Bude, Cheltenham, Manchester, Samlesbury
Closing Date - 23:00 on Tuesday 28th April 2026
Technology, Engineering & Research
Salary: £42,630 - £46,246, dependent on experience. Base salary £35,134 - £38,750, concessionary payment £2,758, and a skills payment up to £4,738. One‑off recruitment bonus £2,000 (£1,000 on arrival and £1,000 on successful completion of probation).
Flexible Working: full‑time, part‑time and compressed hours. Hybrid working may be limited; some home‑working options may be available depending on business requirements.
About Us
GCHQ is an intelligence, cyber and security agency with a mission to keep the UK safe. We use cutting‑edge technology to identify, analyse and disrupt threats. Working with 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 puts emphasis on teamwork.
The Role
As a Software Engineer at GCHQ you will work both collaboratively and independently to develop innovative solutions to complex, real‑world mission challenges. You will be part of an Agile, multidisciplinary team, contributing to a culture of continuous learning and adaptation. You’ll help shape solutions that meet operational needs and will spend time researching, designing, documenting and implementing software solutions. You’ll support existing solutions throughout their lifecycle and may draw on specialisms such as server‑and‑client technologies, object‑oriented programming, Android development or Agile/Lean practices. You’ll use modern engineering languages and frameworks, including JavaScript, Java, Node, Python, Rust, Go and .NET.
About You
You bring a real aptitude for learning and problem‑solving, with a genuine interest in technology. You are comfortable using at least one modern programming language or framework and understand core software engineering practices. You are curious about cloud technologies – familiarity with AWS, Azure or GCP is beneficial. You may have experience with Agile or DevOps ways of working, CI/CD, automation or infrastructure‑as‑code. A basic understanding of Linux or Windows is useful. You work well in development teams, adapt to change, and communicate clearly.
Training and Development
We support a growth mindset and commit to your development. From day one you’ll have access to mentors and subject‑matter experts, in‑house learning, external courses, and on‑the‑job experience. You’ll have opportunities to work on a broad range of areas: Front‑End Design, RF Software Engineering, Site Reliability Engineering, Data Engineering, Solution Architecture, MLOps, UX, Agile, Cloud Engineering, Security, and more. You’ll also have access to courses such as AWS certification, Scrum Master training, microservices, engineering patterns, Linux, user experience and leadership skills. Subscriptions to platforms like Cloud Academy, Pluralsight or O’Reilly are available.
Rewards and Benefits
* 25 days’ annual leave, rising to 30 days after 5 years of service, plus 10.5 days of public and privilege holidays
* Recognition through our employee performance scheme
* Interest‑free season ticket loan
* Excellent pension scheme
* Cycle‑to‑work scheme
* Gym, restaurant and on‑site coffee bars (at some locations)
* Paid parental and adoption leave
Equal Opportunities
At GCHQ, diversity and inclusion are critical to our mission. We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, including those from groups that are under‑represented in our workforce.
Disability Confident
GCHQ is proud to have achieved Leader status within the Department for Work and Pensions’ Disability Confident scheme. We aim to ensure that a fair and proportionate number of disabled applicants who best meet the essential criteria for this position are offered an interview.
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