Senior Software Engineer, Applied Innovation in London

At Kainos, we’re problem solvers, innovators, and collaborators - driven by a shared mission to create real impact. Whether we’re transforming digital services for millions, delivering cutting-edge Workday solutions, or pushing the boundaries of technology, we do it together.

We believe in a people-first culture, where your ideas are valued, your growth is supported, and your contributions truly make a difference. Here, you’ll be part of a diverse, ambitious team that celebrates creativity and collaboration.

Main Purpose of the Role & Responsibilities in the Business:

As a Senior Software Engineer in the Kainos Applied Innovation team, you’ll work closely with customers and colleagues to identify, prototype, and deliver high-impact software solutions. The role combines hands-on engineering with applied R&D; you’ll rapidly explore emerging technologies, assess their practical value, and turn promising ideas into working products, prototypes, and share technical recommendations.

This is a fast-paced and ambiguous environment, so you’ll be expected to take initiative, work autonomously, and make sound technical judgements with limited direction. You’ll communicate your findings clearly, help customers and teams understand the opportunities and trade-offs of new approaches, and apply those insights to real-world problems.

You’ll collaborate with talented colleagues across disciplines, contribute to a culture of experimentation and engineering quality, and support others as they take on new technical challenges.

What we are looking for:

• Proficient in designing, building, testing and maintaining modern software applications.
• Experience of applying development best practices and patterns in relation to security, scalability and performance.
• Contributing to technical decisions and direction in a collaborative team environment, including architecture, estimation, product planning, user story/requirement creation.
• Experience of design and development across multiple layers of an application.
• Mentoring junior team members.
• Exposure to modern AI-Driven Development tools and Techniques.
• Experience of working in leading on features and projects in a team environment, as well as working independently and autonomously.

Nice to have:

• Good communication skills, with the ability to communicate issues to technical and non-technical people; able to engage stakeholders and understand their goals and motivations.
• Experience of Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery techniques.
• Experience of debugging and troubleshooting live applications.
• Active participation in knowledge sharing activities, both within the team and with wider non-technical audiences.
• Experience of multiple programming languages, data storage technologies and AI Tools.
• Experience of balancing technical dependencies with user needs and commercial constraints.
• Knowledge of public cloud platforms, such as AWS and Azure, including SaaS and PaaS offerings.
• Experience of researching novel or new technologies and making recommendations for their use.

At Kainos, we believe in the power of diversity, equity and inclusion. We are committed to building a team that is as diverse as the world we live in, where everyone is valued, respected, and given an equal chance to thrive. We actively seek out talented people from all backgrounds, regardless of age, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, disability, or any other characteristic that makes them who they are.

We also believe every candidate deserves a level playing field. Our friendly talent acquisition team is here to support you every step of the way, so if you require any accommodations or adjustments, we encourage you to reach out. We understand that everyone's journey is different, and by having a private conversation we can ensure that our recruitment process is tailored to your needs.

At Kainos we use technology to solve real problems for our customers, overcome big challenges for businesses, and make people’s lives easier. We build strong relationships with our customers and go beyond to change the way they work today and the impact they have tomorrow.

Our two specialist practices, Digital Services and Workday, work globally for clients across healthcare, commercial and the public sector to make the world a little bit better, day by day.

Our people love the exciting work, the cutting-edge technologies and the benefits we offer. That’s why we’ve been ranked in the Sunday Times Top 100 Best Companies on numerous occasions.