Senior Software Developer

IBM; Markham; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 105,000; Full time

Job summary

IBM Software is seeking a Senior Software Engineer to design, build, and operate backend systems in production. You will work in an Agile environment to translate stakeholder needs into scalable solutions, with emphasis on reliability, observability, and modern deployment practices.

Responsibilities include developing backend services, deploying on cloud platforms, and contributing to continuous integration and deployment pipelines while collaborating with product partners and engineers.

Qualifications

• Experience building, scaling, and operating backend systems in production.
• Proficiency in at least one major backend language (Java/Go/C/C++/Python).
• Strong fundamentals in data structures, algorithms, and system design.
• Experience with distributed systems and cloud environments (AWS/GCP/Azure).
• Hands-on experience with containers/orchestration (Docker/Kubernetes) and modern deployment practices.
• Experience with observability, incident response, and postmortems.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills.
• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in CS/Engineering or equivalent experience.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, test, deploy, and operate backend services ready for production use.
• Scale and operate reliable production systems focusing on performance and maintainability.
• Work with distributed systems, event-driven architectures and data pipelines.
• Improve CI/CD pipelines and automated testing and deployment processes.
• Deploy and operate cloud-based services using containers and orchestration.
• Improve observability via metrics, logging, and tracing; support incident response and postmortems.
• Diagnose issues and implement fixes; collaborate with stakeholders to resolve.
• Communicate technical decisions clearly to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Collaborate in an Agile environment to deliver team goals.

Skills

Backend development

Java

Go

C/C++

Python

Distributed systems

Cloud platforms

CI/CD

Observability

Communication

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in CS/Engineering

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

Job description

Introduction

At IBM Software, we transform client challenges into solutions. Building the world's leading AI-powered, cloud-native products that shape the future of business and society. Our legacy of innovation creates endless opportunities for IBMers to learn, grow, and make an impact on a global scale. Working in Software means joining a team fueled by curiosity and collaboration. You'll work with diverse technologies, partners, and industries to design, develop, and deliver solutions that power digital transformation. With a culture that values innovation, growth, and continuous learning, IBM Software places you at the heart of IBM's product and technology landscape. Here, you'l have the tools and opportunities to advance your career while creating software that changes the world.

Introduction

At IBM Software, we transform client challenges into solutions. Building the world's leading AI-powered, cloud-native products that shape the future of business and society. Our legacy of innovation creates endless opportunities for IBMers to learn, grow, and make an impact on a global scale. Working in Software means joining a team fueled by curiosity and collaboration. You'll work with diverse technologies, partners, and industries to design, develop, and deliver solutions that power digital transformation. With a culture that values innovation, growth, and continuous learning, IBM Software places you at the heart of IBM's product and technology landscape. Here, you'l have the tools and opportunities to advance your career while creating software that changes the world.

Your Role And Responsibilities

As a Senior Software Engineer, you will design, build, test, deploy, and operate reliable backend systems in production. You will work in an Agile, collaborative environment to translate stakeholder needs into scalable software solutions, improve service performance and resilience, and contribute to strong engineering and operational practices across the delivery lifecycle.

Your Primary Responsibilities Will Include

• Design, develop, test, and deliver backend services and component-level software solutions that are ready for integration and production use.
• Build, scale, and operate reliable production systems, balancing performance, availability, consistency, and maintainability.
• Contribute to distributed systems, including event-driven architectures, high-throughput services, and large-scale data pipelines.
• Develop and improve automated continuous integration and deployment pipelines, quality controls, and modern release practices.
• Deploy and operate cloud-based services using containers and orchestration platforms.
• Improve observability through meaningful metrics, logging, and tracing; participate in incident response, root-cause analysis, and blameless postmortems.
• Diagnose customer-reported issues, design and implement code fixes, and collaborate with stakeholders through resolution.
• Communicate technical decisions, risks, and tradeoffs clearly to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Collaborate with engineers, product partners, and other stakeholders in an Agile environment to deliver outcomes aligned with team goals.

Preferred Education

Master's Degree

Required Technical And Professional Expertise

• Experience building, scaling, and operating backend systems in production.
• Proficiency in at least one major backend programming language, such as Java, Go, C/C++, or Python.
• Strong fundamentals in data structures, algorithms, and system design.
• Experience with distributed systems, such as event-driven architectures, high-throughput services, or large-scale data pipelines, with an understanding of consistency, fault tolerance, and performance tradeoffs.
• Experience running services in a public cloud environment, such as AWS, Google Cloud, or Microsoft Azure.
• Hands-on experience with containers and orchestration, such as Docker and Kubernetes, as well as modern deployment practices.
• Experience with observability and operational excellence, including metrics, logging, tracing, incident response, and postmortems.
• Experience with automated continuous integration and deployment pipelines, unit testing, debugging, and production issue resolution.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills, including the ability to explain complex ideas clearly to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in computer science, engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

Preferred Technical And Professional Experience

• Experience with support engineering practices and resolving complex customer-reported production issues.
• Experience applying DevOps principles to improve delivery automation, service reliability, and operational efficiency.
• Experience with front-end development technologies or contributing across the full software stack.