Senior Engineer (Backend)

Naked Wines plc; Colchester; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading beverage company in Colchester is seeking a Senior Backend Engineer to deliver high-quality solutions within a product team. The ideal candidate will have over 5 years of experience in server-side development with Java and Spring technologies, with a strong focus on scalable cloud infrastructure. This role includes mentoring junior developers and collaborating closely with product stakeholders. A competitive salary and comprehensive benefits are offered.

Benefits

Competitive salary of £60-70k plus annual bonus opportunity

Personal healthcare

26 days holiday plus bank holidays

£300 annual personal development budget

Paid leave for volunteering

Qualifications

• 5+ years' experience in server-side development, especially with Java.
• Deep technical expertise in Spring and associated technologies.
• Strong knowledge of AWS services.

Responsibilities

• Deliver high-quality technical solutions with best practices.
• Collaborate to define value-driven solutions.
• Mentor less experienced developers and guide projects.

Skills

Server-side development with Java

Spring and open-source technologies

Cloud infrastructure design

Mentoring and guidance

Collaboration with stakeholders

Tools

Java 21+

AWS

Docker

Terraform

PostgreSQL

Job description

Overview

Senior Backend Engineer focused on delivering high-quality development and technical solutions within a product team. Works with product managers, owners, and stakeholders to shape roadmaps, balance priorities, and deliver real business value. Advocates engineering best practices, secure design, and scalable cloud infrastructure. Mentors others and supports the Tech Lead with project oversight.

Responsibilities

• Deliver high-quality development and technical solutions within a product team, focusing on best practices, standards, and secure design.
• Collaborate with product managers, product owners, and stakeholders to shape roadmaps, balance priorities, and define value-driven solutions.
• Provide accurate estimates and validate team estimates, maintaining focus on organisation and deadlines.
• Champion engineering best practices to ensure robust, secure, and maintainable solutions.
• Design and implement automated cloud infrastructure solutions.
• Guide and mentor less experienced developers, fostering collaboration and continuous learning.
• Support the Tech Lead with project oversight, including ensuring quality across functional, performance, and security requirements.
• Delegate tasks effectively and provide constructive feedback during sprint cycles.
• Step in as Tech Lead when required, including:
  • Supporting Product Managers with planning, estimates, and progress updates.
  • Facilitating team discussions and project meetings.
  • Balancing engineering excellence with stakeholder needs.
• Support other responsibilities as needed, including decision-making, discipline, influence, and accountability to foster a culture of ownership.
• Live by Naked values: support stakeholders from winemakers to customers and embrace growth, customer focus, simplicity, and accountability.
• Participate in the recruitment process when applicable and contribute to a positive team culture.

Qualifications

• 5+ years' experience in server-side development with Java, Spring, and open-source technologies.
• Deep technical expertise in Java 21+, Spring 5+, Spring Boot 2+, Spring Data, Spring Batch.
• Hibernate/JPA, SQL, Git (GitLab), Maven, AWS.
• Familiarity with a broad range of tools and technologies including RX Java, PostgreSQL, Jenkins (config/pipelines), HTML5/CSS/JavaScript.
• Docker/Podman, Kubernetes/ECS (AWS), NoSQL and data design.
• Terraform, application profiling, basic Linux administration.
• Strong knowledge of AWS services and multi-component cloud design focusing on scalability, security, and performance.
• Solid grasp of design patterns, web security, and secure development practices, with ability to learn new technologies quickly and share knowledge openly.
• Strong analytical skills, independence to implement solutions, and ability to collaborate effectively.
• Alignment with Naked behaviours and a passion for delivering quality solutions.

Perks and Benefits

• Competitive salary of £60-70k plus annual bonus opportunity
• Personal healthcare
• 26 days holiday plus bank holidays (holiday buy/sell option)
• £300 annual personal development budget
• £450 annually to treat yourself to Naked wines (for research)
• Paid leave for volunteering
• Wellbeing champions and mindfulness resources (Headspace)
• Enhanced parental leave
• Honeymoon leave – extra annual leave for newlyweds
• Employee recognition and thoughtful gifts

Diversity and Accessibility

At Naked Wines, we value diversity and inclusivity and are committed to fair and equitable treatment for all employees. We encourage applications from individuals of disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds, disabled persons, LGBTQ+ community members, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds, and those with lived experiences of discrimination. Naked Wines is committed to providing reasonable adjustments throughout our recruitment process. If you require adjustments, please contact us. In your application, you may indicate preferred pronouns to help us address you respectfully.