Software Engineer

Software Engineer (Java) Onsite in Abingdon 3 days a week Overview We are looking for an experienced Software Engineer with a strong background in Java and desktop application development. This role is ideal for someone with excellent software engineering fundamentals, a solid understanding of computer science principles, and experience building complex commercial software applications. You will join an Agile engineering team responsible for developing and maintaining high-performance desktop software used in technical and scientific environments. Working alongside Product, Architecture, QA and DevOps teams, you will contribute throughout the full software development lifecycle, from design through to production support. The successful candidate will be passionate about writing clean, maintainable code and have a strong understanding of software architecture, object-oriented design and modern engineering best practices. Key Responsibilities Design, develop and maintain complex desktop software applications primarily using JavaContribute across the full software development lifecycle including design, development, testing, deployment and production supportWork within an Agile Scrum team delivering new features, enhancements and defect fixes through iterative developmentCollaborate closely with Product Owners, Architects, QA Engineers, Scrum Masters and fellow Developers to deliver high-quality softwareParticipate in technical design discussions, solution reviews and estimation sessionsWrite clean, maintainable and well-tested code following engineering best practicesPerform code reviews and contribute towards improving code quality and development standardsInvestigate, troubleshoot and resolve complex software issues across development and production environmentsWork effectively with distributed engineering teams across multiple locationsContinuously improve engineering practices and contribute ideas to enhance software quality and team performance Required Skills & Experience 3+ years of commercial software engineering experienceStrong hands-on Java development experience within complex desktop applicationsExcellent understanding of object-oriented programming principles and software designStrong computer science fundamentals including algorithms, data structures and software architectureSolid understanding of multithreading, concurrency and synchronisationExperience applying common design patterns and architectural principles in commercial softwareGood understanding of memory management, performance optimisation and application profilingExperience writing unit and integration tests and building maintainable automated test suitesExperience working with Git and CI/CD pipelines using GitLab or similar toolingStrong analytical thinking and problem-solving abilityExcellent debugging and troubleshooting skillsAbility to communicate technical concepts clearly and work collaboratively within Agile teams Highly Desirable Commercial experience developing in C++Experience with Eclipse RCP, OSGi, Swing or SWTExperience building rich desktop applications rather than primarily web-based systemsExperience developing scientific, engineering or technical softwareExposure to geophysics, geology or oil and gas softwareDegree in Computer Science, Software Engineering or a related disciplineUnderstanding of cloud-native architectures and microservicesExposure to Python or machine learning frameworks such as TensorFlowExperience working within distributed international engineering teamsAwareness of AI-assisted software development tools and modern engineering practices What We're Looking For We are particularly interested in engineers who have a strong grounding in software engineering principles rather than purely application development experience. Successful candidates should be able to demonstrate practical knowledge in areas such as: Multithreading and concurrent programmingObject-oriented programming and SOLID principlesSoftware design patterns and architectureMemory management, performance optimisation and profilingUnit testing, integration testing and test-driven developmentContinuous Integration and Continuous Deployment practicesComplex technical problem solvingMathematical reasoning, including basic calculus and geometry where applicable to scientific or engineering software What Success Looks Like Delivering robust, high-quality desktop software that is reliable, performant and maintainableApplying strong software engineering principles throughout the development lifecycleProducing clean, well-tested and scalable codeContributing positively within an Agile engineering teamCollaborating effectively with cross-functional and distributed teamsContinuously improving both technical capability and engineering practices