Application Support | Software Engineer – National Security
Location: Gloucester (Hybrid – 3 days onsite)
Salary: £40,000 – £65,000 + £7,000 DV Bonus + up to 10% bonus + strong benefits
Due to the nature of the work, candidates must be eligible for UK SC & DV Clearance
Why this role?
Looking to move beyond pure software engineering or support into something more impactful?
This is a chance to work on mission-critical national security systems, combining software engineering with real-world problem solving. You’ll be the person who keeps things running, fixes what breaks, and improves systems so they don’t break again.
This role would suit:
* Software engineers wanting a more operational / DevOps-focused role
* 2nd / 3rd line support engineers looking to step up into engineering
What you’ll be doing
* Troubleshooting and fixing live application issues in secure environments
* Supporting and improving critical systems used in national security
* Automating manual processes (less firefighting, more engineering)
* Working closely with engineers to build more reliable, scalable platforms
* Improving monitoring, observability, and system performance
* Taking part in a shared on-call rota
This role typically sits at around a 50/50 split between support and engineering, with a strong focus on increasing automation over time.
What they’re looking for
* Background in software engineering OR strong support (2nd/3rd line)
* Experience with Java, JavaScript, or other web technologies
* Knowledge of Linux or Windows (Bash / PowerShell)
* Exposure to cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or similar)
* Understanding of databases (MongoDB, Elasticsearch etc.)
* Interest in automation, DevOps, or SRE principles
Nice to have:
* Docker or microservices experience
* Monitoring tools (ELK stack etc.)
* Agile / Scrum experience
Why join?
* Work on high-impact, real-world national security projects
* Clear pathway into DevOps / SRE / platform engineering
* Strong learning and development support
* Collaborative, engineering-led environment
* Hybrid working and excellent benefits