern development practices.
• Experience delivering software as part of a collaborative Agile development team.
• Strong understanding of Git/Bitbucket source control and branching strategies.
• Familiarity with Relational Databases (PostgreSQL), SQL, and JDBC.
• Experience writing and maintaining unit and integration tests.
• Familiarity with Agile software development processes and iterative delivery models.
• Familiarity with the Atlassian tool suite (e.g. Jira, Bitbucket, Bamboo), or equivalent tooling, and a good understanding of CI/CD practices.
• Experience working within code review processes and software quality standards.
• Ability to troubleshoot and resolve complex technical issues with minimal supervision.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills.

It would be great if you had:

• Familiarity with integration and architectural patterns (e.g. adapters, orchestration patterns such as saga).
• Experience with SOAP and REST web services.
• Experience with IBM Web Application Server or JBoss.
• Familiarity with Unix, Linux, or other variants.
• Perl, Python, and/or Bash scripting experience.
• Experience with C or C++.
• Strong performance analysis and debugging skills.
• Experience contributing to test automation initiatives (UI and/or API).
• Experience working in secure, regulated, or mission-critical environments.
• Customer-facing experience, including communicating technical status, risks, and recommendations to stakeholders.

Clearance Requirements: Successful candidates will be required to be willing and able to obtain UK Security Clearances - this requires a minimum of 5 years residency in the UK

Salary: £47,600 - £61,000, At Leidos we are PASSIONATE about customer success, UNITED as a team and INSPIRED to make a difference. We offer meaningful and engaging careers, a collaborative culture, and support for your career goals, all while nurturing a healthy work-life balance.

We provide an employment package that attracts, develops and retains only the best in talent. Our reward scheme includes:

• Contributory Pension Scheme

• Private Medical Insurance

• 33 days Annual Leave (including public and privilege holidays)

• Access to Flexible benefits (including life assurance, health schemes, gym memberships, annual buy and sell holidays and a cycle to work scheme)

• Flexi-Time Working, Pay and benefits are fundamental to any career decision. That's why we craft compensation packages that reflect the importance of the work we do for our customers. Employment benefits include competitive compensation, Health and Wellness programs, Income Protection, Paid Leave and Retirement. More details are available at www.leidos.com/careers/pay-benefits .

Leidos UK & EUROPE (http://www.leidos.com/company/global/uk-europe) - we work to make the worldsafer,healthier, andmore efficient through technology, engineering andscience. Leidos is a growing company delivering innovative technology and solutions focused on safeguarding critical capabilities and transformation in frontline services, our work in the United Kingdom includes addressing some of the most complex problems in defence, healthcare, government, safety and security, and transportation. What Makes Us Different: Purpose: you can use your passion and abilities at Leidos to keep the people you care about safe. We are at the forefront of machine learning, AI, cyber security and solutions. Using your skills in the technology frontline by helping to build a safer world. You can inspire change. Collaboration: having flexibility to do your job is one of our core benefits, enabling you to become part of our extraordinary team. We have been empowering our people to work flexibly for years. Whether you work from home, the office or on customer sites, we will give you the digital tools and the flexibility to work smarter and align your needs and ours. People: Leidos empowers people from every background to be themselves and gives you the tools to learn new skills by enabling growth whilst developing . We believe that extraordinary people need opportunities to grow, to be inspired and to inspire others. At Leidos, we invest in technical academies, career rotations and a career development plans that enhance your future. If you're looking for comfort, keep scrolling. At Leidos, we outthink, outbuild, and outpace the status quo - because the mission demands it. We're not hiring followers. We're recruiting the ones who disrupt, provoke, and refuse to fail. Step 10 is ancient history. We're already at step 30 - and moving faster than anyone else dares., Leidos is an industry and technology leader serving government and commercial customers with smarter, more efficient digital and mission innovations. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, with 47,000 global employees, Leidos reported annual revenues of approximately $16.7 billion for the fiscal year ended January 3, 2025. For more information, visit www.Leidos.com .