Java Software Engineer

Applause IT Limited; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 50,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days holiday

6% employer pension contribution

Private medical insurance

Life assurance

Employee Assistance Programme

Company mobile phone

Free on-site parking

Job summary

Applause IT Limited is seeking a Java Software Engineer to join their Birmingham-based team. You will design, build, and maintain enterprise Java applications using Java and Spring Boot, deliver robust backend services and REST APIs, and work across the full software development lifecycle.

The role offers on-site work with a collaborative engineering culture, an opportunity to own projects end‑to‑end, and a clear path through a major redevelopment programme within a security‑critical

Qualifications

• Commercial Java development experience.
• Spring Boot or J2EE experience.
• Hibernate/JPA experience.
• SQL Server or MySQL experience.
• Linux (Red Hat, Rocky Linux or similar).
• Strong object‑oriented programming skills.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Proactive attitude with ownership.

Responsibilities

• Designing and developing enterprise Java applications using Java and Spring Boot.
• Building responsive web applications and user interfaces.
• Developing robust backend services and REST APIs.
• Designing, maintaining and optimising SQL databases.
• Troubleshooting technical issues and delivering high‑quality software solutions.
• Collaborating with customers and colleagues to understand requirements and design effective solutions.
• Taking ownership of projects from design through to deployment and ongoing support.
• Contributing to a long‑term product redevelopment programme.

Skills

Java

Spring Boot

J2EE

Hibernate/JPA

SQL

Linux

OO design

Communication

Ownership

Tools

REST APIs

Git

Vaadin

GXT/GWT

HTML5/CSS

Job description

Java Software Engineer

£40,000 - £50,000 | Birmingham | Office Based | Permanent

Build software that makes a real-world impact.

Are you a Java Software Engineer looking for more than just another business application?

We're working with a growing specialist software company that develops bespoke applications used by law enforcement and other security-critical organisations across the UK. As demand continues to grow, they're looking to expand their close-knit development team with an enthusiastic Java Software Engineer who enjoys solving complex technical challenges and wants to take genuine ownership of their work.

This is an opportunity to join a collaborative team where your ideas are valued, you'll work across the full software development lifecycle, and you'll play a key role in a major redevelopment programme before contributing to the ongoing evolution of the wider product suite.

What you'll be doing

• Designing and developing enterprise Java applications using Java and Spring Boot.
• Building responsive web applications and user interfaces.
• Developing robust backend services and REST APIs.
• Designing, maintaining and optimising SQL databases.
• Troubleshooting technical issues and delivering high-quality software solutions.
• Collaborating with customers and colleagues to understand requirements and design effective solutions.
• Taking ownership of projects from design through to deployment and ongoing support.
• Contributing to a long-term product redevelopment programme.

What we're looking for

We're looking for someone who enjoys software engineering, takes pride in producing high-quality code and wants to continue developing their technical skills within a supportive team.

Essential experience

• Commercial Java development experience.
• Spring Boot or J2EE.
• Hibernate / JPA.
• SQL Server or MySQL.
• Linux (Red Hat, Rocky Linux or similar).
• Strong understanding of object-oriented programming.
• Excellent communication skills.
• A proactive attitude with a genuine sense of ownership.

Desirable experience

• Vaadin.
• GXT / GWT.
• HTML5 & CSS.
• RESTful APIs.
• Git.
• Full software development lifecycle experience.

Why join?

• Salary between £40,000 - £50,000.
• Work on software supporting critical national infrastructure and law enforcement.
• Join a friendly, collaborative engineering team of experienced developers.
• Genuine ownership of your work from concept through to deployment.
• Major product redevelopment programme offering long-term technical challenges.
• Career progression as the business continues to grow.
• 25 days holiday, increasing with service.
• 6% employer pension contribution.
• Private medical insurance.
• Life assurance.
• Employee Assistance Programme.
• Company mobile phone.
• Free on-site parking.

Location

This role is based at the company's Birmingham office. You'll initially be expected to work predominantly on-site to collaborate with the wider engineering team, with flexibility available as you become established within the business.

Security Clearance

Due to the nature of the projects you'll be working on, successful applicants must be eligible to obtain UK Government Security Clearance.

If you're passionate about Java development, enjoy solving challenging technical problems and want to build software that genuinely makes a difference, we'd love to hear from you.