DV Cleared Software Developer Job Cardiff area,Wales UK,Software Development

Perfect role for a mid professional looking to grow their Defence & Government career in Cardiff.

Defence technology teams in Wales are quietly building some of the most sensitive software in the UK, and clearance holders who can actually ship code are in short supply. This is a startup, not a prime contractor: small enough that your work touches real systems within weeks, backed by government contracts that don't disappear when the market wobbles. The DV Cleared Software Developer role sits right at that intersection.

Here’s

what you’ll be doing:

Design and build software for secure, mission-critical systems within a Defence & Government environment

Write, test and deploy code across the full stack, from backend services to the interfaces operators actually use

Work directly with government stakeholders to translate requirements into working systems, no layers of management in between

Review code, catch problems early, and hold the line on quality within a small, fast-moving engineering team

Contribute to architecture decisions as the product scales, not just implementation

Handle classified information correctly, every time, without needing reminders

Here are the skills you’ll need:

Active DV clearance, non-negotiable for this DV Cleared Software Developer position

Several years of professional software development experience, comfortable across multiple languages and frameworks

A working grasp of secure development practices within Defence & Government or similarly regulated settings

Comfortable operating with ambiguity. Startups don't hand you a finished spec

Strong communication skills, since you'll be explaining technical decisions to non-technical stakeholders regularly

Willingness to wear multiple hats and pick up unfamiliar parts of the stack when needed

Key perks and benefits:

Salary of £43,500 to £65,000, depending on experience

Equity in a growing defence technology company

Flexible working hours around a core Cardiff office presence

Learning and development budget to keep your technical skills current

Flat structure. You'll have direct access to founders and senior engineers, not three layers of sign-off

Why pursue a career in Defence & Government?

Government spending on defence technology is climbing, and Cardiff has become a genuine hub for cleared engineering talent outside London. Clearance itself is an asset that compounds over your career: fewer people hold it, so fewer people compete for the roles that need it. Good engineers with a DV ticket rarely stay unemployed for long in this sector.