Software Engineer

som3 Recruitment; Milton Keynes; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

som3 Recruitment is seeking a Software Engineer for a hybrid role with 2 days in the office in Milton Keynes or Basingstoke. You will contribute to both back-end Java development and front-end components, focusing on robust API design and clean architecture.

Responsiblities include API contracts, PostgreSQL design, code quality, and performance optimisation, with collaboration across the development team and knowledge transfer from the outgoing external team.

Qualifications

• Experience with Java 11+ in production environments
• PostgreSQL schema design and query optimization
• Experience designing and documenting APIs using OpenAPI/Swagger
• Understanding of SOLID, DRY, and Clean Architecture
• Familiarity with React and front-end integration is a plus
• Knowledge of CI/CD, testing, and performance optimization

Responsibilities

• Design and implement back-end features in Java with Spring Boot
• Maintain and extend front-end UI components where needed
• Collaborate on API contracts and data-fetching conventions
• Work on PostgreSQL data models, migrations and indexing
• Improve front-end performance and Core Web Vitals
• Document APIs with OpenAPI/Swagger and ensure versioning
• Address technical debt with the team

Skills

Java development

React

API design

OpenAPI/Swagger

PostgreSQL

UI performance

Communication

SOLID principles

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related

Tools

Spring Boot

Flyway

Liquibase

OpenAPI/Swagger

Job description

Software Engineer – Back End or Front End

Hybrid – 2 days per week in the office (Milton Keynes or Basingstoke)

We are looking for an experienced Software Developer with excellent front or back end developments skills due to software development moving from an outsourced model to in-house

Working alongside the development team you will

• Be highly involved with knowledge transfer, including code walkthroughs, pairing sessions, and documentation reviews with the outgoing external tea
• Gain understanding of the current application architecture — service boundaries, dependency injection patterns, build system, and deployment configuration
• Design and implement new back-end features, enhancements, and bug fixes in Java, following agreed coding standards and architectural principle
• Take ownership of the front-end codebase — maintaining, refactoring, and extending UI components to a high standard.
• PostgreSQL data model — schema design, migration management (Flyway/Liquibase), indexing strategy, and query optimisation
• Collaborate with back-end developers on API contract alignment and data-fetching conventions.
• Monitor and improve front-end performance — Core Web Vitals, bundle size, lazy loading, and rendering optimisation.
• Design, document, and maintain RESTful and/or GraphQL APIs, ensuring consistency, versioning, and thorough OpenAPI/Swagger documentation
• Identify, catalogue, and systematically address technical debt in collaboration with the wider team

Your background and experience will include

• Great communication skills, able to contribute to future roadmaps for the products
• For back end: Excellent Java development experience (Java 11+) in a production environment — including Spring Boot, dependency injection, and RESTful API design.
• PostgreSQL skills: schema design, complex query writing, index optimisation, and migration tooling (Flyway or Liquibase).
• Experience designing and documenting APIs using OpenAPI/Swagger
• Understanding of software design principles (SOLID, DRY, Clean Architecture)
• Understanding and interest in AI coding assistants — Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, or equivalent
• Takes initiative in identifying and addressing front-end technical debt.
• Methodical about performance and tests — does not consider a feature done until it is covered and fast.
• Deep experience with a modern component framework — React is preferred (hooks, context, performance patterns).
• Solid understanding of state management approaches — Context API, Redux or simile? hold on how did it format? Let's check.
• Strong HTML and CSS fundamentals including responsive design, CSS-in-JS or module-based CSS approaches.