Java Software Engineer – Remote First – up to £85k

Java Software Engineer – Remote First – up to £85k

Altrincham, Greater Manchester | £50,000 - £85,000 | Permanent

Published: 23.01.26 Ref: BBBH52322_1769163607

Java Software Engineer (Developer / Senior / Principal)

Complex Systems | Modern Stack | Agile & XP Culture

Remote First (office visit approx. once per month - South Manchester)

£50,000 - £85,000 + Bonus + Excellent Benefits (level dependent)

We're partnering with a long-established technology business building modern platforms at the heart of a complex, highly regulated domain. With continued growth across their product suite, they're now hiring Java Software Engineers across multiple levels - Developer, Senior, and Principal - to join their Scrum teams and help deliver software that genuinely makes a difference.

The Opportunity

This isn't a traditional enterprise development role. You'll be working on large-scale, business-critical systems in an environment that genuinely values engineering craft, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

Agile and XP practices are embedded across the organisation, with a strong focus on TDD, pairing, continuous integration, and shared ownership. Engineers are encouraged to contribute ideas, challenge the status quo, and help shape both technical direction and team ways of working.

You'll be part of a cross-functional Scrum team, working closely with Product Managers, UX Designers, Test Analysts and fellow Engineers to deliver reliable, scalable software that evolves with customer needs.

Role Scope by Level

Java Developer (£50,000 - £60,000)

  • Solid Java experience and a desire to grow within complex systems
  • Comfortable contributing to production code within Agile teams
  • Keen to develop skills in testing, modern tooling, and cloud technologies

Senior Java Engineer (£60,000 - £70,000)

  • Strong experience delivering features end-to-end
  • Advocate for clean code, TDD and XP practices
  • Enjoys mentoring, pairing and raising engineering standards within the team

Principal Java Engineer (£70,000 - £85,000)

  • A hands-on senior engineer who combines technical leadership with coaching
  • Still actively coding as part of a Scrum team
  • Supporting and developing other engineers through mentoring and 1-to-1s
  • Contributing to technical decision-making and continuous improvement
  • Helping shape good engineering practices rather than owning enterprise-wide architecture

(Level is based on experience and impact, not job title alone.)

Tech Stack & Environment

The core platform is Java-based, supported by a modern and evolving stack:

  • Java (JDK 17), Spring Boot
  • React, TypeScript
  • AWS, including serverless approaches
  • Terraform, Docker, Kubernetes, Chef, Vagrant, Packer
  • CI/CD pipelines and DevOps tooling

You won't be expected to be an expert in everything - curiosity, good fundamentals, and a willingness to learn matter far more.

There's a strong internal engineering culture with communities of practice, regular knowledge sharing, and dedicated innovation days focused on learning and experimentation.

You'll Enjoy This Role If You…

  • Enjoy working on complex, long-lived systems
  • Care about code quality, testing and sustainable delivery
  • Thrive in collaborative, Agile environments
  • Like mentoring others and sharing knowledge
  • Want meaningful work with real-world impact

Bonus points for experience with:

  • Cloud-native or serverless architectures
  • DevOps and Infrastructure as Code
  • Building scalable, secure platforms

What's in It for You?

  • Remote-first working with minimal office travel
  • Clear salary bands and progression across levels
  • Bonus and excellent benefits package
  • Strong investment in learning and career development
  • Inclusive, sociable culture with regular team and company events

Interested?

Apply now or get in touch for a confidential chat. Even if you're unsure which level you'd sit at, we're happy to talk it through.

Cathcart Technology is acting as an Employment Agency in relation to this vacancy.

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Candidates

I have had dealings with the majority of recruitment agencies in this country and beyond. He really stands out from the crowd and the IT industry would benefit from more people like him.

Software Developer – Glasgow

Compared to other recruiters I have worked with she seemed genuinely interested in helping me with my job search rather than just fulfilling quotas.

Software Developer – Lincoln

Never have a I met a recruiter like him, who embeds himself in the community so thoroughly in a way that could only be genuine. From our conversations, he has shown an understanding of the industry I would expect from a local CTO.

MI Analyst – Bolton

She even was able to help get a firmer offer as I was offered two roles on the same day. I felt she went over and above to get the best offer she could for me without selling myself short.

QA Engineer – Glasgow

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Software Developer – Glasgow

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It was a breath of fresh air – She is professional and approachable and will be there to help you every step of the way. Other recruiters give you the hard sell and the ‘best friend routine’ to get you on board and then just leave you guessing, but not here… She’s the real deal

Solutions Architect – Glasgow

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Software Developer – Northampton

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Infrastructure Architect – Glasgow

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Software Engineer – Manchester

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Data Scientist – Manchester

THE BEST test recruiter I’ve had the pleasure of working with, from start to finish. She provided me with training resources and is an organiser and participant in testing events. She really has taken the time to fully understand the testing principles.

Test Analyst – Aberdeen

He is the most honest, thorough and experienced recruitment consultant I have ever dealt with. If he can’t help you, he’ll tell you rather than spinning a yarn and putting you forward for jobs that aren’t suitable.

Technical Author – Edinburgh

A friend looking after me, that’s how I felt. His friendly character made the whole process way easier and enjoyable, he also managed to get me one of the most interesting work opportunities. I’m really glad our paths have crossed.

Software Engineer - Edinburgh

Absolutely fantastic throughout my interview process, and I cannot recommend him highly enough! First of all, he is an absolutely brilliant communicator and extremely reliable. On top of all of his brilliant recruitment skills, it was amazing to see how genuinely excited he was for me when I received my offer. This truly conveyed to me how much he cares about his clients.

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