Lead Software Engineer

Sanderson Recruitment; Gloucester; On-site; GBP 54,000 - 94,000; Full time

Job summary

Sanderson Recruitment is seeking an experienced Software Engineer to design, build and scale secure backend platforms used in modern cloud environments. Youll contribute to production-grade services with a mix of commercial and open-source technologies across private and public clouds.

You will work within agile DevSecOps teams, ship frequent releases, and collaborate closely with fellow engineers to ensure robust, scalable systems.

Qualifications

• 5+ years experience delivering production-grade cloud solutions.
• Strong Java experience, with exposure to JVM languages such as Kotlin or Scala.
• Experience with Kafka or similar messaging platforms.
• Background in Agile DevSecOps environments and Zero Trust architectures.
• Experience integrating with services such as PostgreSQL, Redis and S3.
• Solid engineering fundamentals: clean code, testing, documentation, code reviews and continuous delivery.
• Comfortable using GitHub, GitLab and Atlassian tools.
• Strong TDD experience.
• Hands-on experience with microservices and distributed systems.
• Exposure to Big Data technologies.

Responsibilities

• Designing, building, deploying and improving backend services and platforms.
• Delivering features that meet both functional and non-functional requirements.
• Estimating and shaping user stories as part of an Agile team.
• Shipping small, frequent releases to keep momentum high.
• Working closely with other engineers in cross-functional teams.
• Building, optimising and running CI/CD pipelines.
• Owning and supporting the services our team delivers in production.

Skills

Java

Kotlin

Scala

TDD

Cloud

Tools

GitHub

GitLab

Atlassian

Kafka

PostgreSQL

Redis

S3

CI/CD

Microservices

Big Data

Job description

Salary: £54,000 - 94,000 per year

Requirements:

• 5+ years experience delivering production-grade cloud solutions
• Strong Java experience, with exposure to JVM languages such as Kotlin or Scala
• Experience with Kafka or similar messaging platforms
• Background in Agile DevSecOps environments and Zero Trust architectures
• Experience integrating with services such as PostgreSQL, Redis and S3
• Solid engineering fundamentals: clean code, testing, documentation, code reviews and continuous delivery
• Comfortable using GitHub, GitLab and Atlassian tools
• Strong TDD experience
• Hands-on experience with microservices and distributed systems
• Exposure to Big Data technologies

Responsibilities:

• Designing, building, deploying and improving backend services and platforms
• Delivering features that meet both functional and non-functional requirements
• Estimating and shaping user stories as part of an Agile team
• Shipping small, frequent releases to keep momentum high
• Working closely with other engineers in cross-functional teams
• Building, optimising and running CI/CD pipelines
• Owning and supporting the services our team delivers in production

Technologies:

• Atlassian
• Big Data
• Backend
• CI/CD
• Cloud
• DevSecOps
• GitHub
• GitLab
• Support
• JVM
• Java
• Kafka
• Kotlin
• PostgreSQL
• Redis
• Scala
• Security
• TDD
• microservices
• DevOps

More:

Were looking for an experienced Software Engineer to help build and scale secure backend platforms used by National Security and Defence customers. Youll work on modern cloud-based systems using a mix of commercial and open-source technologies across private and public cloud environments. Respect and equality are core values to us, and were proud of the diverse and inclusive community weve built. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and perspectives. Our success is driven by our people, united by the spirit of partnership to deliver the best resourcing solutions for our clients. If you need any help or adjustments during the recruitment process for any reason, please let us know when you apply or talk to the recruiters directly so we can support you.

last updated 36 week of 2026