Software Engineer

Sanderson Government & Defence; Charlton Kings; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading Engineering business in Cheltenham is seeking an experienced Software Engineer to develop secure, scalable Java applications. You'll be at the forefront of delivering solutions that protect the UK's security and prosperity. The ideal candidate has strong Java and Spring Boot experience, a solid grasp of RESTful API design, and is well-versed in microservices architectures. You'll work in a collaborative environment focused on innovation, with opportunities for significant professional growth.

Benefits

Diverse and inclusive community

Support for reasonable adjustments during recruitment

Qualifications

• Strong commercial experience with Java and Spring Boot in enterprise or microservices environments.
• Solid understanding of RESTful API design and integration patterns.
• Experience with relational and/or NoSQL databases and ORM frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Designing, developing, and maintaining secure, scalable Java applications.
• Translating technical designs into test-driven production-ready code.
• Building and maintaining RESTful APIs and integrating them with databases.

Skills

Java

Spring Boot

RESTful API design

Test-Driven Development (TDD)

Microservices

Tools

Maven

Gradle

JPA

Hibernate

Job description

Software Engineer

Location: Cheltenham

Business Unit: Central Government, Law Enforcement and National Security

Level: Mid-Senior

Employment Type: Permanent

Clearance: Must hold active UK Security Clearance

About the Opportunity

We are partnering with a leading Engineering business seeking experienced Java Software Engineers to help deliver mission-critical capabilities that protect the UK's security and prosperity. You will work at the intersection of advanced engineering and real-world problem-solving, developing cutting-edge products that counter evolving threats.

Our teams work with leading technologies across AI/DS, Cyber, Cloud, DevOps/SRE, and Platform Engineering, supporting customers across the National Security, Defence and Intelligence community. With long-term programmes secured, this is an opportunity to join a high-growth environment with genuine impact.

What You'll Be Doing

• Designing, developing, and maintaining secure, scalable Java applications and microservices using Spring Boot.
• Translating technical designs into clean, test-driven, production-ready code aligned with engineering best practices.
• Building and maintaining RESTful APIs and integrating them with databases, messaging systems, and external services.
• Supporting and evolving core architectural components, ensuring performance, reliability, and scalability.
• Collaborating with product, architecture, and engineering teams to deliver solutions aligned with user and business needs.
• Participating in Agile ceremonies and contributing to technical strategy, continuous improvement, and innovation.

Key Skills & Experience

• Strong commercial experience with Java and Spring Boot in enterprise or microservices environments.
• Solid understanding of RESTful API design, service-oriented architectures, and integration patterns.
• Experience with relational and/or NoSQL databases and ORM frameworks such as JPA/Hibernate.
• Proficiency with automated testing frameworks and Test-Driven Development (TDD).
• Familiarity with Maven or Gradle and working across application, service, and data layers.
• Strong documentation and design discipline, with a curiosity for emerging Java and Back End technologies.

Why Join?

You’ll be part of a trusted engineering organisation with over 60 years of heritage in sensors, communications, cyber, AI and ML. They solve complex challenges that make a tangible difference protecting people, platforms and missions, today and for the future.

Reasonable Adjustments

Respect and equality are core values to us. We are proud of the diverse and inclusive community we have built, and we welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and perspectives. Our success is driven by our people, united by the spirit of partnership to deliver the best resourcing solutions for our clients.

If you need any help or adjustments during the recruitment process for any reason, please let us know when you apply or talk to the recruiters directly so we can support you.