Intermediate Software Engineer – Java, DevOps & AI

CDL Software; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 35,000 - 45,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid Working

Flexible working

25 days holiday

Health and wellbeing programme

Pension scheme

Life and health assurance

Electric vehicle scheme

Job summary

CDL Software in Manchester is looking for an Intermediate Java Developer to join their engineering team. The successful candidate will design, build, and maintain Java applications, contributing to CI/CD processes and collaborating effectively with teams.

This hybrid role offers a competitive salary between £35,000 and £45,000 per year, along with benefits such as flexible working, training, and development opportunities.

Qualifications

• Strong Java enterprise development experience.
• Experience with APIs and microservices.
• Understanding of software engineering principles and best practices.
• Exposure to DevOps / CI/CD pipelines.
• Experience in an AI development environment.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain Java‑based applications and services.
• Deliver secure and scalable solutions aligned to CDL standards.
• Take ownership of features or components end‑to‑end.
• Support and improve CI/CD pipelines.
• Collaborate with Product and Platform teams.

Skills

Java enterprise development experience

APIs and microservices

Software engineering principles

DevOps / CI/CD pipelines

Experience in AI development environment

Tools

AWS

Docker

Kubernetes

Infrastructure as Code

Job description

Description

We are looking for an Intermediate Java Developer to join our engineering team. This role is suited to a proficient engineer who can deliver high-quality software, take ownership of features, and contribute to continuous improvement within their squad.

Department: Insurance Retail

Location: North West UK – Hybrid

Compensation: £35,000 – £45,000 per year

About CDL

CDL is one of the UK’s leading software development houses, employing over 600 people at its campus in Stockport. It has a consistent history in the high-volume retail insurance sector and has spearheaded developments in the aggregator, web and telematics space, including connected home, enrichment and self‑service solutions. The company’s technologies enable customers to thrive in the competitive UK insurance marketplace.

What You’ll Do

• Design, build, and maintain Java‑based applications and services
• Deliver well‑tested, secure and scalable solutions aligned to CDL standards
• Take ownership of features or components end‑to‑end
• Contribute to solution design and technical decisions
• Support and improve CI/CD pipelines and deployment processes
• Collaborate with Product and Platform teams
• Participate in team ceremonies and squad delivery
• Contribute to continuous improvement and adoption of AI tools

About You

Essential:

• Strong Java enterprise development experience
• Experience with APIs and microservices
• Understanding of software engineering principles and best practices
• Exposure to DevOps / CI/CD pipelines
• Experience working in an AI development environment

Desirable:

• Experience with AWS (compute, networking, or serverless services)
• Cloud‑native development and distributed systems
• Docker / Kubernetes
• Infrastructure as Code
• Experience with AI‑assisted development tools
• Awareness of secure coding practices, application security, and cloud security principles

What We’re Looking For

• Ability to deliver independently and take ownership
• A collaborative team player who contributes positively to squad outcomes
• Strong problem‑solving skills and attention to detail
• Commitment to quality, continuous improvement, and learning
• Interest in modern engineering practices (DevOps & AI)

Level Expectations (Engineer 3)

• Delivers independently with minimal supervision
• Owns features or components within the squad
• Contributes to technical improvements and best practices
• Supports and collaborates with other engineers

Benefits

• Hybrid Working – 2 days a week in the office at SK4 2HD
• Flexible working
• 25 days holiday to start, increasing by 1 day per year of service up to 30 days
• Top employer for 10th year running
• Excellent training and development platform
• Opportunities for career progression
• Health and wellbeing programme
• Virtual activities, lunch and learns, coffee mornings and meetups
• Life and health assurance
• Electric vehicle scheme
• Established recognition award system
• Parental benefits
• Diversity and inclusion network
• Pension scheme
• Community projects and volunteer days
• Refer a friend bonus

Diversity and inclusion

We’re on a journey to keep innovating, that means welcoming new ideas and ways of thinking. CDL recognises that building a diverse workforce is critical to the success of our business. We strongly encourage applications from a diverse talent pool and welcome the opportunity to discuss flexibility requirements and workplace adjustments with all our applicants.

Recruitment Agency Notice

CDL have a PSL in place, but haven’t used them for over 3 years, therefore be advised that any unsolicited submission of candidate details – including but not limited to LinkedIn profiles, CVs, or resumes (whether redacted or unredacted) – will be considered freely given and unsolicited. As such, these submissions will not be subject to any fees, terms, or obligations on our part.

Only candidate profiles that have been formally discussed with and approved by our Talent Acquisition (TA) team prior to submission and submitted by agencies on our Preferred Supplier List (PSL) operating under agreed terms are authorised to submit candidates. Any submissions from non‑PSL agencies, or those made outside of agreed processes, will be deemed non‑compliant and will not be eligible for any fees or consideration.

This policy was last updated in April 2025.