Senior Engineer in Milton Keynes

About Kinetic

At Kinetic we’re redefining operational excellence in higher education, conferencing, and events. As the leading provider of software solutions for student accommodation, event management, catering, and residential services, we help institutions streamline operations, elevate customer experiences, and unlock their full potential. With over 25 years of experience and trusted by more than 350 institutions worldwide, our software empowers universities and venues to run smarter, faster, and more collaboratively. From bustling campuses to dynamic corporate environments, our technology adapts to the rhythm of each organisation — helping them thrive in a fast-changing world. But we’re more than just software. We’re a team of passionate problem-solvers, innovators, and collaborators who care deeply about our customers and each other. Our culture is built on empowerment, community, and continuous growth. We believe in giving people the tools, support, and freedom to do their best work — and have fun while doing it. Joining Kinetic means being part of a purpose-driven business where your ideas matter, your development is supported, and your impact is real. If you’re ready to help shape the future of operational technology in education and events, we’d love to meet you.

The Role

As a Senior Engineer, you won’t just manage—you’ll build. You’ll be hands‑on with code, lead architectural decisions, and drive innovation from within the team. This is a unique opportunity to shape the future of campus technology and make a real impact, one smart solution at a time. This role is ideal for an experienced engineer who wants to take ownership of technical solutions, mentor colleagues, and be part of a team that’s actively modernising its engineering practices and embracing new technologies including AI‑assisted development.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Build and maintain robust, accessible and performant web interfaces.
• Develop secure and reliable server side components and integrations.
• Work with project managers and stakeholders to shape and deliver effective technical solutions.
• Provide code reviews, uphold development standards and promote best practices across the team.
• Diagnose and resolve complex issues spanning the front end, back end and database layers.
• Take part in planning, estimation and wider technical decision making.
• Support and enhance long standing systems that include legacy components.

What You’ll Bring

• Software Development: Design, develop, test, and deploy high‑quality software solutions using modern engineering practices. Write clean, maintainable code with appropriate test coverage.
• Technical Excellence: Contribute to architectural decisions, participate in code reviews, and champion best practices in software engineering. Help establish and maintain high standards of quality across the codebase.
• Agile Delivery: Work within a Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) environment, actively participating in sprint planning, daily stand‑ups, retrospectives, and other agile ceremonies to ensure successful delivery.
• Collaboration: Work closely with product managers, other engineers, QA, and stakeholders to understand requirements, provide technical input, and deliver solutions that meet business needs.
• Testing & Quality Assurance: Write comprehensive unit and integration tests. Contribute to the shift towards automated testing and continuous quality improvement.
• Cloud‑Native Development: Build and maintain solutions using AWS services, following event‑driven and microservices architectural patterns where appropriate.
• Mentorship: Support and mentor junior team members, sharing knowledge and helping to develop their technical skills.
• Continuous Learning: Stay current with emerging technologies and industry trends. Experiment with new tools and techniques, including AI‑assisted development, to improve productivity and code quality.
• Problem Solving: Investigate and resolve complex technical issues, participate in incident response, and contribute to improving system reliability.

• Experience with SpecFlow for Behaviour‑Driven Development (BDD)
• Knowledge of CQRS (Command Query Responsibility Segregation) and Event Bus patterns
• Experience with OpenAPI specifications
• Familiarity with Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe)
• Experience with AI‑assisted development tools (e.g., GitHub Copilot, ChatGPT)
• Knowledge of cloud‑native architecture patterns and microservices

The Ideal Candidate

You are a technically strong engineer with a passion for building quality software. You enjoy solving complex problems, collaborating with others, and continuously improving your craft. You’re excited about modern development practices, including cloud‑native architectures and AI‑assisted development. You take pride in your work, value code quality and testing, and are comfortable working in an agile environment. You’re eager to contribute to a team that’s modernising its engineering practices and you’re ready to grow both technically and professionally.

Benefits & Perks

• 25 days holiday (plus bank holidays) – with extra days the longer you’re with us.
• Two paid wellbeing days each year, with a budget to enjoy some time out with someone important to you.
• Enhanced pension contributions to support your future.
• Two paid days a year to give back through volunteering, charity work, or sustainability projects with our Green Team.
• Salary sacrifice schemes for electric vehicles and cycle‑to‑work.
• 24/7 access to our Employee Assistance Programme for confidential advice and support.
• A full annual health check to keep you at your best.
• A flexible benefits platform – from life assurance and learning opportunities to retail discounts and cinema tickets.
• A genuine people‑first culture where your growth and wellbeing come first.
• Performance‑related bonus scheme to reward your contribution.
• Regular socials – from team get‑togethers to all‑company celebrations, with each department owning a budget for their events.
• The opportunity to attend group conferences, away days and learning forums both in the UK and abroad – network with other talent.

We’ve created a welcoming office environment, with well‑stocked kitchens offering free breakfast, fresh fruit, hot and cold drinks, and a range of tuck shop goodies to keep you fuelled throughout the day. Kinetic is an equal opportunity employer, fostering diversity and committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.