At a Glance
- Tasks: Join a collaborative team to build advanced radar software and backend services.
- Company: CHAOS Industries, a cutting-edge defence tech company with global reach.
- Benefits: 100% paid health benefits, competitive salary, pre-IPO stock options, and relocation assistance.
- Other info: Dynamic work environment with opportunities for travel and career growth.
- Why this job: Make a real-world impact by solving complex technical challenges in defence technology.
- Qualifications: Strong engineering fundamentals and eagerness to learn new technologies.
The predicted salary is between 80000 - 100000 £ per year.
CHAOS Industries is redefining modern defense with a multi-product portfolio that gives the ultimate advantage—domain dominance. The company's products are powered by Coherent Distributed Networks (CDN™), empowering warfighters, commercial air operators, and border protection teams to act faster, adapt rapidly, and stay ahead of evolving threats.
The Role
You’ll join a small, highly collaborative team working across London and San Francisco, building the software behind some of the world’s most advanced radar systems. Working alongside software, hardware, and systems engineers, and the teams who take these systems into the field, you’ll design the backend services, data pipelines, and operator-facing applications that turn raw sensor data into decisions people can act on. The systems you build must be reliable, resilient, secure, and performant - enabling operators to depend on them in the environments where they matter most. This is a high-ownership role where you’ll influence architecture and help define the engineering foundations of a rapidly evolving platform. We’re looking for engineers who enjoy scaling distributed systems and solving hard data problems.
What You’ll Build
- Backend Services - develop high-performance Python services that ingest, process, and distribute real-time sensor data with low latency, high reliability, and security at scale.
- Operator Interfaces - build and evolve the web applications operators use to monitor live missions and investigate what the sensors saw (TypeScript and React).
- Cloud Platform - design and build secure, scalable Azure services that power distributed radar systems, defining the infrastructure as code and instrumentation for the systems you own.
- Platform Architecture - help shape the technical direction of the platform, making architectural decisions that support new capabilities, increasing scale, and long-term maintainability.
What We’re Looking For
We’re looking for exceptional software engineers who are excited by solving hard technical problems and building systems that matter. You don’t need experience with every technology we use - we value strong engineering fundamentals, curiosity, and the ability to learn quickly. You’ll thrive in this role if you:
- Enjoy building scalable backend systems and taking ownership of production services.
- Enjoy solving complex distributed systems and real-time data challenges.
- Are eager to learn new technologies and adapt to new technical domains.
- Care deeply about reliability, security, and scalability.
- Get real leverage from AI coding tools, with a considered view on what to delegate to them and what not to.
- Communicate well and enjoy collaborating across teams.
- Are motivated by building technology with meaningful real-world impact.
Requirements
- Right to work in the UK.
- Willingness to travel. You’ll be based in our Soho office in London, but most of the team is in San Francisco - expect to co-locate there for around a week each quarter.
Why CHAOS?
- Health Benefits: private medical, dental and vision benefits (for employees & dependents) will be 100% paid for by the company.
- Additional benefits: 5% pension match.
- Compensation Components: competitive base salaries, generous pre-IPO stock option grants, relocation assistance + (coming soon!) annual bonuses.
- Team Growth: 350 employees and counting across 5 global offices.
Senior Software Engineer in London employer: CHAOS Industries
CHAOS Industries is an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work environment where innovation meets mission-critical operations. With comprehensive health benefits fully covered for employees and their dependents, competitive salaries, and generous pre-IPO stock options, the company prioritises employee well-being and financial growth. Located in the vibrant Soho area of London, CHAOS fosters a culture of collaboration and continuous learning, providing ample opportunities for professional development while empowering its team to make a meaningful impact in the defence sector.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior Software Engineer in London
✨Join Local Tech Meetups
Get out there and mingle with fellow developers by joining local tech meetups. It’s a fantastic way to meet people who might be working at CHAOS Industries or know someone who does. Plus, you can pick up some trendy tech skills and trends while you're at it!
✨Contribute to Open Source Projects
Show off your coding chops by jumping into open-source projects. Not only does this give you practical experience, but it also gets you noticed in the dev community. You'll create a killer portfolio that speaks volumes about your skills to CHAOS Industries.
✨Tap into Online Developer Communities
Don’t underestimate the power of online developer communities like GitHub, Stack Overflow, and even Reddit. Participate in discussions, share your projects, and build your visibility. We can often find opportunities through these channels that can lead to a full-time gig at companies like CHAOS Industries.
✨Explore Job Boards Specifically for Tech Roles
Keep your eyes peeled on job boards that focus on tech roles. Sites like TechCareers or Stack Overflow Jobs can often have listings for companies like CHAOS Industries that might not show up on broader job sites. Make it a habit to check these regularly, and don’t hesitate to apply directly through our website!
We think you need these skills to ace Senior Software Engineer in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show off your coding skills:When applying for a software engineering role, it's super important to showcase your coding skills. Make sure your CV includes your tech stack, any relevant programming languages you’re comfortable with, and examples of projects you've worked on. If you have a GitHub profile, link it up! We love to see code in action.
Tailor your portfolio:For a full-time role, we’d expect to see some solid examples of your work in your portfolio. Make sure to include at least two or three projects that highlight your problem-solving skills and your ability to work with different technologies. Focus on the projects that are most relevant to the position at CHAOS Industries.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at CHAOS Industries and how your skills align with the role. Show us your passion for software development. We dig enthusiastic candidates who understand the value of collaboration and continuous learning!
Be clear and concise:When it comes to writing your CV and cover letter, clarity is key. Avoid jargon that could confuse us and stick to simple, direct language. Highlight your achievements with quantifiable results where possible, and keep everything easy to read. A well-organised application goes a long way!
How to prepare for a job interview at CHAOS Industries
✨Brush Up on Your Coding Skills
For a full-time software engineering role, it's crucial that we stay sharp with our coding abilities. Expect technical questions that might involve solving problems on the spot or discussing algorithms. Practise on platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank to get comfortable with the types of questions that often come up.
✨Know Your Tools and Frameworks
Make sure we’re well-acquainted with the tools and technologies listed in the job description. Familiarise ourselves with any specific frameworks or programming languages mentioned. If CHAOS Industries uses React or Node.js, for instance, be ready to discuss how we’ve used them in previous projects or coursework.
✨Showcase Your Projects
Bring along a portfolio that highlights our best work. This could be code samples, GitHub repositories, or any side projects we’ve built. Make sure we can talk through our thought process for each project, especially the challenges we faced and how we solved them—this shows our problem-solving skills in action.
✨Prepare for Behavioural Questions
While technical skills are key, full-time positions also require cultural fit. Be ready to discuss our previous experiences and how we handle teamwork, conflict, and deadlines. Brush up on the STAR method—Situation, Task, Action, Result—to clearly articulate our past experiences when discussing how we've contributed to a team.
