At a Glance
- Tasks: Design and build innovative backend platforms for content and media, enhancing user experiences.
- Company: Join M&S, a dynamic leader in retail innovation and digital transformation.
- Benefits: Enjoy a 20% discount, competitive holidays, bonuses, and extensive wellbeing support.
- Other info: Be part of an inclusive team that values diversity and personal growth.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on digital experiences while working with cutting-edge technologies.
- Qualifications: Strong backend engineering skills, experience with Java, GraphQL, and Azure cloud.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 80000 £ per year.
We’re looking for a Staff Software Engineer to play a pivotal role in evolving M&S’s Content Domain platform. This team provides the foundational content and media capabilities that power every digital experience across the business. Your “customers” are product teams, engineers, and content teams — and your mission is to make them faster, more autonomous, and more confident through robust platforms, APIs, automation, and excellent developer and editor experiences.
This is a role for an engineer who is excited by platform thinking, enablement at scale, and revolutionising how digital content, media, and DAM capabilities are modelled, delivered, and accessed across a large organisation.
About the Content Domain Team
Our platform team enables product, engineering, and content teams to build and ship faster with confidence. We deliver a reliable, scalable, and intuitive content and media platform, rooted in standards, automation, and great user experience.
We own the content foundation of M&S digital platforms, including:
- Structured content modelling and governance
- Federated GraphQL APIs
- Headless CMS and DAM integrations
- Automated asset and content lifecycles
- Platform tooling, documentation, and self‑service enablement
What You’ll Do
Your key accountabilities will include:
- Design, build, and evolve backend‑heavy platform capabilities for content and media, including APIs, services, automation pipelines, and developer tooling.
- Lead the design of event‑driven architectures (Kafka / Confluent or equivalent) to support scalable, resilient content and asset workflows.
- Own and evolve our federated GraphQL architecture, including schemas, orchestration, versioning, and standards.
- Contribute hands‑on production‑quality code, tackling the most complex technical challenges in the domain.
- Act as a technical authority on content platforms, headless CMS, DAM, and API‑driven architectures within M&S.
Who You Are
A strong platform mindset: you build capabilities and tools that power many teams, not just individual features. Deep backend engineering experience with Java, including designing and running distributed systems in production. Strong experience on the Azure cloud platform, building and operating scalable, reliable services. Solid understanding of event‑driven architectures (Kafka / Confluent experience is a strong plus). Hands‑on experience with GraphQL — schema design, federation, evolution, and API governance (must have). Experience with headless CMS platforms and content modelling (strong plus). Working knowledge of TypeScript and JavaScript, particularly in API, tooling, or integration contexts.
What’s in it for you
Being a part of M&S is exactly that – playing your part to bring the magic of M&S to our customers every day. We’re an inclusive, dynamic, exciting, and ever evolving business built on doing the right thing and bringing exceptional quality, value, service to every customer, whenever, wherever and however they want to shop with us.
Here are some of the benefits we offer that make working for M&S just that little bit more special…
- After completing your probationary period, you’ll receive 20% colleague discount across all M&S products and many of our third-party brands for you and a member of your household.
- Competitive holiday entitlement with the potential to buy extra holiday days!
- Discretionary bonus schemes awarded based on how you achieve your personal objectives and our performance as a business.
- A generous Defined Contribution Pension Scheme and Life Assurance.
- A dedicated welcome to our teams with a tailored induction and a wide range of training programmes to develop your skills.
- Amazing perks and discounts via our M&S Choices portal to maximise your financial and personal wellbeing.
- Industry-leading parental, adoption and neonatal policies, providing support and flexibility for your family.
- Access to a fantastic range of wellbeing support for all colleagues including access to our 24/7 Virtual GP and PAM Assist to support you and your family.
- A charity volunteer day to support a charity or cause you're passionate about through a dedicated day away from work.
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.
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 win together.
If you’d benefit from any support or reasonable adjustments during any stage of the recruitment process, please let us know when completing your application.
Staff Software Engineer - Content Domain employer: Marks & Spencer
At M&S, we pride ourselves on being an inclusive and dynamic employer that empowers our Staff Software Engineers to innovate and excel in their roles. With a strong focus on employee growth, we offer tailored training programmes, competitive benefits including a generous pension scheme, and a supportive work culture that values collaboration and creativity. Join us in revolutionising the digital retail landscape while enjoying perks like a 20% colleague discount and wellbeing support, all within a vibrant and evolving environment in the heart of the industry.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Staff Software Engineer - Content Domain
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to current employees at M&S on LinkedIn or other platforms. Ask them about their experiences and any tips they might have for landing the Staff Software Engineer role. Personal connections can give you insights that job descriptions just can't.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for technical interviews by brushing up on your backend engineering skills, especially in Java and Azure. Practice coding challenges and system design questions that focus on event-driven architectures and GraphQL. The more confident you are, the better you'll perform!
✨Tip Number 3
Showcase your passion for platform thinking! During interviews, share examples of how you've built capabilities that empower teams. Highlight your experience with headless CMS and automation pipelines to demonstrate your fit for the role.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen by the right people. Plus, it shows you're genuinely interested in being part of the M&S team. Let's get you that dream job!
We think you need these skills to ace Staff Software Engineer - Content Domain
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV:Make sure your CV reflects the skills and experiences that align with the Staff Software Engineer role. Highlight your backend engineering experience, especially with Java and Azure, to show us you’re the right fit for our Content Domain team.
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter:Use your cover letter to tell us why you’re excited about platform thinking and how you can contribute to evolving our content capabilities. Share specific examples of your past work that demonstrate your expertise in APIs and event-driven architectures.
Showcase Your Projects:If you’ve worked on relevant projects, don’t hesitate to include them! Whether it’s a personal project or something from your previous job, we want to see how you’ve tackled complex technical challenges, especially in GraphQL and headless CMS.
Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way for us to receive your application and ensures you’re considered for this exciting opportunity to join our dynamic team at M&S!
How to prepare for a job interview at Marks & Spencer
✨Know Your Tech Stack
Make sure you’re well-versed in the technologies mentioned in the job description, especially Java, Azure, and GraphQL. Brush up on your experience with event-driven architectures like Kafka, as this will likely come up during technical discussions.
✨Showcase Your Platform Mindset
Prepare to discuss how you've built capabilities that empower multiple teams rather than just focusing on individual features. Think of examples where your work has enabled others to be more autonomous and confident in their roles.
✨Demonstrate Problem-Solving Skills
Be ready to tackle complex technical challenges during the interview. You might be asked to solve a problem on the spot or discuss past challenges you've faced. Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure your answers.
✨Ask Insightful Questions
Prepare thoughtful questions about the Content Domain team and their projects. This shows your genuine interest in the role and helps you understand how you can contribute to their goals. Ask about their current challenges or future plans for the platform.
