Software Development Engineer II (Java) - Identity

Tesco; Welwyn Garden City; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Tesco Stores Limited is seeking a skilled Backend Software Engineer to join the authentication APIs team. You will design, implement and operate high‑performing services that securely authenticate customers across online, in-store and call centre touchpoints.

You’ll work in a DevOps culture, using Java/Kotlin, Spring Boot and a modern stack to deliver scalable, resilient experiences at global scale, with emphasis on clean code, testing and reliability.

Qualifications

• Strong proficiency in Java and modern JVM languages.
• Experience building production-grade backend services.
• Familiarity with OAuth 2.0 / OpenID Connect is a plus.
• DevOps mindset with CI/CD experience.

Responsibilities

• Design, build and maintain high-performing APIs for secure customer authentication.
• Collaborate with product managers to translate requirements into technical solutions.
• Develop test-driven features and participate in the TDD cycle.
• Support production systems, resolve incidents and perform root-cause analysis.
• Share knowledge and mentor junior engineers.
• Contribute to scalable, resilient services with a focus on performance.

Skills

Java

Kotlin

Tools

Spring Boot

PostgreSQL

Cassandra

Kubernetes

Azure

Kafka

Job description

The engineers in our team build the APIs that securely authenticate customers across all touchpoints with Tesco around the globe: online, over the phone, and in-store. You’ll focus on making our experiences as streamlined for customers as possible, by exploring innovative authentication factors to dynamically assess the risk of each individual customer session. Your work will often be at the heart of new propositions across the Tesco Group. All of this happens in a world where scale and resilience are critical – serving over a billion API calls every week in only a handful of milliseconds each!

The stack: Java, Kotlin, Spring Boot, PostgreSQL, Cassandra, Kubernetes, Azure, and Kafka

We are responsible for the software throughout the lifecycle; we maintain a DevOps culture, employing continuous integration and delivery, supporting our code through to production and beyond, as well as being firm believers in TDD.

• Designing, building and maintaining high-performing mission-critical systems
• Collaborating with product managers to translate customer and business requirements into technical solutions.
• Producing test-driven features and demonstrating your familiarity with the TDD cycle.
• Supporting production systems, resolving incidents, and performing root cause analysis.
• Sharing knowledge with the wider engineering community.
• Mentoring and supporting and helping junior engineers within the team.

• Strong proficiency in at least one major programming language (Java preferred) and ecosystem to design, build and support production systems independently.
• Hands-on experience of building and supporting production Java applications.
• An understanding of the SOLID principles and how to apply them to create well-structured, maintainable software.
• A DevOps mindset, with experience of supporting production systems, resolving incidents, and performing root cause analysis.
• A collaborative mindset and the ability to work effectively within a cross-functional team
• An understanding of identity and access management concepts, such as OAuth 2.0 and OpenID Connect (OIDC), would be advantageous.

You might know us as a supermarket, technology company or even for our award-winning mobile network. Truth is, we’re all of those things, and much more. Our colleagues work with one goal in mind, helping to make every day a little better for our customers, colleagues and communities all over the world. No two customers are the same, neither are our colleagues.

At Tesco, we champion a balance that lets you thrive both in and out of work. Spend 60% of your week collaborating with colleagues at our office locations or local sites and the rest remotely. Whether you're just kicking off your career, juggling passions, or navigating big life events, we're here to support you. We always welcome a conversation about flexible working, so talk to us throughout your application about how we can support.

We're proud to be an accredited Disability Confident Leader, where everyone’s welcome. That’s why we commit to providing a fully inclusive and accessible recruitment process.

When you join us in this role, you'll be employed by Tesco Stores Limited, the Tesco legal entity responsible for your employment.