Senior/Principal Software Engineer

Gemba Advantage; Cheltenham; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible pensions

PMI membership

Job summary

Gemba Advantage is seeking Senior and Principal Software Engineers to design and deliver secure, scalable cloud-native services in small teams. You will remain hands-on while guiding architecture and standards, mentoring peers, and collaborating with customers.

The role requires active or recently active SC/DV clearance and willingness to work on-site up to four days per week in Cheltenham. Hybrid work model offered.

Qualifications

• Active, or recently active, SC or DV clearance (essential).
• Willing to work on-site up to 4 days/week.
• Strong experience delivering production systems in complex environments.
• Proficiency in at least one modern language (Java/TypeScript/Python/Go).
• Cloud/container experience and a security-first mindset.

Responsibilities

• Design and deliver secure, scalable software in small agile teams.
• Stay hands-on while shaping architecture and technical direction.
• Set engineering standards and mentor others.
• Work directly with customers to solve complex problems.
• Champion modern engineering practices (cloud, CI/CD, DevSecOps).

Skills

Cloud-native dev

Mentoring

Security mindset

Influence decisions

Tools

AWS

Kubernetes

Docker

Elasticsearch

MongoDB

CI/CD

GitOps

Relational DBs

Job description

Senior/Principal Software Engineer

Application Deadline: 30 October 2026

Department: Software Engineering

Employment Type: Permanent

Location: Cheltenham (Hybrid)

Compensation: £70,000 - £100,000 / year

Description

Please note: This role requires applicants to hold active, or recently active, SC or DV clearance.

This role also requires applicants to be willing to work on-site up to 4 days per week.

At Gemba Advantage, we build secure, user-centred digital products for critical public sector organisations across the UK. Our teams work on complex, high-impact systems, the kind that have to be secure, scalable, and actually usable by the people who rely on them.

We’re looking for Senior and Principal Engineers who want to shape meaningful systems, influence technical direction, and work alongside capable people who care about doing the job properly. You’ll help design and build modern cloud-native services, guide engineering standards, and solve genuinely hard problems with our customers.

The Role:

• Design and deliver secure, scalable software in small agile teams
• Stay hands-on while shaping architecture and technical direction
• Set engineering standards and mentor others
• Work directly with customers to solve complex problems
• Champion modern engineering practices (cloud, CI/CD, DevSecOps)

What you'll bring:

• Active, or recently active, SC or DV clearance (essential)
• Strong experience delivering production systems in complex environments
• Depth in at least one modern language (Java, TypeScript, Python, Go etc.)
• Cloud/container experience and a security-first mindset
• Confidence influencing technical decisions and improving teams

Tech we commonly use

• Java TypeScript Python Go
• React / Angular
• AWS Kubernetes Docker
• Elasticsearch MongoDB relational DBs
• CI/CD GitOps infrastructure as code

Why join Gemba?

We’re guided by four core values that make Gemba a great place to work:

• Our people are our most important asset, and we prioritise their needs.
• We succeed and fail as a team, not as individuals.
• We do the right thing and we do the thing right.
• We keep an unwavering focus on the customer’s needs.

Away from our values, Gemba offers an excellent and comprehensive package to our Gembans, including great salaries, meaningful perks, a culture of truly rewarding and celebrating success, amongst many other core benefits like flexible pensions and PMI.

As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we recognise, and studies confirm, that often underrepresented candidates in the workplace are less likely to apply to roles unless they meet all skills and experience of the position.

At Gemba we celebrate diversity and are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace, therefore we make sure that our recruitment and selection processes never discriminate based upon age, race, religion, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, or pregnancy, and actively welcome applications from all groups.