Senior Software Engineer; Java

Senior Software Engineer (Java)

Permanent | Cardiff/Hybrid | Up to 50,000

At Target Group
, we’re passionate about using technology to improve financial services – but more importantly, we’re passionate about people, partnerships and progress
.

We’re entering an exciting phase of modernisation and transformation
, opening up our longstanding platforms through API‑driven services
, cloud technologies and new digital channels. To help us shape the future, we’re looking for a Senior Java Software Engineer who combines technical excellence with a collaborative, people‑first mindset.

As a Senior Software Engineer
, you’ll sit at the heart of our engineering capability. You’ll be responsible for translating business and system requirements into robust designs and high‑quality software solutions, while acting as a guardian of code quality and engineering standards
.

This is a hands‑on engineering role
, but with real influence. You’ll spend time:

• Analysing complex problems
• Designing scalable, secure solutions
• Guiding our offshore development teams
• Reviewing and approving code before release

You won’t have direct line management responsibility, but you’ll play a key role in mentoring, coaching and developing other engineers
, shaping best practice across our global teams.

You’ll be joining a team that:

• Values trust, collaboration and openness
• Celebrates success through our My Recognition portal
• Provides regular feedback and career support through meaningful 1‑to‑1s
• Cares deeply about wellbeing, flexibility and continuous learning

We believe great engineering happens when people feel supported, challenged and empowered.

• Coach and mentor less‑experienced engineers across onshore and offshore teams
• Lead code reviews and design discussions
• Support offshore teams by providing clear requirements and removing blockers
• Take ownership of your personal development and stay current with industry trends

• Interpret requirements and create complex functional and technical designs
• Design and develop large‑scale, high‑quality Java applications
• Act as a gatekeeper for quality, ensuring standards are met before release
• Investigate and resolve defects, incidents and performance issues
• Define and execute testing strategies to deliver reliable, error‑free solutions

• Ensure solutions align with company standards, security principles and best practice
• Contribute to software engineering policies, tools and ways of working
• Support modernisation initiatives, APIs and third‑party integrations

• Take part in client and user meetings, clearly presenting options and solutions
• Support users with acceptance testing and problem resolution
• Deliver outcomes that solve real customer challenges

• Java 21, J2EE
• Spring ecosystem:
  Spring Core, MVC, Boot, Batch, Apache Camel, Hibernate
• REST API design and SOAP services
• Front‑end technologies:
  Angular
  
  JS, React, JSP, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Type Script
• JUnit 5, Mockito
• Application servers (Web Sphere and/or Tomcat)
• Containerisation, serverless, AWS (and on‑prem environments)
• Relational databases: DB2, MySQL, Postgre
  
  SQL or similar
• Secure coding principles and cloud security concepts
• Tooling:
  Git, Maven, Eclipse/Intelli
  
  J, Jira, Confluence, Bitbucket, Jenkins, Sonar Qube, Artifactory

• Competitive salary of up to £50,000 per annum
• 30 days holiday plus bank holidays – from day one
• Hybrid working policy
• Defined Contribution Pension Scheme (employer matched up to 6%)
• Company‑paid Private Medical Insurance (benefit in kind)
• Group Life Assurance
• Group Income Protection
• Discretionary annual bonus scheme
• Annual pay review

• My Flex benefits platform – access to a wide range of voluntary benefits
• Technology Buying Scheme (salary sacrifice)
• Gym Flex – discounted gym and health club memberships
• Dental Insurance
• Critical Illness Cover
• Health Cash Plan
• Cycle to Work scheme
• Tastecard / Coffee Club
• Employee Discount Scheme across hundreds of retailers

• Wisdom Wellbeing – confidential health and wellbeing support, including…