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Tesco • London, UK

Senior Backend Software Engineer (Java/Python)

8.2

/10

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Job Description

We�re a new team operating with startup urgency to create new customer growth. Expect endtoend ownership�rapid experimentation, fast shipping, and leaning in wherever the work takes you, beyond your job title. If you�re ambitious, hardworking, and excited to build 01 against tall ambitions, you�ll thrive here.

As our SDEIII you�ll drive fast, high-quality delivery today while architecting the path to scale tomorrow � integrating deeply with Tesco systems, partnering externally, and unblocking with creativity and pace to realise the team vision.

As a Software Development Engineer III you are in a senior Individual Contributor engineering role at Tesco. Your proficiency with foundational computer science and software engineering concepts is taken as a given, and you will have proven significant technical depth and breadth. At this level you will be playing an active role in technical leadership, with proven impact across teams and the wider directorate. You take ownership and accountability of the development of the products in your domain.�

- Ship high profile customer-facing backend services regularly; own design, build and release end-to-end

- Rapidly prototype and iterate on future capabilities to de-risk and inform the roadmap.�

- Maximise re-use of Tesco�s existing platforms and services; integrate, extend and collaborate with API teams�

- Partner with Enterprise Architecture to iterate towards a scalable, secure, composable software architecture

- Move at pace: proactively unblock delivery, simplify complex problems, and maintain quality through automated testing and observability.

- Establish repeatable CI/CD, testdata, and environment practices to ship reliably at pace.

- Work daily with front end and data science engineers to ship end-to-end customer outcomes; fullstack experience (or a strong appetite to learn fast) is a big plus.

- Desirable tech areas of interest: orchestration services / BFFs, AI Agents / LLMs, responsive performance optimisation.

Mindset we hire for -�

- Bias to action: you move from idea to test to live quickly, and learn in the wild.

- Scrappy and resourceful: you ship with the tools to hand; progress over perfection

- Experimentation machine: hypothesis smallest test data iteration is your default.

- Customerobsessed: you validate with customers and let insight drive decisions.

- Ownership: you take responsibility for outcomes, not just tasks.

- Transparent communicator: you keep the team and stakeholders in the loop, early and often.

- Resilient learner: you understand the value of failing, and bounce back quickly

- Corporate-savvy builder: you can deliver iterative value within a large organisation.

- AIforward: you use AI to accelerate research, synthesis, and delivery.

  • Java
  • Python
  • Spring Boot
  • Kafka
  • Redis
  • GraphQL
  • Couchbase

Company benefits

25 days annual leave + bank holidays
Additional voluntary pension contribution
Adoption leave – 26 weeks full pay (after 52 weeks service)
Annual bonus
Annual pay rises
Bike parking
Buy or sell annual leave
Car allowance
Charity donation scheme
Chill out zone
Cinema discounts
Coffee discounts
Collaboration spaces
Company car
Company freebies
Compassionate leave
Critical Illness Insurance
Cycle to work scheme
Death in service
Dental coverage
Discretionary sick pay
Electric Car Salary Sacrifice
Emergency leave
Employee assistance programme
Employee discounts – 10% off and 15% on pay day weekends
Employee phone programme
Enhanced maternity leave – 26 weeks full pay (after 52 weeks service)
Enhanced paternity leave – 6 weeks full pay (after 52 weeks service)
Enhanced pension match/contribution – up to 7.5% matching
Equity packages
Ergonomic workstations
Eye Care Support
Faith rooms
Family health insurance
Fertility treatment leave
Financial advice
Fully stocked snack cupboard
Gym membership
Health assessment
Health insurance
In house training
L&D budget
Learning platform
Legal consults
Life assurance – Five times your pay
Life insurance
LinkedIn learning license
Lunch and learns
Meditation space
Menopause support
Mental health first aiders
Mental health platform access
Mentoring
Modern office
On-site barista
On-site catering
On-site gym
On-site personal trainer
On-site shower
On-site wellness room
On-site wellness services
On-site workout classes
Open to job sharing
Open to part time work for some roles
Open to part-time employees
Optional unpaid leave
Paid fostering leave
Personal development budgets
Personal development days
Pregnancy loss leave
Private booths
Referral bonus
Religious celebration leave
Relocation packages
Restaurant discounts
Sabbaticals
Salary advance
Salary sacrifice
Secure on-site parking
Sensory-Friendly Setup
Share options
Skilled worker visas
Sports teams
Study support
Teambuilding days
Theme park discounts
Time off in-lieu
Tree planting
Volunteer days
Wellbeing incentive programme
Open to compressed hours

Working at Tesco

Company employees:

330,000+

Gender diversity (m:f):

49:51

Hiring in countries

Ireland

United Kingdom

Office Locations

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