Senior Full Stack Engineer / Senior Software Engineer (Full Stack)

We are seeking a Senior Full Stack & Systems Engineer to join our Defence delivery team. This is a versatile, high-impact role designed for funded client delivery: you will build mission-critical web applications and API backends for central MoD programmes, while contributing to low-level system integrations (Kotlin, Android ART, IPC/AIDL) on tactical edge and Situational Awareness (TAK) platforms.

You will sit at the intersection of modern enterprise software engineering and tactical edge integration, ensuring all code meets MoD Secure by Design (SbD) principles and Def Stan 00-056 safety boundaries.

• Full-Stack Application Development: Design and build resilient, secure web applications, microservices, and APIs (TypeScript, Node.js, React, or Python) for cloud and hybrid MoD landing zones.
• Edge & Tactical Systems Integration: Develop native Android background services (Kotlin on ART), IPC/AIDL interfaces, and Cursor-on-Target (CoT) data routers connecting front-end C2 displays (e.g., OmniTAK, ATAK) to backend services.
• Secure by Design (SbD) Implementation: Write clean, well-tested code following NCSC Secure Development Principles, NCSC Cloud Security Guidance, and JSP 440 controls.
• CI/CD & DevSecOps: Automate build, test, and containerisation pipelines (Docker, GitOps, GitLab CI/GitHub Actions) for both air-gapped systems and enterprise cloud environments.
• Client Delivery & Mentorship: Lead technical user stories on funded MoD statements of work (SoWs), participate in Agile delivery ceremonies, and mentor mid-level engineers.

Required Qualifications & Experience
1. Defence & Security Baseline

• Active UK SC Clearance (minimum) with UK nationality/sovereignty requirements.
• Hands-on experience delivering under MoD software development standards and Secure by Design (SbD) frameworks.

2. Full-Stack Engineering (Web & APIs)

• 4+ years of production experience with modern Web stacks (TypeScript, React, Node.js, or Python/FastAPI).
• Strong API design experience (REST, GraphQL, gRPC, WebSocket) and relational/non-relational database design (PostgreSQL, SQLite).

3. Systems & Mobile Architecture (Android ART)

• Proficiency in Kotlin or Java on native Android environments, including background services, thread management, and Inter-Process Communication (IPC via AIDL/Binders).
• Understanding of event-driven architectures, local socket communication, and memory optimization under resource-constrained conditions.

Desirable / Bonus Qualifications

• Experience with tactical mapping frameworks (TAK/ATAK, WinTAK, OmniTAK) or military telemetry protocols (Cursor-on-Target / CoT, STANAG 4586).
• Familiarity with containerisation at the edge (K3s, Podman) or local database layers (Room, RocksDB).
• Knowledge of Defence safety standards (Def Stan 00-056 / 00-055) and ALARP risk management.