Software Engineer - Backend Development

Software engineering & delivery :

• Design, build, test, and maintain backend services, APIs, and automation used by cyber, engineering and data teams.
• Apply good engineering practices : design patterns, SOLID principles, pragmatic architecture, and strong code quality.
• Contribute to development, we have a lot of Go and Python (previous experience helpful but not required; willingness to learn is essential).
• Write clear technical documentation and support knowledge sharing across the team.

Platform, cloud & infrastructure as code :

• Build and operate cloud-based solutions on AWS or Azure, understanding core services and how to use them securely and efficiently.
• Use Terraform to provision and maintain infrastructure, including networking components and access controls.
• Work with cloud networking concepts (e.g., VPC/VNet, subnets, routing, security groups/NSGs, private connectivity, DNS).

DevOps & operational excellence :

• Build and maintain CI/CD pipelines using "pipeline as code" approaches, improving reliability, repeatability, and auditability.
• Configure and operate build/deployment agents/runners and associated tooling.
• Implement secure secrets handling in pipelines (e.g., vault/managed secrets, rotation concepts, avoiding secret leakage).
• Support production operations where needed : monitoring, alerting, troubleshooting, and continuous improvement.

Initial focus / day-to-day (first phase) :

• Manage and optimise API demand and onboarding for the cyber data lake through Kong (API gateway), including access patterns, standards, and operational support.
• Automate workflows across DevOps tooling and change/request processes, reducing manual effort and improving control and traceability.

Required skills and experience :

• Strong programming experience in at least one major language (e.g., Java, C#/.NET, Python), with the ability to pick up new languages quickly.
• Hands-on experience applying common engineering best practices (design patterns, SOLID, refactoring, code reviews).
• Working knowledge of modern testing approaches such as TDD/BDD, and building testable services.
• Cloud experience in AWS or Azure, with a practical understanding of core offerings and how to use them in production.
• Infrastructure as Code experience with Terraform (modules, state, plan/apply workflow, environment separation).
• Strong DevOps experience : CI/CD, pipeline-as-code, agents/runners, artefact management, and operational hygiene.
• Understanding of secrets management concepts in pipelines and deployments.
• Comfortable working in a security-focused environment with a strong appreciation for control, auditability, and risk management.

Desirable (nice to have) :

• Experience with API gateways (especially Kong), API lifecycle management, and API security patterns (authN/authZ, rate limiting, mTLS, OAuth2/JWT concepts).
• Experience building platforms/services that support data engineering teams (e.g., ingestion services, metadata, access patterns, developer enablement).
• Familiarity with big data ecosystems - particularly data bricks/spark (e.g., data lakes, distributed compute, streaming) and observability practices.
• Prior exposure to cyber/security engineering domains (useful, not required).
• Lots of cloud engineering experience.
• Serious ownership of Devops Pipelines.

Ways of working / behaviours :

• Has a point of view on "good engineering" and can explain trade-offs clearly and respectfully.
• Collaborates well across cyber, data engineering, and platform teams to get outcomes delivered.
• Takes responsibility for quality, security, and operability - build it, run it, improve it.