Lead Software Engineer - Backend (35720)

July 30, 2025

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Full Time

London

Competitive

July 30, 2025

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Job description

<div class="earcuposdescription"><div class="earcuposdescriptiontitle">About the role:</div><div class="earcuposdescriptionnote">At Holland & Barrett, our mission is to make health and wellness a way of life for everyone — and technology is key to achieving that goal. As we evolve into a truly omni-channel business, we're investing in the innovation and digital capabilities that will deliver speed, convenience, and personalisation to millions of customers worldwide.We build with purpose. We're collaborative, cloud-first, and committed to delivering meaningful value at pace. We prefer building smart, tailored solutions over buying generic ones — and we integrate automation and testing into every part of our tech stack, from infrastructure to software to data.As a Senior Backend Engineer, you'll join our Online Customer Experience (OCX) vertical — the team behind our e-commerce platforms across web and mobile. With a large-scale technical transformation nearing completion, we're entering a new and exciting phase: building next-generation digital propositions that align with our mission to be the go-to wellness brand.This role will see you lead by example — owning software design across key functional areas, mentoring engineers, and delivering high-quality, secure, and scalable systems that enhance the customer experience.<h4 data-section-id="16s4690" data-start="1655" data-end="1683">What You'll Be Doing</h4><ul data-start="1685" data-end="2664"><li data-start="1685" data-end="1805">Take ownership of designing and delivering backend services, operating independently without technical oversight</li><li data-start="1806" data-end="1890">Lead by example to consistently ship high-quality, cross-functional software</li><li data-start="1891" data-end="1997">Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure projects are delivered on time and meet expectations</li><li data-start="1998" data-end="2096">Bring fresh thinking and share new techniques across disciplines including product, QA, and UX</li><li data-start="2097" data-end="2197">Support and mentor your engineering squad, helping to grow technical capabilities and confidence</li><li data-start="2198" data-end="2292">Evaluate the impact of new information and changing priorities, adapting plans accordingly</li><li data-start="2293" data-end="2382">Communicate complex concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders</li><li data-start="2383" data-end="2458">Understand how your team's work connects to the wider business strategy</li><li data-start="2459" data-end="2563">Keep the customer at the heart of what you do — building features and systems that serve their needs</li><li data-start="2564" data-end="2664">Take responsibility for security and compliance, planning proactively for operational impact</li></ul></div></div><div class="earcuposdescription"><div class="earcuposdescriptiontitle">Key requirements:</div><div class="earcuposdescriptionnote">Essential Skills:<ul data-start="2721" data-end="3416"><li data-start="2721" data-end="2816">Fluent in Java (17+) and frameworks like Spring Boot, Quarkus, or Micronaut</li><li data-start="2817" data-end="2876">Deep understanding of RESTful architecture and HTTP</li><li data-start="2877" data-end="2948">Strong knowledge of asynchronous programming techniques in Java</li><li data-start="2949" data-end="3032">Proficient in SQL, with experience in RDBMS like Postgres or Oracle</li><li data-start="3033" data-end="3092">Experience working with Docker and <code data-start="3074" data-end="3090">docker-compose</code></li><li data-start="3093" data-end="3182">Familiarity with AWS, particularly services like S3, Aurora, and ElasticCache</li><li data-start="3183" data-end="3262">Proficient with CI/CD tools such as GitLab, GitHub Actions, or CircleCI</li><li data-start="3263" data-end="3350">Strong testing capabilities using JUnit, RestAssured, or similar frameworks</li><li data-start="3351" data-end="3416">Proactive with monitoring, observability, and system health</li></ul>Desirable Skills:<ul data-start="3441" data-end="3646"><li data-start="3441" data-end="3533">Exposure to monitoring platforms like Datadog, Grafana, Prometheus, or PagerDuty</li><li data-start="3534" data-end="3575">Familiarity with Python scripting</li><li data-start="3576" data-end="3646">Experience with Kubernetes and deployment tools such as Helm</li></ul><h4 data-section-id="p0dxyj" data-start="3653" data-end="3679">Why Join H&B Tech?</h4><ul data-start="3681" data-end="4044"><li data-start="3681" data-end="3770">Help define the future of digital health & wellness in a purpose-led organisation</li><li data-start="3771" data-end="3854">Work in an agile, cloud-native tech environment with a clear vision and mission</li><li data-start="3855" data-end="3940">Be part of a collaborative, people-first team that encourages continuous learning</li><li data-start="3941" data-end="4044">Enjoy a flexible working culture, competitive benefits, and the opportunity to make a real impact</li></ul> Join us and shape the future of wellness through technology. Apply today and be part of something bigger.</div></div><div class="earcuposdescription"><div class="earcuposdescriptiontitle">What we offer:</div><div class="earcu_posdescriptionnote"><ul><li>Pension company contribution = 3% </li><li>Incentive scheme up to 10% of annual salary, based on company performance.</li><li>Your wellbeing is paramount so you can get away and take 33 Days Holiday per year.</li><li>Private Medical Care (Self after 1 year)</li><li>Learning and Development opportunity with Holland & Barrett is a great base for career development long term.</li><li>Career progression.</li><li>Refer and Earn Scheme - as we're growing you can earn money by referring people to join us from your network.</li><li>Epic Extras gives you access to exclusive benefits, free advice and savings from a range of retailers and providers.</li><li>Stay healthy with Discounted Products - from day one you'll get a 25% discount (on top of other promotions) when you shop at H&B on anything that you buy.</li><li>We all need a little help sometimes, so we offer Free 24/7 Confidential Advice & Colleague Welfare.</li><li>Mental Health First Aiders - we have lots of qualified Mental Health First Aiders because its all about your health & wellbeing.</li><li>Stay active in the Onsite Gym at our Nuneaton Hub!</li><li>We have colleague Reward and Recognition Schemes, so your hard work and loyalty won't go unnoticed.</li><li>And many more!</li></ul>We're passionate about helping every colleague thrive across all dimensions of wellbeing, and we're committed to having a diverse and inclusive workplace. In line with our EPIC values (Expertise, Pioneering, Inclusive, Caring), we embrace and actively celebrate all our colleagues' unique and varying experiences, backgrounds, identities and cultures - I am me, we are H&B.  Holland & Barrett does not accept unsolicited resumes from search firms/recruiters. Please do not forward resumes to our job alias, employees, or any other company location. Holland & Barrett is not and will not be responsible for any fees if a candidate submitted by a search firm/recruiter unless otherwise agreed with respect to specific open position(s). </div></div>

Holland Barrett