Scala Developer

Scrumconnect Consulting; Sunderland; Hybrid; GBP 74,000 - 83,000; Full time

Job summary

Scrumconnect Consulting in Newcastle is seeking a Senior Scala/JVM Software Developer to design, build, and maintain microservices using Scala and the Play Framework, aligning with GDS standards. Working as part of a multidisciplinary agile team, you will deliver secure, high-quality digital services for UK government clients.

The role emphasizes production reliability, on-call readiness, and collaboration with product and design teams in a hybrid working environment, with a 6-month duration.

Qualifications

• Strong commercial experience designing, building, and operating production software systems using Scala and the Play Framework.
• Experience with modern development practices (Test-Driven Development using ScalaTest/Specs2, CI/CD, and automated testing).
• Solid understanding of information security principles and secure-by-default engineering.
• Experience with systems design, RESTful API development, and microservices integration in complex environments.
• Comfort supporting services in production including on-call participation, incident response, and setting up observability tools.
• A user-focused mindset and experience collaborating closely with designers and product colleagues.
• Experience working in agile or hybrid delivery models (Scrum, Kanban).
• Experience delivering digital services within UK central government or the wider public sector.

Responsibilities

• Build and ship high-performance software components that meet user needs end-to-end.
• Write clean, secure, and well-tested code in Scala, adhering to functional programming principles and modern development standards.
• Operate, maintain, and scale the services you build identifying, triaging, and resolving production issues.
• Follow and help improve internal engineering best-practice guidelines.
• Coach apprentices and junior developers, contributing actively to Scrumconnect's engineering community.
• Conduct thorough peer code reviews and contribute to architectural decisions within your team.
• Collaborate closely with product owners, interaction designers, and user researchers to shape what gets built.

Skills

Scala

Play Framework

Tools

MongoDB

AWS

Kubernetes (EKS)

Terraform

GitHub Actions

Splunk

Grafana

Job description

Senior Scala/JVM Software Developer

Newcastle, Tyne & Wear, United Kingdom - £400 - £450 Inside IR 35 per day

Contract

About Scrumconnect Consulting

Scrumconnect Consulting is a multi-award-winning digital consultancy, recognised for delivering impactful and innovative technology solutions across UK government departments. Our work has positively influenced the lives of over 40 million UK citizens. We are passionate about user-centred design, agile delivery,and building digital services that make a real difference. Our teams work at the forefront of innovation, helping organisations transform and deliver high-quality, scalable solutions that truly matter.

Overview

We are looking for a Scala Software Developer to design, build, and maintain high-quality microservices and Back End systems using Scala and the Play Framework. You will help UK government clients solve complex problems and deliver tangible value for citizens and the public sector. Working as part of a multidisciplinary agile team, you will deliver user-centred digital services that meet strict Government Digital Service (GDS) standards and WCAG accessibility requirements. This is a hands-on technical role operating within structured, highly governed environments where security, high performance, accessibility, and architectural reliability are critical to service success.

Key responsibilities

• Build and ship high-performance software components that meet user needs end-to-end.
• Write clean, secure, and well-tested code in Scala, adhering to functional programming principles and modern development standards.
• Operate, maintain, and scale the services you build identifying, triaging, and resolving production issues.
• Follow and help improve internal engineering best-practice guidelines.
• Coach apprentices and junior developers, contributing actively to Scrumconnect's engineering community.
• Conduct thorough peer code reviews and contribute to architectural decisions within your team.
• Collaborate closely with product owners, interaction designers, and user researchers to shape what gets built.

Required skills & experience

You'll be working with: Scala, Play Framework, MongoDB, AWS, Kubernetes (EKS), Terraform, GitHub Actions, Splunk, Grafana. We're looking for:

• Strong commercial experience designing, building, and operating production software systems using Scala and the Play Framework.
• Confidence with modern development practices (Test-Driven Development using ScalaTest/Specs2, continuous integration/continuous deployment, and automated testing).
• Solid understanding of information security principles and secure-by-default engineering.
• Experience with systems design, RESTful API development, and microservices integration in complex environments.
• Comfort supporting services in production including on-call participation, incident response, and setting up observability tools.
• A user-focused mindset and experience collaborating closely with designers and product colleagues.
• Experience working in agile or hybrid delivery models (Scrum, Kanban).
• Experience working on high-volume transactional digital services (or strong evidence you can ramp quickly in a fast-paced environment).
• Experience delivering digital services within UK central government or the wider public sector.

Desirable experience

• Experience working with regulated public-sector, GDS, or financial-services environments.
• Open-source contributions to government engineering ecosystems.
• Active community-of-practice contribution (technical talks, blog posts, or internal Scala mentoring).

Location and working pattern

• Working Pattern: Hybrid working
• Location: Newcastle
• Duration: 6 months

How we work

It is our mission to make digital easy - through intelligent systems that predict needs, automate complexity and drive measurable value for the citizens and organisations we serve.

Our values:

- Collaboration - We are stronger as a team than as individuals. We tackle problems and celebrate wins together.

- Create Value Early - We find the quickest route from idea to product because customers rely on us to do what's best.

- Integrity - Teamwork requires trust. We can always be relied upon to uphold the highest standards.

- Commitment - No matter what, no matter how, we will always give our 100% to keeping our promises and achieving our goals.

Diversity and Inclusion

At Scrumconnect Consulting, we believe that diversity drives innovation and better outcomes. We are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where every individual is valued, respected, and supported.

We welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds and actively encourage individuals from underrepresented groups, including women, people with disabilities, and diverse communities, as well as those seeking flexible working arrangements.

As a Disability Confident Level 1 employer, we are committed to providing reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process and during employment to ensure equal opportunities for all.