At a Glance
- Tasks: Maintain Java services and enhance the Internal Developer Platform for better developer productivity.
- Company: Rightmove is the UK's largest property portal, making moving simpler for millions.
- Benefits: Enjoy hybrid working, 27 days holiday, private medical insurance, and various employee perks.
- Why this job: Join a supportive team focused on automation and continuous improvement in a friendly culture.
- Qualifications: Strong Java skills, experience with CI/CD, and a passion for developer enablement are essential.
- Other info: Open to diverse backgrounds; we value your mindset over just qualifications.
The predicted salary is between 36000 - 60000 £ per year.
Our vision is to give everyone the belief they can make their move. We aim to make moving simpler, by giving everyone the best place to turn to and return to for access to the tools, expertise, trust, and belief to make it happen.
We\’re home to the UK\’s largest choice of properties and are the go-to destination for millions of people planning their next move, reading the latest industry news, or just browsing what\’s on the market.
Role: Platform Engineer (Developer Experience)
Location: London / Hybrid (2 days per week in office)
Reporting to: Platform Engineering Manager
This role represents a unique opportunity for a mid-level engineer with a strong Java foundation to expand their expertise into Platform Engineering and join a team prioritising automation, observability, and delivering value in iterations, while directly shaping developer productivity through self-service tooling and standardised workflows.
The initial focus of the role is to maintain existing Java services, owned by the Developer Experience team. The team is currently working on migrating services to the Cloud. The role will then shift to enhance our Internal Developer Platform solution, to abstract the infrastructure complexities for developers, enabling developers to build and deliver microservices efficiently.
Success in this role requires balancing hands-on Java service maintenance with platform architecture, CI/CD pipeline design, and developer enablement.
A typical week as a Platform Engineer in Developer Experience team might involve:
- Maintaining Java services owned by the Developer Experience team.
- Working with developers, providing support.
- Delivering training workshops to our internal customers, when necessary, and improving documentation.
- Working on platform tasks and learning more about the technologies we use.
- Expanding self-service capabilities in the internal platform to cover common use cases.
Core Responsibilities
- Platform Development:
- Enhance IDP Platform.
- Create Gitlab CI templates.
- Standardise configuration and monitoring.
- Developer Support: participate in the rota to provide support to developers for platform related issues in areas that Developer Experience owns. We do a weekly review and brainstorm ways of reducing the number of requests through automation and building auditable self-service tooling, documentation and training.
- Operational Excellence: participate in the out-of-hours on-call rota (1 week/month – competitive additional compensation offered).
Required Skills
- Experience with modern Java: to write clean, efficient, and well-documented code.
- Experience with test frameworks: JUnit and Mockito is essential.
- Debugging skills: to be able to identify and resolve issues in complex systems.
- Gradle Fundamentals: to write and maintain complex Gradle build files.
- Dependency Management: to understand different dependency configurations and resolving conflicts.
- Multi-Project Builds: to be able to set up and manage multi-project builds in Gradle
- Performance Optimization: a good understanding of Gradle builds speed optimisations and efficiency is a big plus.
- Springboot: knowledge for the purpose of library upgrades.
- Custom Gradle plugin: to be able to create custom Gradle tasks to automate build processes, retrieve properties, code generation, or other development tasks.
- Security: Experience working within an SDLC framework (ISO 27002:2022), understanding of SALSA and SBOMs.
We\’re Looking For Someone Who
- Always pushes for continuous improvement and has strong attention to detail.
- Positive outlook, good people and communication skills.
- Has an automation mindset.
Relevant Technology We Use
- Google Cloud Platform
- Google Kubernetes Engine with Anthos Service Mesh
- Confluent Cloud
- Incident.io
- Gitlab
- Jira, Confluence, Slack, Teams
- Elastic APM, Kibana
- Java, Node, Python, Javascript, Go, React
About Rightmove
Our vision is to give everyone the belief that they can make their move. We aim to make moving simpler, by giving everyone the best place to turn to and return to for access to the tools, expertise, trust and belief to make it happen.
We\’re home to the UK\’s largest choice of properties, and are the go-to destination for millions of people planning their next move, reading the latest industry news, or just browsing what\’s on the market.
Despite This Growth, We\’ve Remained a Friendly, Supportive Place To Work, With Employee #1 Still Working Here! We\’ve Done This By Placing The Rightmove Hows At The Heart Of Everything We Do. These Are The Essential Values That Reflect Our Culture, And Include
- We create value…by delivering results and building trust with partners and consumers.
