Senior Software Engineers

Salary

£50,354 to £60,036 covers a basic salary, skills payment, and a concessionary payment of £2,758. You’ll also receive a one‑off recruitment bonus of £3,500 split into two payments of £1,750 on arrival and £1,750 after successfully completing probation. Future opportunities to qualify for a higher skill level may increase your salary by £9,766 following a successful skills assessment.

We offer a healthy work‑life balance with full‑time, part‑time, compressed hours, and hybrid working (limited) as well as flexible start and finish times where possible.

As a Senior Software Engineer you will design and architect new and existing systems, establish best practices, and deliver high‑quality software solutions. You will bring innovative ideas and approaches to help keep the UK safe, both in the real world and online.

Strategic, self‑driven, and an effective communicator, you will serve as a bridge between teams, translating technical details with clarity. You thrive in fast‑paced, innovative environments and enjoy solving complex challenges. You will have a genuine enthusiasm for software engineering and a record of mentoring others. For Cheltenham roles you are expected to bring experience in data‑intensive software engineering or data engineering, including big data technologies and cloud platforms.

From day one you will receive a comprehensive induction and ongoing support from mentors and subject‑matter experts. Up to 30 % of your working week is dedicated to personal development. Resources include books, online courses, conferences and real‑world projects across a range of disciplines such as front‑end design, site reliability engineering, data engineering, solution architecture, machine learning operations, UX, Agile, cloud engineering and security.

Formal qualifications are supported through dedicated funding and subscriptions to learning platforms.

In addition to the starting salary, you will receive:

• 25 days of annual leave, increasing to 30 days after 5 years of service, plus 10.5 public and privilege holidays
• Recognition through our employee performance scheme
• Interest‑free season ticket loan (parking and travel)
• Cycle‑to‑work scheme
• On‑site facilities such as a gym, restaurant, and coffee bars (in some locations)
• Paid parental and adoption leave

At GCHQ diversity and inclusion are critical to our mission. We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, including individuals from under‑represented groups such as women, ethnic minorities, people with disabilities and those from low socio‑economic backgrounds. Our workforce reflects the society we serve. Find out more about our culture, working environment and diversity on our website.

GCHQ is a Leader in the Department for Work and Pensions’ Disability Confident scheme. We aim to ensure a fair and proportionate number of disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria are offered an interview, if practical. Applicants meet the minimum criteria assessed during the application sift, including evidence of technical project ownership, experience in Agile technical teams, competency as a Software Engineer, and for Cheltenham roles, experience in data‑intensive software engineering or data engineering with big data technologies and cloud platforms.