Senior Backend Engineer

As the UK’s most successful omni-channel retailer, E-Commerce is a key part of the John Lewis Partnership. We run two of the busiest websites in the UK, driving a significant proportion of our sales. Our Engineering practice includes 80+ teams, working on everything from Cloud Platforms to Mobile Apps, from E-Commerce functionality to Machine Learning.

Our Engineers work collaboratively and share knowledge, and learning is extremely important to us. We support our Engineers to continuously improve their skills and keep abreast of the latest technologies.

In addition to your contractual pay, any time worked between 22:00 - 06:00 will attract Night Premium at a rate of £5.25 per hour. This will also apply to existing Partners who have enrolled onto Enhanced Hours Premium arrangements.

At a glance:

• Expected Salary: £52,000  - £74,000 (depending upon experience)
   

• Contract type: Permanent.
   

• Flexible Working: This is a hybrid working role, therefore your time will primarily be split between working from home (in the UK) and London Head  Office / Bracknell Head Office. However, there will also be an expectation to  visit other locations as the need arises.
   

• While most engineers visit the office once or twice a month, occasionally business needs may require more frequent attendance. Our offices are open five days a week for those who prefer to work from the office more regularly.
   

Key Responsibilities: 

• This is an opportunity to join one of our agile product teams working as a Senior Back-End Software Engineer using Kotlin or Java. You will be leveraging your excellent backend skills from your Kotlin or Java background to build and support new features adding value for Our Business.
   

• As a Senior Engineer, you will also use your knowledge of Software Engineering to support the shaping of new projects and support the professional development of less experienced Engineers. 
   

• There are opportunities to become a people manager for your fellow engineers if that is something that appeals to you.
   

• Successful candidates will have a passion for using technology to deliver outstanding and innovative software solutions, and will have a track record of working in teams delivering complex, performant, high quality software.
   

Learning new skills is extremely important to us. You would be expected to constantly improve your engineering skills and keep up to date with the latest technologies and techniques. In return for your  commitment you will receive the support and resources needed to achieve your learning goals. 

Find out more about being a Software Engineer in the Partnership, and the technology we use.
 

Internally this role is called Product Engineer (PL7) 

Essential skills / Experience you’ll need:

• Server side Kotlin or a modern version of Java.

• A structured approach to systems analysis and development.

• Experience with application frameworks such as http4k or Spring Boot.

• An understanding of Agile development methods such as Scrum or Kanban.

• Experience in techniques like TDD, pair programming

• Experience in Testing tools like JUnit, JMeter, Cucumber, Snyk.

• Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery.

• An understanding of Microservice and Event Driven Architectures.

• REST API development and/or consumption.
   

Desirable skills / experience you may have

• Experience with Cloud Platforms such as AWS, GCP or Azure.

• Docker, Kubernetes.

• Jenkins, Gitlab CI.

Next Steps: 

• The application form consists of a CV upload followed by application questions. Please ensure you refresh the page each time you complete a task to ensure you complete everything that you need to do before the closing date.
   

• If you are successful following your initial application, the next stages are: a screening call with a recruiter, a technical coding test and 2 rounds of virtual interviews.

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We’re the largest employee owned business in the UK and home of our cherished brands, John Lewis and Waitrose. We’re not just employees, we’re Partners, driven by our purpose to build a happier world. As we look to our future, there’s never been a more exciting time to join us.  

We’re ruthlessly focused on being brilliant at retail. We continue to innovate, adapt and diversify. Never Knowingly Undersold on price, quality and service in John Lewis and passionately serving food-lovers in Waitrose.   

As Partners we all share the responsibility of ownership and in its rewards. We use our voices to contribute to our success, working together through the good and challenging times, holding true to our behaviours and treating everyone with kindness and respect. 

We all own making the Partnership somewhere we belong. Embracing our differences and creating an environment where we’re free to be ourselves and can THRIVE. Growing ourselves individually, and as a collective. 

As Partners, we make all the difference. And, we all own it.  

Important points to note:  

It’s important to note that some of our roles are subject to pre-employment vetting (which may include DBS checks for successful candidates). If required, you’ll be informed and provided with information about vetting during the recruitment process and we encourage you to complete any vetting documents quickly to avoid delays. Any DBS checks required will be carried out by a third-party registered body and financial probity checks may also be required for some of our roles.  

We occasionally close vacancies early in the event we receive a high volume of applications, and therefore, we recommend you apply early. If you require a reasonable adjustment due to a disability which means you may need longer to complete your application please contact us as soon as possible.

We want all of our Partners to have a good work-life balance and we support flexible working. This might mean flexible or compressed hours, job sharing or shorter hour contracts, where possible. Please discuss this further with the hiring manager during your interview.