Software Development Engineer II (Java) - Customer Fulfilment

Tesco UK; Welwyn Garden City; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

Tesco UK is seeking a mid-level Software Development Engineer (SDE2) to build scalable, resilient Java-based backend services that support fulfilment workflows. The role involves collaborating with various stakeholders, writing maintainable code, and onboarding junior engineers.

Ideal candidates will have experience with Java, Spring Boot, Kafka, and Azure services. The position focuses on implementing end-to-end stories and best practices in agile methodologies, with a strong emphasis on continuous improvement and automation.

Qualifications

• Mid-level individual contributor with strong experience in scalable Java applications.
• Hands-on with Java, Spring Boot, Kafka, PostgreSQL, and Couchbase.
• Proficient in DevOps practices including CI/CD, Docker, and Kubernetes.

Responsibilities

• Build scalable Java-based backend services and APIs.
• Collaborate with engineers and product managers on feature delivery.
• Write clean, maintainable code and conduct peer reviews.

Skills

Building scalable Java applications

DevOps CI/CD pipelines

RESTful APIs

Agile methodologies

Tools

Java

Spring Boot

Kafka

PostgreSQL

Couchbase

Docker

Kubernetes

Azure DevOps

GitHub Actions

Job description

Responsibilities

• Build scalable, resilient Java‑based backend services, APIs and microservices that support fulfilment workflows and systems.
• Implement and ship end‑to‑end stories, with a focus on backend integration and feature delivery.
• Own medium‑sized features, taking them from design through to production.
• Collaborate closely with engineers, product managers and stakeholders to understand problems and define solutions.
• Write clean, maintainable code and contribute to peer reviews to raise the team’s quality bar.
• Help onboard junior engineers and share knowledge across the team.
• Apply best practices and champion continuous improvement of development processes and standards.

Qualifications and Experience

• Mid‑level individual contributor (SDE2) with strong experience building scalable, distributed Java applications.
• Hands‑on experience with Java, Spring Boot, Kafka, PostgreSQL and Couchbase; RESTful APIs.
• Proficiency in DevOps CI/CD pipelines (Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions), Docker and Kubernetes.
• Experience with Azure cloud services.
• Solid background in agile methodologies and DevOps practices.
• Experience designing, developing and operating backend components or services.
• Knowledge of TDD, clean code principles, automation and performance optimisation.
• Previous product development using agile methodologies.
• Ability to support and collaborate in globally distributed software engineering teams.

Technical Stack

• Backend: Java, Spring Boot, Kafka, PostgreSQL, Couchbase, RESTful APIs.
• DevOps: CI/CD pipelines (Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions), Docker, Kubernetes.
• Cloud: Azure.
• Practices: TDD, clean code, automation, performance optimisation.
• Operational Skills: Software security, on‑call support, monitoring, incident response.