Senior Software Engineers

Salary: £48,782 to £58,194, including a concessionary payment of £2,658. The final amount depends on your skills and experience. You’ll also receive a one-off recruitment bonus of £3,500, split into two payments: £1,750 on arrival and £1,750 after successfully completing probation.

In the future, there may be an opportunity to qualify for a higher skill level. Following a successful skills assessment, this could increase your salary by up to £9,766.

We recognise the importance of a healthy work‑life balance and offer a range of working patterns, including full‑time, part‑time, and compressed hours. Hybrid working, which refers to a combination of working on‑site and from home, may be more limited due to the nature of the work. However, some homeworking may be available depending on business needs. We also support flexible start and finish times, where possible, to help you manage your personal and professional commitments.

GCHQ is an intelligence, cyber, and security agency with a mission to keep the UK safe. We use cutting‑edge technology, ingenuity, and partnerships to identify, analyse, and disrupt threats. Working with our intelligence partners, MI5 and MI6, we protect the UK from terrorism, cyber‑attacks, and espionage. At GCHQ, you’ll do varied and fascinating work in a supportive and inclusive environment that emphasises teamwork.

As a Senior Software Engineer, you’ll play a pivotal role in solving mission‑critical challenges. You’ll contribute to the architecture and design of both new and existing systems, establish and promote best practices, and deliver high‑quality software solutions. Drawing on your expertise in various software engineering methodologies, you’ll introduce fresh ideas and innovative approaches that make a real impact at the core of our mission: keeping the UK safe, both in the real world and online.

You’ll bring a genuine enthusiasm for discovering and applying new software engineering techniques. As part of a wider network of peers, you’ll collaborate and learn from others. With your experience, you’ll set the standard, introduce innovative ways of working, and identify new priorities.

Whether leading and mentoring a team or acting as the technical expert within a high performing group, you’ll apply your knowledge of diverse methodologies to deliver impactful solutions. You’ll engage confidently with both technical and non‑technical stakeholders, making a real positive contribution to the wider engineering community.

Strategic and self‑driven, you’ll serve as a bridge between teams, communicating technical information with clarity and confidence. You’ll thrive in a fast‑paced, innovative environment where creativity is key to solving complex and unprecedented challenges.

We welcome experienced professionals from a variety of related fields, including software engineering and security, site reliability engineering, and data engineering. Your genuine enthusiasm for software engineering, combined with your ability to mentor others, collaborate effectively, and stay ahead of emerging technologies, makes you a valuable contributor to a forward‑thinking engineering community.

At GCHQ, we’re committed to your growth and development. From the moment you join, you’ll receive a comprehensive induction into our organisation, which will provide insights into how we operate, and the collaborative environment you’ll be part of. This lays the foundation for a learning journey tailored to your goals and preferred style of development.

From day one, you’ll have access to mentors and subject matter experts to help you settle into the role, and you can continue to have a mentor for as little or as long as you choose throughout your career. We invest in your development and adapt to the way you like to learn. You’ll be supported and encouraged every step of the way, becoming an integral part of our innovative team.

We’ll provide the space and resources for continuous learning, experimentation, and improvement – with up to 30% of your time dedicated to personal development.

From books, online courses, and conferences to real‑world projects supported…