Senior Software Engineer

Senior Software Engineer - SC Clearance

We’re a leading technology and engineering company supporting customers across National Security, Defence and Intelligence, delivering systems that operate in the most demanding and sensitive environments.

As a Senior Software Engineer, you’ll deliver mission critical solutions for National Security customers - building products that protect people, platforms, missions and information against evolving threats.

You’ll help customers use data to improve mission outcomes, lead teams hands-on, and mentor others while working at the forefront of innovation.

Responsibilities

Solution design and architecture

• Design cloud-native data processing architectures in AWS
• Define scalable big data solutions on a Hadoop based platform
• Evaluate appropriate technologies and patterns for data ingestion, transformation, and storage
• Produce architecture diagrams and technical design documentation
• Support secure and resilient system design aligned with customer standards

Data engineering and pipeline development

• Develop and maintain data ingestion and transformation pipelines
• Implement batch data workflows across distributed systems
• Work with large datasets using Hadoop and related technologies
• Write data processing scripts using Python, Pig, and Java-based frameworks

Cloud platform engineering

• Use AWS services such as Step Functions, S3, Lambda and EMR
• Implement infrastructure automation via CDK or Terraform

Performance optimisation

• Optimise distributed data processing jobs for performance and cost efficiency
• Troubleshoot issues across Hadoop clusters, data pipelines, and applications
• Monitor system health and resolve operational incidents

Consultancy and stakeholder engagement

• Work directly with technical and non-technical stakeholders to understand requirements
• Provide technical guidance and best-practice recommendations
• Support project planning, estimation, and technical decision-making within the SAFe customer business unit
• Present technical solutions and trade-offs clearly

Required Skillset

• Experience with AWS services and cloud-native design patterns
• Understanding of cloud security, identity management, and networking fundamentals
• Experience with Big data platforms e.g. Hadoop
• Understanding of distributed data processing concepts
• Experience working with large-scale datasets and cluster-based processing
• Experience building and managing data flows
• Knowledge of data ingestion, transformation, and orchestration patterns
• Strong experience in Python or Java
• DevOps experience e.g. Git, GitLab, CI/CD pipelines, Containerisation

Why Roke

You’ll work with smart, supportive people on projects that genuinely matter, in an environment that values technical excellence, collaboration and continuous learning. We invest in your growth, value diverse thinking and offer flexible working alongside a strong benefits package (including 30 days’ holiday plus bank holidays). Roke combines a 70+ year heritage with the agility to make a real impact.

Location:

Based in Gloucester and customer sites for high‑side integration/deployment. Limited hybrid working may be possible, subject to project needs and may vary between assignments.

Clearance:

Valid SC clearance is required for this post. If you are eligible but don’t hold SC, please explore other engineering roles via Roke’s Careers Page. Eligibility details can be found on gov.uk.