At a Glance
- Tasks: Design and build innovative backend platforms for content and media, enhancing digital experiences.
- Company: Join M&S, a dynamic and inclusive company focused on exceptional quality and service.
- Benefits: Enjoy a 20% discount, competitive holidays, bonuses, and extensive wellbeing support.
- Other info: Be part of a supportive team with excellent career development opportunities.
- Why this job: Make a real impact by revolutionising how digital content is delivered across a large organisation.
- Qualifications: Strong backend engineering skills, experience with Java, Azure, and GraphQL required.
The predicted salary is between 70000 - 90000 £ 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.
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.
EEO and Inclusion Statement
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 Platform Engineer - Content & Media APIs employer: MARKS&SPENCER
At M&S, we pride ourselves on being an inclusive and dynamic employer that empowers our staff to innovate and excel. As a Staff Platform Engineer, you'll be at the forefront of transforming our digital content capabilities, supported by a culture that values collaboration, continuous learning, and personal growth. With competitive benefits including a generous pension scheme, flexible working options, and a commitment to wellbeing, M&S offers a rewarding environment where you can truly make a difference.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Staff Platform Engineer - Content & Media APIs
✨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 Platform 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 GraphQL. Practice coding challenges and system design questions that focus on scalable architectures. We want you to feel confident when discussing your experience with APIs and event-driven systems!
✨Tip Number 3
Showcase your platform mindset! During interviews, share examples of how you've built capabilities that empower teams rather than just individual features. Highlight your experience with automation and developer tooling 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 interview!
We think you need these skills to ace Staff Platform Engineer - Content & Media APIs
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV:Make sure your CV speaks directly to the role of Staff Platform Engineer. Highlight your backend engineering experience, especially with Java and Azure, and don’t forget to mention any work with GraphQL and event-driven architectures.
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter:Use your cover letter to showcase your passion for platform thinking and how you can contribute to M&S's Content Domain platform. Share specific examples of how you've enabled teams in the past and how you can bring that expertise to us.
Showcase Your Technical Skills:In your application, be sure to highlight your hands-on experience with APIs, automation pipelines, and developer tooling. We want to see how you tackle complex technical challenges, so don’t hold back on the details!
Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you to apply through our website for a smoother process. It’s the best way for us to receive your application and ensure it gets the attention it deserves. Plus, you’ll find all the info you need about the role there!
How to prepare for a job interview at MARKS&SPENCER
✨Know Your Platform Inside Out
Before the interview, dive deep into the specifics of M&S's Content Domain platform. Familiarise yourself with their APIs, automation pipelines, and how they enable product and content teams. Being able to discuss these elements confidently will show your genuine interest and understanding of the role.
✨Showcase Your Technical Skills
Prepare to discuss your hands-on experience with backend technologies, especially Java and GraphQL. Bring examples of past projects where you've designed distributed systems or worked with event-driven architectures like Kafka. This will help demonstrate your technical authority in the field.
✨Emphasise Collaboration and Enablement
Since the role involves working with various teams, be ready to talk about how you've previously enabled others through your work. Share specific instances where your contributions have made teams faster and more autonomous, highlighting your platform mindset.
✨Ask Insightful Questions
Prepare thoughtful questions that reflect your understanding of the role and the company. Inquire about their future plans for the Content Domain platform or how they measure success in enabling teams. This shows you're not just interested in the job, but also in the company's vision.
