Java Engineer

We don’t think we’re exaggerating when we say we have one of the most exciting data sets in the country. The insights we gain help us build scalable, high‑performance products using cutting‑edge technology—products that give our customers an amazing shopping experience, including our award‑winning Smartshop app.

In an inclusive, agile environment, you’ll have the space to be curious, to experiment, and to solve real‑world challenges. Best of all, you’ll see your work in the hands of millions of people across the UK.

As a Java Engineer, you’ll join one of our Engineering teams to create exceptional products aligned to best‑practice architectural and engineering principles. Working with Java (17+) and modern frameworks like Spring Boot and Maven, you’ll design and develop large‑scale, high‑performance services across websites, apps, microservices, and event‑driven architectures.

We want you to bring your whole self to work—be analytical, curious, and ready to challenge the status quo. You’ll be a key contributor to continuous improvement within your team and the wider engineering community.

What You’ll Do

• Design and develop large‑scale, high‑performance services using Java (17+), Spring Boot, Maven, and related tools.
• Build and enhance websites, apps, microservices, and event‑driven architectures.
• Contribute to the product technical roadmap.
• Work with cloud and container technologies, including Kubernetes on AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud Platform.
• Lead the design and support of internal frameworks that enhance wider engineering capabilities.
• Engineer across the full product lifecycle, including decommissioning.
• Consider cost, scalability, and support implications in all engineering decisions.

Essential Criteria

• Strong expertise in Java and Spring Boot.
• Solid understanding of engineering and architectural principles, including unit testing and TDD.
• Proven experience in software design and implementation across security, cloud, infrastructure as code, and CI/CD.
• Hands-on experience with Kafka, including event streaming, messaging, and distributed system architectures
• Knowledge of cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP) and containerisation (Kubernetes).
• Strong self‑drive and commitment to improving processes, teams, and engineering communities.
• Advocacy for Agile and Lean delivery methodologies.
• Passion for delivering customer‑focused solutions and owning the full SDLC following DevSecOps principles.
• Curiosity and a genuine interest in emerging technologies.
• Empathy, teamwork, and the ability to support others in delivering high‑quality outcomes.

Benefits

• Generous colleague discount across Sainsbury’s, Argos, and Habitat.
• Competitive holiday allowance.
• Bonus scheme.
• Pension plan.
• Flexible / smarter working policy.
• Access to special offers on gyms, restaurants, holidays, retail vouchers and more.

Work-life balance matters to us. We offer flexibility in how, when, and where you work—combining remote collaboration with the right balance of freedom to support your life outside work.