- We think bigger…by acting with curiosity and setting bold aspirations.
- We care deeply…by being real, having fun, and valuing diversity.
- We move together…by being one team – internally collaborative, externally competitive.
- We make a difference…by focusing on delivering measurable impact.
We believe in careers that open doors and help our team develop by providing an open and inclusive work environment, offering ongoing training opportunities, and supporting charity fundraising events. And with 88% of Rightmovers saying we\’re a great place to work, we\’re clearly doing something right!
If all of this has caught your eye, you may well be a Rightmover in the making……
People are the foundation of Rightmove – We\’ll help you build a career on it.
What We Offer
- Cash plan for dental, optical and physio treatments.
- Private Medical Insurance, Pension and Life Insurance, Employee Assistance Plan.
- 27 days holiday plus two (paid) volunteering days a year to give back, and holiday buy schemes.
- Hybrid working pattern with 2 days in the office.
- Contributory stakeholder pension.
- Life assurance at 4x your basic salary to a spouse, family member or other nominated person in your life.
- Competitive compensation package.
- Paid leave for maternity, paternity, adoption & fertility.
- Travel Loans, Bike to Work scheme, Rental Deposit Loan.
- Charitable contributions through Payroll Giving and donation matching.
- Access deals and discounts on things like travel, electronics, fashion, gym memberships, cinema discounts and more.
As an Equal Opportunity Employer, Rightmove will never discriminate based on age, disability, sex, race, religion or belief, gender reassignment, marriage / civil partnership, pregnancy/maternity or sexual orientation.
At Rightmove, we believe that a diverse and inclusive workforce leads to better innovation, productivity, and overall success., We are committed to creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for all employees, regardless of their background or identity, to develop and promote a diverse culture that reflects the communities we serve.
By applying, you confirm that you\’ve read and understood our Privacy Policy, which explains how we handle and protect your personal information during the recruitment process.
Platform/Java Engineer - Developer Experience employer: Rightmove
Contact Detail:
Rightmove Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Platform/Java Engineer - Developer Experience
✨Tip Number 1
Familiarise yourself with the specific technologies mentioned in the job description, such as Google Cloud Platform and GitLab. Having hands-on experience or even personal projects using these tools can set you apart during discussions.
✨Tip Number 2
Engage with the developer community around Java and platform engineering. Join forums, attend meetups, or participate in online discussions to showcase your passion and knowledge, which can impress potential employers.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare to discuss your approach to automation and improving developer productivity. Think of examples from your past experiences where you've implemented solutions that enhanced efficiency, as this aligns closely with the role's focus.
✨Tip Number 4
Showcase your soft skills, especially communication and teamwork. Since the role involves supporting developers and conducting training workshops, being able to articulate your ideas clearly and work collaboratively is crucial.
We think you need these skills to ace Platform/Java Engineer - Developer Experience
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV highlights your Java experience and any relevant platform engineering skills. Focus on projects where you've maintained Java services or worked with CI/CD pipelines, as these are key aspects of the role.
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: In your cover letter, express your enthusiasm for the role and how your background aligns with Rightmove's values. Mention specific experiences that demonstrate your automation mindset and attention to detail.
Showcase Relevant Projects: If you have worked on any projects involving Google Cloud Platform, Kubernetes, or Gradle, be sure to include these in your application. Highlight your contributions and the impact they had on developer productivity.
Prepare for Technical Questions: Anticipate technical questions related to Java, debugging, and performance optimisation. Be ready to discuss your experience with test frameworks like JUnit and Mockito, as well as your understanding of dependency management.
How to prepare for a job interview at Rightmove
✨Showcase Your Java Skills
Make sure to highlight your experience with modern Java, especially in writing clean and efficient code. Be prepared to discuss specific projects where you've used Java, and how you approached challenges like debugging and performance optimisation.
✨Demonstrate Your Automation Mindset
Since the role focuses on automation and developer enablement, share examples of how you've implemented automation in previous roles. Discuss any tools or frameworks you've used, such as CI/CD pipelines, and how they improved efficiency.
✨Familiarise Yourself with Relevant Technologies
Research the technologies mentioned in the job description, such as Google Cloud Platform, GitLab, and Spring Boot. Being able to discuss these technologies and how you've used them will show your preparedness and enthusiasm for the role.
✨Prepare for Team Collaboration Questions
Rightmove values teamwork and collaboration, so be ready to discuss how you've worked with others in past projects. Think of examples where you provided support or training to colleagues, and how you contributed to a positive team environment.