At a Glance
- Tasks: Build and evolve scalable services for customer journeys in the Sparks ecosystem.
- Company: Join the historic and innovative M&S brand with a strong ethical focus.
- Benefits: Enjoy a 20% discount, competitive holidays, and tailored training from day one.
- Other info: Be part of a diverse team committed to innovation and positive change.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in a digital-first environment while collaborating with passionate engineers.
- Qualifications: Experience in distributed systems and JVM-based languages like Java or Spring.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 80000 £ per year.
As part of the M&S Software Engineering team, you’ll be joining a well-loved historic brand, working on solutions that serve millions of loyal customers and thousands of colleagues. With strong ethical values and a clear ambition to become a digital-first, engineering-led organisation, this is an exciting time to join us.
Our Loyalty (Sparks) team is looking for a Senior Software Engineer to help build and evolve the platform that underpins customer journeys across the Sparks ecosystem. You’ll work in a high-impact, empowered engineering team, delivering scalable, reliable, and high-performing services, while shaping the technical direction and improving developer and customer experiences.
This role is ideal for a collaborative, pragmatic engineer who thrives in modern distributed systems and is passionate about engineering excellence, innovation, and continuous improvement.
What you’ll do
- Build, evolve, and maintain scalable Loyalty platform services supporting Sparks customer journeys
- Take end-to-end ownership of features from design through to deployment, monitoring, and optimisation
- Contribute to technical direction, balancing scalability, performance, and maintainability
- Collaborate across teams to improve developer experience and reduce friction in delivery
- Support live services through shared ownership of reliability, observability, and operational excellence
Who you are
- Experience building and scaling distributed systems in modern backend environments
- Strong knowledge of JVM-based languages or backend frameworks (e.g. Java, Micronaut, Spring)
- Hands-on experience with CI/CD, DevOps practices, and operating production systems
- Familiarity with event-driven architectures and technologies such as Kafka
- Experience working with cloud platforms (preferably Azure) and containerisation (Kubernetes)
Tech Stack
- Languages & Frameworks: Java, Node.js, Spring, Micronaut, GraphQL, gRPC
- Testing: JUnit, Mockito, Testcontainers
- Cloud & Infrastructure: Azure, Kubernetes
- Data & Messaging: SQL Server, MongoDB, Redis, Ignite, Kafka
- DevOps & Tooling: GitHub Actions, Dynatrace
- Security & Quality: Snyk, Semgrep, Wiz
What’s in it for you?
Working at M&S means being part of something bigger - helping to deliver quality, value and service to millions of customers every day. We’re inclusive, fast-moving and always evolving, with a strong sense of purpose and a focus on doing the right thing.
Here are just a few of the benefits that make working here even more rewarding:
- 20% colleague discount on all M&S products and many third-party brands for you and someone in your household, available once you’ve completed your probation
- Competitive holiday allowance with the option to buy more
- Discretionary bonus schemes linked to your performance and ours
- Strong pension and life assurance to help plan for the future
- Tailored induction and training to support your development from day one
- Exclusive perks and savings through our M&S Choices portal
- Market-leading family policies, including parental, adoption and neonatal leave
- 24/7 wellbeing support, including virtual GP access and mental health services
- One paid volunteer day a year to support a cause that matters to you
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.
Senior Software Engineer - Loyalty employer: Marks & Spencer
Joining M&S as a Senior Software Engineer means becoming part of a historic brand that values innovation and ethical practices, all while working in a collaborative and empowered environment. With a strong focus on employee development, competitive benefits, and a commitment to inclusivity, you'll have the opportunity to shape the future of retail technology while enjoying perks like a generous colleague discount, flexible holiday options, and comprehensive wellbeing support. This is not just a job; it's a chance to contribute to meaningful change in a company that truly cares about its people and customers.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior Software Engineer - Loyalty
✨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 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.
✨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 Marks & Spencer.
✨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 Marks & Spencer 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 - Loyalty
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.
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 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
✨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 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.
