Senior Software Engineer

Sellick Partnership; Bath; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Enhanced family leave

25 days annual leave

Life assurance

Company social events

Job summary

Sellick Partnership is recruiting a Senior Backend Engineer for a UK defence multi-year programme in Bath, offering hybrid working with three days onsite. You'll own design and integration of backend services, APIs and data workflows in a hands-on role.

You will shape solutions from loosely defined requirements, lead technical decisions on architecture, security and performance, and mentor colleagues. Applicants must be eligible for UK SC clearance.

Qualifications

• Experience with backend design and API development.
• Strong knowledge of Java and SQL.
• Experience integrating ERP and data platforms.
• Ability to work in a hybrid Bath environment on UK defence programme.

Responsibilities

• Design and build backend services and APIs.
• Develop complex integrations with ERP systems, data platforms and external technologies.
• Work primarily across Java, SQL and modern data/integration tooling.
• Design REST and event-driven integrations.
• Introduce Change Data Capture (CDC) and near-real-time data patterns where appropriate.
• Work with data warehouse/lakehouse environments.
• Make technical decisions around architecture, scalability, security and performance.
• Improve automated testing, CI/CD and observability.
• Take substantial pieces of engineering work from initial design through to production.
• Mentor engineers and contribute to wider backend engineering standards.
• Work with technical and non-technical stakeholders across a major defence programme.

Skills

Java

SQL

API development

REST/EDA

Systems integration

Data lakehouse

CI/CD

Observability

Data design

ERP integration

Job description

Senior Software Engineer – UK Defence Programme

Bath | Hybrid – typically 3 days onsite

Permanent

UK National / SC Clearance Eligible

We’re looking for an experienced Senior Backend Engineer to join a major, multi-year technology transformation programme within UK defence.

This is a hands-on engineering role with genuine technical ownership. You’ll be building and evolving a complex software platform and connecting it with a growing ecosystem of systems including data lakehouse technology, ERP platforms, optimisation engines and external partner platforms.

Much of the technical landscape is still being designed, so this is ideal for an engineer who enjoys taking loosely defined requirements, shaping the solution and delivering it through to production.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Design and build backend services and APIs.
• Develop complex integrations with ERP systems, data platforms and external technologies.
• Work primarily across Java, SQL and modern data/integration tooling.
• Design REST and event-driven integrations.
• Introduce Change Data Capture (CDC) and near-real-time data patterns where appropriate.
• Work with data warehouse/lakehouse environments.
• Make technical decisions around architecture, scalability, security and performance.
• Improve automated testing, CI/CD and observability.
• Take substantial pieces of engineering work from initial design through to production.
• Mentor engineers and contribute to wider backend engineering standards.
• Work with technical and non-technical stakeholders across a major defence programme.

What We’re Looking For

You’ll ideally be an experienced Senior Software Engineer with strong backend, integration and data experience.

Key experience:

• Java or a comparable backend language
• Strong SQL
• Backend services and API development
• REST and/or event-driven architecture
• Systems integration
• Data warehouse/lakehouse integration
• CI/CD and automated testing
• Observability and production monitoring
• Strong system and data design knowledge
• Third-party platform / ERP integration

Experience with streaming technologies, Change Data Capture (CDC), data pipelines or near-real-time integrations would be particularly valuable.

We’re looking for someone comfortable working with ambiguity who can understand the underlying problem, make pragmatic technical decisions and take ownership of delivering the solution rather than relying on a fully defined specification.

Defence & Security Requirements

Due to the nature of the programme, candidates must be UK nationals and eligible to obtain UK Security Clearance (SC).

Existing active SC clearance would be advantageous but isn't essential for candidates who meet the eligibility requirements and are willing to undergo the clearance process.

Experience within defence, central government, public safety or another regulated environment would also be beneficial.

Bath-based with hybrid working, typically around three days per week onsite at either the company office or customer locations.

Benefits include:

• Competitive salary with annual reviews
• Enhanced family leave
• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays
• Life assurance
• Company social events

Why Consider the Role?

This is an opportunity to take genuine Senior-level ownership within a significant, long-term UK defence technology programme.

You’ll work on complex production systems and integrations while having the freedom to influence architecture, technology choices and engineering standards.

It would particularly suit a backend engineer who wants to remain hands-on while solving challenging integration and data problems at scale.

Interview Process

The process is expected to include:

• Hands-on programming session

The programming exercise can be completed in a suitable language such as Java, C#, TypeScript, Python or Go.