At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the design and development of secure Java applications in a collaborative environment.
- Company: Join HMRC, a digital leader in the UK with a commitment to diversity and inclusion.
- Benefits: Enjoy flexible working, generous leave, and a strong pension scheme.
- Other info: Be part of a dynamic team with opportunities for career growth.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on public services while advancing your tech skills.
- Qualifications: Proven experience in Java development and a passion for mentoring others.
About the job
Discover a career in your hands at HMRC. Whether you're seeking purpose, growth, or a workplace that gives you a true sense of belonging, hear from some of our employees as they share their story about what it's really like to work at HMRC. At HMRC we are committed to creating a great place to work for all our colleagues; an inclusive and respectful environment that reflects the diversity of the society we serve. We want to maximise the potential of everyone who chooses to work for us and we offer a range of flexible working patterns and support to make a fulfilling career at HMRC accessible to you.
Diverse perspectives and experiences are critical to our success and we welcome applications from all people from all backgrounds with the experience and skills needed to perform this role. At HMRC, we are already one of the most digital organisations in the UK. We have one of the largest data sources, and we're creating a world-class IT function. HMRC is building a modern, digital tax administration. With 50 million customers to serve, over 60 thousand colleagues to support, and 600 billion to collect to fund UK Plc, our IT operation is huge.
This is an exciting role as a key member of the delivery team, collaborating with partners throughout the full delivery lifecycle to ensure delivery and support of highest-quality software products. Our developers work closely with business analysts, testers and product owners within a truly collaborative environment.
Job description
As a Senior Java Developer within the Java Development Guild in CDIO Borders & Trade, you will be responsible for leading the design and development of clean, secure code following a test-driven approach, as well as maintenance and continuous improvement of Java-based services and applications across both legacy and modern platforms. This role spans the full service lifecycle, from greenfield development and service transition to support and enhancement of live services, security updates and defect resolution.
It also provides senior-level technical leadership across projects and live support work, acting as a system subject matter expert and as an Intelligent Client on internal and supplier-led deliveries. In addition to hands-on development responsibilities, the Senior Java Developer plays a key role in setting technical direction, upholding engineering standards, mentoring and line managing junior developers, and ensuring services are secure, robust, supportable and aligned to business needs.
Person specification
The Senior Java Developer role requires a strong combination of advanced technical expertise, leadership capability, service support knowledge and stakeholder management skills. This role will suit an experienced Java Developer who is proactive and self-driven, able to anticipate risks and opportunities, take ownership of outcomes, and drive progress while maintaining high standards for quality, security and operational performance.
- Proactive and self-driven: spots issues early, initiates improvements, and follows through without needing close supervision.
- Strategic thinker with strong technical judgement: able to balance delivery speed, risk, cost and long-term maintainability.
- Coaching mindset: mentors more junior engineers and promotes knowledge sharing.
- Quality and security focused: advocates for clean code, test-driven development, secure-by-design principles and strong assurance practices.
- Collaborative communicator: works effectively with product, architecture, operations and delivery partners, translating between technical and non-technical audiences.
- Resilient under pressure: acts as a calm escalation point during incidents and high-risk decisions, staying focused on outcomes and learning.
Key responsibilities
The key responsibilities of the Senior Java Developer role across design, development, maintenance and support of complex full stack Java applications and services include:
- Designing secure, scalable, resilient and supportable solutions with strong engineering controls and practices.
- Writing, reviewing, and assuring clean, reusable, testable and secure code, using TDD and quality-focused development practices.
- Supporting systems integration, interface design and testing across multiple systems and environments.
- Supporting live services through a combination of normal, and out of hours support.
- Working on incident resolution, bug fixing, security updates, service improvements, diagnosing integration issues across a complex landscape.
- Leading or contributing to code reviews, design reviews, technical assurance and development governance and ensuring development and support activity is documented and delivered in line with agreed governance, standards, controls and policies.
- Acting as a technical Subject Matter Expert and collaborating with architects, business analysts, testers, delivery managers, product owners and other disciplines throughout the delivery lifecycle.
- Providing Intelligent Client capability on supplier-led and mixed-delivery projects, ensuring alignment with HMRC standards, quality and security requirements.
- Continuous improvement of engineering practices, tools, processes, standards and service robustness.
- Guild Leadership including Recruitment (workforce planning and training needs) and Staff development (Mentoring, coaching and line managing junior developers, supporting wider capability growth.)
Additionally, the post holder will work normal office hours though may be required to occasionally work outside of normal working hours (for example to support software releases). The post holder will be required to form part of a 24/7 on-call Rota involving out of hours remote support.
Essential Criteria
- Significant experience designing, developing, supporting and maintaining complex Java-based services and applications across both legacy and modern technology stacks in complex environments.
- Strong experience building APIs, microservices and integrated services using Java, REST, Spring Boot/Cloud, Redis, Hibernate, with experience of Kubernetes and Docker, messaging technologies such as JMS, Kafka or RabbitMQ, and cloud-native platforms including AWS, S3, EKS.
- Experience using modern CI/CD tooling (e.g. Java IDEs, Maven, Git, GitLab CI, Artifactory, Jenkins) and databases (incl. MySQL and Oracle,) with the ability to write and support SQL, PL/SQL, triggers and stored procedures.
- Strong experience leading full stack development in a team environment including; technical leadership through software engineering best practices (e.g. containerisation, microservice design patterns, Agile, TDD, CI/CD, code quality, maintainability and secure development), setting direction, conducting reviews and assuring quality.
- Experience supporting and improving live services, including fault diagnosis, bug fixing, operational support.
- Strong understanding of system integration, interface design, and integration testing.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with a logical and organised approach to delivery, and the ability to communicate complex technical concepts clearly to technical and non-technical audiences.
- Experience mentoring, coaching or line managing others, including supporting the development of junior staff.
- Ability to work effectively across multidisciplinary teams and supplier environments while maintaining internal standards and controls.
Desirable Criteria
- Awareness of cloud service models, cloud-native architecture and infrastructure-as-code practices.
- Working knowledge of Linux or other Unix-like operating systems.
- Understanding of Behaviour Driven Development, user-centred design and service delivery principles.
- Experience with JavaScript or TypeScript UI development, including React and Single Sign-On integrations.
- Experience working on large-scale government, public sector or regulated services where security, resilience and auditability are important.
- Awareness of how generative AI tools can support software engineering practices, including development, testing, documentation or code quality activities.
Senior Developer (Java) - Bristol Regional Centre - 3 Glass Wharf employer: HMRC
HMRC is an exceptional employer that prioritises employee growth and well-being, offering a supportive work culture where innovation and collaboration thrive. With flexible and hybrid working policies, generous leave allowances, and a commitment to continuous improvement, employees can achieve a healthy work-life balance while contributing to meaningful public service. Located in Birmingham's vibrant Arena Central, this role as an Operating Model Manager provides the opportunity to lead impactful change within a large organisation, making a real difference in how technology services are delivered.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior Developer (Java) - Bristol Regional Centre - 3 Glass Wharf
✨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 HMRC 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 HMRC.
✨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 HMRC.
✨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 HMRC 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 Developer (Java) - Bristol Regional Centre - 3 Glass Wharf
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 HMRC.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at HMRC 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 HMRC
✨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 HMRC 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.
