At a Glance
- Tasks: Design and develop high-quality software solutions for GitHub's code-hosting platform.
- Company: Join GitHub, the leading AI-powered developer platform with a vibrant community.
- Benefits: Enjoy competitive pay, remote work flexibility, and generous learning opportunities.
- Other info: Be part of a diverse team that values innovation and collaboration.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in the world of software development with cutting-edge technology.
- Qualifications: 6+ years in software engineering with experience in languages like C++, Java, or Python.
The predicted salary is between 63000 - 77000 £ per year.
GitHub is the world’s leading platform for agentic software development — powered by Copilot to build, scale, and deliver secure software. Over 180 million developers, including more than 90% of the Fortune 100 companies, use GitHub to collaborate, and more than 77,000 organisations have adopted GitHub Copilot.
In this role you can work from Remote, United Kingdom.
GitHub is seeking a Senior Software Engineer to join the Git Systems Engineering team, which runs the largest code-hosting platform in the world, part of our Platform and Infrastructure organization. Our group is responsible for the services that store and serve Git repositories, both directly to users and to other layers in the GitHub software stack. We build the various microservices, protocols, proxies, and control systems that power Git operations at GitHub and operate them at scale.
Our group is highly distributed and the right candidate will thrive in an environment of asynchronous communication. We expect you to have excellent written communication skills and be able to create working relationships with coworkers in locations around the globe.
This role is focused on wide-reaching, cross-team work to improve our git code-hosting platform. This role will be involved in the design, rollout and support of highly performant, highly scalable, and highly available services to enable the next generation of AI-driven software development.
Prior experience solving problems with large-scale, distributed systems is preferred (i.e. Petabytes of storage, millions of objects, low latency, high throughput with millions of QPS).
Responsibilities
- Design, develop, test, and ship high-quality solutions within the team’s service area, with attention to scalability, availability, and maintainability; build deep familiarity with the systems you own and apply best practices to keep code extensible and operable.
- Lead technical discussions for features in the team’s area of responsibility; produce design docs/proposals as needed; and validate approaches through targeted experiments and prototypes, incorporating stakeholder and customer feedback.
- Lead by example by writing clean, defensive, maintainable code and mentoring engineers within the immediate team on implementation details, debugging techniques, and product/service expertise.
- Provide technical leadership in code reviews to ensure changes meet GitHub and team quality standards (correctness, security, reliability, diagnosability, and maintainability), and that code is ready to merge and operate at the expected scale.
- Partner with engineering and product stakeholders to define requirements, identify dependencies, break work into deliverable milestones, and provide estimates and risk/impact tradeoffs to support prioritization and successful delivery.
- Participate in the on-call rotation for the team’s services; act as a first responder for your area of ownership; troubleshoot complex live-site issues using logs/telemetry; drive mitigations and safe deployments (including rollback plans); and write postmortems that result in measurable follow-up improvements.
- Model engineering excellence by improving developer workflows (tooling, automation, and repeatable quality checks), sharing learnings from investigations and incidents, and contributing to a collaborative team culture with strong ownership and inclusive communication.
Qualifications
Required Qualifications:
- 6+ years experience in Software Engineering, Computer Science, or related technical discipline with proven experience maintaining and delivering production software coding in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, Go, Ruby, Rust, or Python.
- OR Associate’s Degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Math, Physics, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field AND 5+ years experience in Software Engineering, Computer Science, or related technical discipline with proven experience maintaining and delivering production software coding in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, Go, Ruby, Rust, or Python.
- OR Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Math, Physics, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field AND 4+ years experience in Software Engineering, Computer Science, or related technical discipline with proven experience maintaining and delivering production software coding in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, Go, Ruby, Rust, or Python.
- OR Master's Degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Math, Physics, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field AND 2+ years experience in Software Engineering, Computer Science, or related technical discipline with proven experience maintaining and delivering production software coding in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, Go, Ruby, Rust, or Python.
- OR Doctorate in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Math, Physics, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field OR equivalent experience.
Other Qualifications: Ability to meet GitHub, customer and/or government security screening requirements are required for this role. These requirements include, but are not limited to the following specialized security screenings: Microsoft Cloud Background Check: This position will be required to pass the Microsoft, GitHub’s parent company, Cloud Screen upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience with cloud platforms like Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services.
- Understanding of production system monitoring and observability.
- Ability to think critically about both system design and software engineering concepts and blend those perspectives pragmatically based on project needs.
- Demonstrated experience with large-scale system architecture and design, particularly in cloud-based environments, with a strong understanding of distributed systems and microservices.
- Experience working closely with product management, design, and other engineering teams to drive cross-functional projects and deliver high-quality product.
GitHub values:
- Customer-obsessed
- Ship to learn
- Growth mindset
- Own the outcome
- Better together
- Diverse and inclusive
Who We Are: GitHub is the world’s leading AI-powered developer platform with 150 million developers and counting. We’re also home to the biggest open-source community on earth (and 99% of the world’s software has open-source code in its DNA). Many of the apps and programs you use every day are built on GitHub.
Our teams are dreamers, doers, and pioneers, leading the way in AI, driving humanitarian efforts around the globe, and even sending open source to Mars (and beyond!). At GitHub, our goal is to create the space you need to do your best work. We’re remote-first and offer competitive pay, generous learning and growth opportunities, and excellent benefits to support you, wherever you are—because we know that people flourish when they can work on their own terms.
Join us, and let’s change the world, together.
Equal Employment Opportunity: GitHub is made up of people from a wide variety of backgrounds and lifestyles. We embrace diversity and invite applications from people of all walks of life. We don't discriminate against employees or applicants based on gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, race, religion, age, national origin, citizenship, disability, pregnancy status, veteran status, or any other differences. Also, if you have a disability, please let us know if there's any way we can make the interview process better for you; we're happy to accommodate!
Senior Software Engineer, Git Systems employer: GitHub
GitHub is an exceptional employer, offering a remote-first work culture that prioritises flexibility and inclusivity. With competitive pay, generous learning opportunities, and a commitment to employee growth, GitHub fosters an environment where diverse thinkers can thrive and contribute to innovative AI-powered solutions that impact millions of developers worldwide.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior Software Engineer, Git Systems
✨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 GitHub 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 GitHub.
✨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 GitHub.
✨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 GitHub 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, Git Systems
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 GitHub.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at GitHub 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 GitHub
✨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 GitHub 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.
