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 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.
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 Software Engineer - Content Domain employer: MARKS&SPENCER
Marks & Spencer is an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic and inclusive work culture that empowers employees to innovate and excel. As a Staff Software Engineer in the Content Domain, you'll have access to extensive training programmes, competitive benefits including a generous pension scheme, and a supportive environment that prioritises your personal and professional growth. With a commitment to diversity and wellbeing, M&S ensures that every team member can thrive while contributing to the magic of our brand.
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
Show off your skills! If you’ve got a portfolio of projects, especially those related to backend engineering or content platforms, make sure to highlight them in conversations. Demonstrating your hands-on experience with Java, GraphQL, or Azure can really set you apart.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for technical interviews by brushing up on your knowledge of event-driven architectures and distributed systems. Practice coding challenges that focus on these areas, as they’re likely to come up during the interview process. We want you to feel confident and ready!
✨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 Application:Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter to highlight your experience with backend engineering, APIs, and event-driven architectures. We want to see how your skills align with the role of Staff Software Engineer in our Content Domain.
Showcase Your Platform Mindset:In your application, emphasise your experience in building capabilities that empower multiple teams. We’re looking for someone who thinks beyond individual features, so share examples of how you've contributed to scalable solutions.
Be Specific About Your Technical Skills:When detailing your technical expertise, be specific about your experience with Java, Azure, and GraphQL. We love seeing concrete examples of how you’ve tackled complex challenges in these areas.
Apply Through Our Website:Don’t forget to submit your application through our website! It’s the best way for us to receive your details and ensure you’re considered for this exciting opportunity in our Content Domain team.
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 knowledge of 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. Share examples of how 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. Think of specific instances where you’ve solved difficult problems in backend engineering or API governance, and explain your thought process clearly.
✨Ask Insightful Questions
Prepare thoughtful questions about the Content Domain team and their current projects. This shows your genuine interest in the role and helps you understand how you can contribute to their goals effectively.
