Senior Software Engineer - Online (Stock Domain)

Senior Software Engineer - Online (Stock Domain)

Full-Time 60000 - 80000 £ / year (est.) Home office (partial)
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At a Glance

  • Tasks: Lead the modernisation of order management software and build scalable data services.
  • Company: Join M&S, a historic brand transforming into a digital-first organisation.
  • Benefits: Enjoy a competitive salary, discounts, bonuses, and wellbeing support.
  • Other info: Be part of an inclusive team driving innovation in retail.
  • Why this job: Make a real impact on millions of customers with cutting-edge technology.
  • Qualifications: 5+ years in data-intensive systems, skilled in JVM languages, and DevOps practices.

The predicted salary is between 60000 - 80000 £ per year.

The M&S Stock Domain team is looking for a Senior Software Engineer to join our dynamic team. You will provide technical expertise, ship thoughtful solutions, and operate with excellence. Creative, curious and fearless, you will lead the modernisation of our order management software, to provide a seamless customer experience and enable the M&S online growth ambitions through a scalable, reliable, secure and cost-effective system.

The Stock team is on a multiyear journey to build the platforms and services that will manage how we track and move stock across our business – from suppliers to distribution centres to stores and digital channels. We sit at a critical junction in the retail ecosystem, and our ambition is to provide accurate, realtime stock visibility and availability so customers can get the products they want, when and where they want them. Our team is steadily evolving towards a future where reliable stock data and event streams power everything from forecasting and replenishment to digital experiences, all built on a robust, scalable stock platform. In this role, you will play a key part in driving our ambition to create a best‑in‑class software engineering team, environment and culture. Join our community of engineers to help build a modern digital ecosystem, work with cutting‑edge technologies, and do the best work of your career.

What you’ll do

  • Build and evolve reliable data services – design and develop scalable, high‑performance pipelines and APIs in Java and Micronaut, integrating with event‑streaming platforms such as Kafka. Your work will ensure accurate, timely information reaches downstream systems and business users.
  • Own features end‑to‑end – take responsibility for everything from design through development, testing, deployment and production monitoring. You will balance delivery speed with sustainability, ensuring the platform remains maintainable over time.
  • Shape the technical direction of our Stock Platform – help design and evolve the services, APIs and event flows that power how we track and move stock across suppliers, distribution centres, stores and digital channels. You’ll craft solutions that balance data quality, integration reliability and operational resilience, using our modern toolchain (GitHub, CI/CD, observability and cloud infrastructure) to build a scalable stock platform that other teams can depend on.
  • Champion engineering excellence – write clean, maintainable, well‑tested code and help establish best practices across multiple teams. You will encourage a continuous improvement culture through code reviews, pair programming, and high‑quality documentation.
  • Drive operational excellence and observability – share responsibility for the reliability of our data integrations. Use observability tools such as Dynatrace to design for monitoring and alerting and participate in our support rota to ensure supply‑chain and pricing data remains accurate and available.
  • Collaborate widely – work closely with Product Managers, cross functional engineering teams and other Fulfilment teams to solve real business problems in thoughtful and innovative ways. Cross‑functional decision‑making and breaking down information silos are essential to shortening time to value.
  • Mentor and support colleagues – provide coaching and feedback to more junior engineers. Help grow our community of practice by sharing knowledge and fostering an inclusive environment.

Who you are

  • Experienced in data‑intensive distributed systems – 5+ years building and scaling services that handle large datasets, ideally serving millions of records or transactions. You understand both batch and event‑driven processing and can design systems that remain resilient at scale.
  • Skilled in JVM languages – proficient in one or more JVM‑based languages such as Java and Kotlin, ideally working with Micronaut, and comfortable writing clean, maintainable code.
  • DevOps and CI/CD practitioner – experienced in designing and running CI/CD pipelines (for example, GitHub Actions) and driving improvements in developer productivity and release automation. Familiarity with Infrastructure as Code (Terraform) helps automate repeatable infrastructure changes.
  • Cloud and data platform savvy – comfortable working in cloud environments (preferably Azure) and familiar with modern data processing and integration tools. Experience with Kafka for event streaming, SFTP for batch data ingestion, relational and NoSQL databases (MongoDB), and SaaS integrations for product lifecycle and pricing is highly valued. Exposure to containerization and orchestration technologies such as Docker and Kubernetes, and infrastructure automation with Terraform, is a plus.
  • Data modelling and integration expert – understand domain‑driven design, data contracts and schema evolution. You care about data quality and integrity and know how to integrate with third‑party systems without excessive customisation.
  • Balance strategic thinking with pragmatic delivery – you can weigh long‑term architectural goals against immediate business needs, are sensitive to commercial impacts, and thrive in high‑autonomy teams.
  • Security and quality minded – experience using modern security and static‑analysis tools such as Snyk and Semgrep to identify vulnerabilities and enforce coding standards. A commitment to secure coding practices and compliance is essential.
  • Curious about AI‑assisted development – open to leveraging emerging tools like GitHub Copilot to enhance productivity and accelerate learning while maintaining code quality.

What’s in it for you

  • Being a part of M&S is exactly that – becoming a part and playing your part. We’re an inclusive, dynamic, exciting and always evolving business built on core values.
  • 20% colleague discount on most things from furniture, fashion and food.
  • A first‑class welcome to M&S with a tailored induction and a wide range of training schemes to help with your learning and development.
  • Attractive annual bonus, based on company performance and personal objectives.
  • Competitive holiday entitlement with the potential to buy extra holiday days.
  • Amazing perks and discounts via our M&S Choices website – including GymSave and the option to become an M&S Shareholder.
  • Charity Volunteer Day – a paid day away from work to support your chosen charity.
  • A very generous Defined Contribution Pension Scheme and Life Assurance.
  • Access to a fantastic range of wellbeing support – including our 24/7 Virtual GP and other wellbeing schemes.

Everyone’s Welcome

We are ambitious about the future of retail. We’re disrupting, innovating and leading the industry into a more conscientious, inspiring digital era. We’re transforming how we work together and offering our most exciting opportunities yet. Marks & Spencer strives to be an inclusive organisation, trusted and admired by our colleagues, customers and suppliers. Join us and make change happen. We are committed to building diverse and representative teams, where everyone can bring their whole selves to work and be at their best. We support each other and work together to win together. If you feel you'd benefit from any support or reasonable adjustments during any stage of the recruitment process, please don’t hesitate to let us know when completing your application. This information will be picked up by our team, so we can try and put steps in place to help you be at your best through this process.

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Contact Details:

Marks & Spencer Plc Recruitment Team

StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫

We think this is how you could land Senior Software Engineer - Online (Stock Domain)

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 Marks & Spencer Plc 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 Marks & Spencer Plc.

Tap into Online Developer Communities

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Explore Job Boards Specifically for Tech Roles

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We think you need these skills to ace Senior Software Engineer - Online (Stock Domain)

Java
Micronaut
Kafka
CI/CD
GitHub Actions
Terraform
Azure

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 Marks & Spencer Plc.

Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Marks & Spencer Plc 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 Marks & Spencer Plc

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 Marks & Spencer Plc 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.