Security Cleared Software Engineer

Permanent

Location: Cheltenham or Manchester
Hybrid – three days per week onsite
Salary: £75,000 - £85,000

Must hold active SC clearance

The Role

We are seeking experienced Software Engineers to join a major programme within a secure defence environment.

This is an opportunity to work on complex, business-critical software applications using a broad modern technology stack. You will contribute across the full software development lifecycle, helping to design, build, test, deploy and support secure, scalable applications.

The role would suit a Full-Stack Software Engineer with experience across front-end and back-end development, containerised environments and automated deployment pipelines.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, develop and maintain secure, reliable software applications.
• Build responsive front-end applications using React, JavaScript and TypeScript.
• Develop and maintain back-end services using Node.js and Java Spring Boot.
• Work with Redux to manage application state effectively.
• Design, build and integrate RESTful APIs and microservices.
• Develop solutions using MongoDB, Redis and other data-storage technologies.
• Integrate applications with messaging technologies such as RabbitMQ.
• Containerise applications and services using Docker.
• Support the deployment and management of applications using Helm.
• Create and maintain automated CI/CD pipelines using Jenkins.
• Use Ansible to automate application deployments and infrastructure configuration.
• Produce and maintain UNIX shell scripts to support automation and operational activities.
• Troubleshoot software defects, deployment issues and application performance problems.
• Participate in code reviews, testing and continuous improvement activities.
• Produce clear technical documentation, including build instructions, support documentation and release notes.
• Work collaboratively with software engineers, technical architects, testers, DevOps engineers and other programme stakeholders.
• Follow secure coding practices and development standards appropriate for a defence environment.
• Contribute to Agile ceremonies, including sprint planning, stand-ups, reviews and retrospectives.

Essential Skills and Experience

• Commercial software engineering or application development experience.
• Strong experience with React.
• Strong JavaScript and/or TypeScript development skills.
• Experience developing applications or services using Node.js.
• Experience with Java and Spring Boot.
• Experience with state-management technologies such as Redux.
• Experience building and consuming APIs and microservices.
• Experience working with Docker and containerised applications.
• Knowledge of Helm and container deployment processes.
• Experience using Jenkins or a comparable CI/CD platform.
• Experience with Ansible for deployment or configuration automation.
• Experience working in UNIX or Linux environments, including shell scripting.
• Experience with MongoDB or similar NoSQL databases.
• Knowledge of Redis.
• Experience working with messaging technologies such as RabbitMQ.
• Understanding of software development best practices, including version control, automated testing and code reviews.
• Ability to work effectively as part of a multidisciplinary Agile development team.

Desirable Experience

• Previous experience working within defence, aerospace, government or another security-sensitive environment.
• Knowledge of Kubernetes or container orchestration environments.
• Experience developing highly available or mission-critical software systems.
• Understanding of secure software development principles.
• Experience working on cloud-hosted or distributed applications.
• Familiarity with automated testing frameworks and test-driven development.
• Experience supporting software throughout development, deployment and live-service operation.

Personal Attributes

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Able to communicate technical information clearly.
• Comfortable working with different technical teams and stakeholders.
• Proactive and able to take ownership of assigned work.
• Strong attention to detail.
• Able to work effectively within a secure and process-driven environment.