Staff Back End Engineer

Unlocking Your Potential: A Deep Dive into the Staff Back-End Software Engineer Opportunity at a Leading UK Retailer

For seasoned Back-End Software Engineers looking to make a significant impact within a dynamic, large-scale e-commerce environment, this Staff Back-End Software Engineer role presents an exceptional opportunity. Offered by the UK's most successful omni-channel retailer and largest employee-owned business, this position is ideal for those who thrive on innovation, technical leadership, and contributing to a unique partnership culture.

The Opportunity at a Glance:

This role places you within one of 80+ agile engineering teams, directly contributing to two of the UK's busiest websites. You'll be working with modern technologies and practices, shaping the future of e-commerce for a cherished brand. Internally known as a Product Engineer (L6), this position signifies a critical leadership role within the technical landscape.

• Role & Impact: Join an agile product team as a Staff Back-End Software Engineer, leveraging your Kotlin or Java expertise to build and support high-value features for a massive customer base.
• Industry Leader: Be part of an engineering practice that drives significant sales for a prominent UK retailer, with a focus on cloud platforms, mobile apps, e-commerce functionality, and machine learning.
• Cutting-Edge Tech Environment: The organization champions engineering best practices, a modern tech stack, and a culture of continuous learning and growth.
• Unique Partnership Model: As an employee-owned business, you'll join a community of 'Partners' who share in the responsibilities, rewards, and decision-making, fostering a deeply collaborative and respectful environment.

Key Advantages for Your Career Path:

This role offers a compelling blend of technical challenge, career progression, and an empowering work environment:

• Strategic Technical Leadership: As a Staff Engineer, you won't just code; you'll play a pivotal role in shaping new projects and influencing architectural decisions. This is an excellent step for engineers ready to move beyond execution into strategic technical guidance.
• Mentorship & People Development: A core aspect of this role is supporting the professional development of less experienced engineers. This offers a fantastic opportunity to hone your coaching and mentoring skills, contributing directly to team growth.
• Pathway to People Management: For those interested in formal leadership, there's a clear opportunity to transition into a people manager role for your fellow engineers, providing a structured career path beyond individual contribution.
• Modern & Diverse Tech Stack: You'll be immersed in an environment focused on Kotlin or modern Java, Microservice Architectures, http4k/Spring Boot, TDD, Pair Programming, and CI/CD. Desirable skills include experience with major Cloud Platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure), Docker, Kubernetes, Jenkins, and Gitlab CI, indicating a forward-thinking infrastructure.
• Hybrid & Flexible Working Culture: The role embraces a hybrid model, allowing a blend of working from home (within the UK) and office time in London or Bracknell. The company also explicitly supports flexible working arrangements to promote work-life balance.
• Competitive Compensation: With an expected salary range of £59,500.00 - £115,000.00 Annual, this role is positioned competitively within the market, reflecting the seniority and impact expected.
• Impact at Scale: Work on projects that affect millions of users daily, contributing to the success of two of the busiest e-commerce websites in the UK.

Important Considerations for Your Career Path:

To ensure this opportunity aligns perfectly with your aspirations, consider the following:

• Leadership & Coaching are Essential: This is not purely a hands-on coding role. Candidates must have extensive experience in leading, coaching, and mentoring individuals or teams. If you're passionate about elevating others and guiding technical direction, this is for you.
• Commitment to Agile & Collaborative Practices: The job description highlights a strong emphasis on Agile development methods (Scrum/Kanban), TDD, and pair programming. Be prepared to actively participate in and champion these collaborative practices.
• Hybrid Working Nuances: While flexible, there's an expectation for office visits (typically 1-2 times a month) and potentially more frequent attendance based on business needs. Ensure this balance aligns with your preferred working style.
• Structured Approach to Development: Expertise in systems analysis and a structured approach to development are key, indicating a need for engineers who can think holistically about system design and maintenance.
• Rigorous Application Process: The multi-stage application process, including an online assessment, tech assessment, and up to two rounds of interviews, is designed to thoroughly evaluate candidates. Preparation in core technical skills and leadership examples will be crucial.

This Staff Back-End Software Engineer role offers a unique opportunity to lead, innovate, and thrive within a leading retail giant that values its employees as true partners. If you're a skilled engineer with a passion for modern tech, mentorship, and making a significant business impact, this could be the ideal next step in your career journey.