BBC Software Engineering Graduate Scheme

Job Details

Job title: The BBC 2026 Software Engineering Graduate Scheme

Job reference: 33950

Job band: C

Contract type: Permanent, Full Time, Hybrid

Department: Various

Location: Can be based in London, Newcastle, Salford or Glasgow hubs

Proposed salary range: £35,205 (outside London) or £40,464 per annum

Closing date: 23:59 hrs on Sunday the 14th December 2025

Assessment process: Virtual assessment days will run mid to end of February 2026. If selected, you’ll be contacted in January 2026 and asked to complete a brief technical test at home ahead of your assessment day. This may be subject to change.

Reasonable adjustments: If you require any reasonable adjustments at any time, please let us know by contacting us on Reasonable.adjustments@bbc.co.uk with the job reference in the subject.

Flexible working: We’re happy to discuss flexible working. If you’d like to, please indicate your preference in the application – though there’s no obligation to do so now. Flexible working will be part of the discussion at offer stage.

About the Scheme

Our two‑year Software Engineering Graduate Scheme offers four six‑month rotations across different teams and technologies.

Roles can be based in our London, Salford, Newcastle or Glasgow tech hubs, giving you the chance to gain hands‑on experience with products such as BBC iPlayer, BBC News, BBC Sounds, BBC Sport and BBC Bitesize.

You’ll work with technologies including JavaScript, Python, Scala, AWS, Java, Kotlin and Swift, while learning from industry experts and accessing world‑class training through the BBC Academy.

This scheme is designed for individuals with some software development experience and provides an in‑depth opportunity to contribute to a range of BBC digital products while developing your skills across multiple teams and disciplines.

Programme Pathway

Your first rotation will be assigned based on your existing experience, giving you a strong foundation from day one. You’ll then choose your next three rotations, allowing you to tailor the scheme to your interests and career goals.

Across your placements, you’ll gain hands‑on experience in a range of areas, including cloud computing, machine learning, front‑end and back‑end development, security, and API development.

Throughout the scheme, you’ll receive continuous training and support through the BBC Academy and other learning platforms, helping you build both your technical and professional skills.

Hear from our Current Trainees

“I’m so glad I applied to this scheme! I never thought I’d be successful but I was and I’m absolutely loving it. Everything is so well organised, there’s loads of support and I’m genuinely having the best time.” – Hollie (1st Year Trainee)

“My experience so far has been outstanding, I get to work among some amazing engineers on great products, spanning an endless suite of technologies and product domains. This kind of spread of work is so rare to find, and getting the chance to learn and explore them all is a golden opportunity. My team have been so helpful, with everything from architecture understanding to language ‘gotchas!’, there are no silly questions. Everyone is friendly, and the BBC fosters a great engineering culture where growth and learning are heavily prioritised – something you can’t find easily.” – Paul (1st Year Trainee)

Your Contributions & Role Responsibilities

• Software Quality & Craftsmanship: apply strong engineering principles to write clean, modern, and maintainable code that contributes to high‑quality, reliable products.
• Collaborative Development: work closely with others through practices such as pair programming and code reviews, thriving in a supportive and highly collaborative engineering culture.
• Problem‑Solving & Delivery: tackle technical challenges with a logical, solution‑focused mindset, creating efficient and scalable outcomes that improve user experience.
• Clear Communication: share ideas, ask questions, and communicate progress effectively to ensure smooth teamwork across multidisciplinary groups.
• Continuous Learning: stay proactive in developing your skills, adopting new tools, techniques, and methodologies to continuously enhance the quality of the codebase and engineering practice.

Eligibility Criteria

• You must be 18 years of age or older by 14th September 2026.
• You must have the legal right to work in the UK for the duration of the programme.
• If you hold a visa, please supply the relevant visa details as part of your application process.
• You must be able to start the programme in September 2026.
• Please indicate your preferred location in your application. Roles are based in London, Glasgow, Salford or Newcastle, on a hybrid working arrangement.

What We’re Looking For

• Motivation: You can clearly articulate why you want to join the BBC Software Engineering Graduate Scheme and what you hope to contribute and learn.
• Technical Experience: You bring practical coding experience—whether self‑taught, gained through a Computer Science degree or equivalent qualification, or developed via a coding bootcamp.
• Collaboration: You have experience working effectively as part of a team and enjoy contributing to shared goals in a supportive environment.
• Quality Mindset: You demonstrate an ability to write clean, maintainable code and show an understanding of good software quality practices.

Disclaimer

This job description is a written statement of the essential characteristics of the job, with its principal accountabilities, incorporating a note of the skills, knowledge and experience required for a satisfactory level of performance. This is not intended to be a complete, detailed account of all aspects of the duties involved.

Legal and Policy Notes

Before your start date, you may need to disclose any unspent convictions or police charges, in line with our Contracts of Employment policy. Failure to disclose may result in the withdrawal of your offer.

Please note: If you were to be offered this role, the BBC will conduct Employment screening checks which include reference checks, eligibility to work checks, and, if applicable to the role, safeguarding and adverse media/social media checks. Any offer made is conditional on these checks being satisfactory.

For any general queries, please contact: bbchr@bbc.co.uk.

Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging

We welcome applications from individuals, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, socio-economic background, religion and/or belief.

Contact

For recruitment queries: bbchr@bbc.co.uk.
For reasonable adjustments: reasonable.adjustments@bbc.co.uk.