Principal Developer

Location: Croydon | Westminster | Sheffield | Salford | (hybrid)

Salary: £76,879 (National) or £80,879 Croydon

Skills allowance of up to £18,721, pending assessment

Advert Close Date: 3rd August 2026

🚀 Job summary 🚀

This role sits in the Common Business Application (CBA) team, which is a critical capability within UK border protection, and part of a comprehensive RN detection capability within the Cyclamen programme, which screens incoming freight, vehicles and passengers for such material, in order to protect the public.

This sits within the Shared Applications Service department, with over 650 engineers. This is the engineering capability, developing in all areas including policing, Homeland Security, Border Force, and migration.

The Principal Developer works on challenging technical problems, which require broad thinking while remaining hands-on developing software. You will be expected to actively deliver but will have more of a focus on ensuring delivery quality and overall service value. You will be working on large scale problems on critical services setting strategy and standards for the wider team to follow

You may be called upon to take part in planning with senior stakeholders to make sure that technical designs match strategy. In this you will be expected to help ensure that all engineers, architects and other professions are working together. You will also identify, test and advocate for new tools or approaches.

See job ad for full details!

🔧 Tools and Technologies we use: 🔧

We are keen for Engineers to continue learning new technologies, we have a large range in the Home Office but would especially welcome applications from candidates with experience in the below:

• Java (Current Versions), Spring, Spring Boot, Maven, JavaScript
• Other Languages used across the service include: Databases, PostgreSQL and Mongo, AWS, Docker, Kubernetes, Helm, React, Node.js, Apache Nifi.

⭐ Essential Skills ⭐

• Design, specification, development of large and complex data platforms, both cloud and on-premises, including platform migration. (SWDN)
• Selecting appropriate tooling, and specifying, designing, building, refactoring, and documenting complex code, scripts, frameworks, and infrastructure-as-code definitions, to automate build and deployment activities. (PROG)
• Specify and lead the implementation of master data management processes and standards, ensuring data integrity, transformation, availability and searchability through formal methods and protection measures. (DATM)
• Specifying and setting standards for automated testing, scanning and code analysis in collaboration with testers, architects, service owners and developers. (TEST)
• Specifying, guiding, and leading the adoption of automation frameworks for CI/CD and ETL data pipelines. (SINT)
• Specifying and ensuring good use of processes, procedures and tooling for application or database monitoring, maintenance, and incident response. (ASUP)

Why work for us...🤩

Find out more information at: Benefits - Home Office Careers, but some of the primary ones are:

• A Civil Service Pension with employer contribution rates of £17,992 annually
• In-year reward scheme for one-off or sustained exceptional personal or team achievements.
• 25 days annual leave on appointment, rising with service.
• 8 days of public holidays, plus 1 additional privilege day.
• Flexi-time allowance and flexible working options

Plus so much MORE: https://careers.homeoffice.gov.uk/benefits

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