Join to apply for the Senior Software Engineer – BBC Search role at BBC
5 days ago Be among the first 25 applicants
Job Details
* Job Reference: 32908
* Job Band: D
* Contract Type: Permanent, Full-time
* Department: Search Enablement
* Location: Salford Dock House – Hybrid 1-2 days in Office (OFFICE DAY = Monday)
* Proposed Salary Range: £60,000 - £70,000 depending on relevant skills, knowledge and experience. The expected salary range for this role reflects internal benchmarking and external market insights.
* Closing Date: 23:59 on Wednesday the 3rd December 2025
* Interviews to Commence: 15th of December* (this may be subject to change)
* We are happy to discuss flexible working. If you'd like to, please indicate your preference in the application – though there's no obligation to do so now. Flexible working will be part of the discussion at offer stage.
Interview Process
* 1 x hour coding test, a short break followed by a 75 min values-based interview
Purpose of the Role
Step into the world of the BBC, one of the UK's most iconic and beloved brands, where every working day is as unique as it is rewarding. Every tick of the clock, our content reaches millions of people globally, which is made possible by our top‑notch Software Engineering team. They've been instrumental in pioneering innovative products and unique features that have firmly positioned us at the forefront of our industry. We don't merely adapt to an ever‑changing world - we set the pace.
Why Join the Team
Our team delivers the services that drive the search and suggest capabilities for the majority of the BBC (including iPlayer, Sounds, Children's, News and Sport). Ever wondered why "Eastenders" comes top when you type "East" in BBC search? That is an example of using our knowledge of what is relevant to the audience and boosting that result, so it appears higher up the page. The team are looking into ways to use Relevancy Engineering techniques to add weighting to search results and to 'boost' their visibility. This in turn will allow us to create a better - more personalised content stream for the user.
The Main Work Streams Include
* Working closely with our data science colleagues to understand how we can improve the relevancy of results for the audience.
* Building a data capture and analysis framework to give us better insight into user behaviour and needs.
* Working with our editorial and engineering colleagues to ensure that our search engines are aware of all the content the BBC has to offer.
Your Key Responsibilities and Impact
We focus on hiring for potential at the BBC, so the main requirement for the position is a strong software engineering skillset. We want to hear from skilled engineers and technical experts from all industries.
* Demonstrate full‑stack development expertise, with strong backend focus.
* Apply a structured, professional approach to ensure high‑quality engineering and development.
* Build polished, detail‑oriented products with exceptional design standards.
* Perform rigorous testing and collaborate with Test Engineers for continuous improvements.
* Foster relationships with local engineering networks for a sustainable talent pipeline and team scalability.
* Drive efforts to create an outstanding engineering team and culture & collaborate with cross‑functional teams to define and implement requirements.
* Mentor and support junior engineers, providing guidance through code reviews, pair programming.
Essential Criteria – Your Skills and Experience
* Strong software engineering fundamentals with backend development experience.
* Demonstrable experience building backend services using at least one of the team’s core languages (TypeScript, JavaScript, Java or Python). Able to follow structured engineering practices and deliver high‑quality, maintainable code.
* Experience developing and supporting cloud‑based services. Practical experience with cloud platforms, ideally AWS (for example: S3, Lambda, EC2, SQS, Step Functions, or similar). Able to design, deploy and troubleshoot distributed systems at scale.
* Familiarity with modern DevOps and CI/CD practices. Hands‑on experience with version control (Git/GitHub), automated testing (TDD or equivalent), and continuous integration / deployment pipelines (for example: Jenkins, GitHub Actions, CodePipeline etc).
* Ability to collaborate effectively in cross‑functional engineering teams. Demonstrated ability to work with product, data science, QA and other engineering teams. Experience participating in code reviews, pair programming, and contributing to shared coding standards.
* Commitment to learning and contributing to team culture. Evidence of sharing knowledge and contributing to an inclusive, supportive engineering environment. Shows alignment with BBC values and a willingness to learn new technologies, especially in the Search and Relevancy Engineering domain.
Our Tech Stack
* Languages: TypeScript, JavaScript, Java, Python & Cloud: AWS (S3, EC2, SQS, Lambda, SageMaker, Step Functions etc)
* Deployment: Jenkins, CodeBuild, CodePipeline, GitHub Actions
* Testing: TDD & Database: PostgreSQL
* Search Engine: Solr, OpenSearch
* Techniques: DevOps, infrastructure, CI/CD
We create and support reliable and scalable cloud‑based services on Amazon Web Services, use Git and GitHub for version control and practice pair programming and Test‑Driven Development where possible.
In a nutshell, we seek someone who champions inclusivity, nurtures talent, and upholds the BBC's values, all while driving technical excellence. If this sounds like your cup of tea, we'd love to hear from you.
Disclaimer: This job description is a written statement of the essential characteristics of the job, with its principal accountabilities, incorporating a note of the skills, knowledge and experience required for a satisfactory level of performance. This is not intended to be a complete, detailed account of all aspects of the duties involved.
Please note: If you were to be offered this role, the BBC will conduct Employment screening checks which include Reference checks; Eligibility to work checks; and if applicable to the role, Safeguarding and Adverse media/Social media checks. Any offer made is conditional on these checks being satisfactory.
For any general queries, please contact: bbchr@bbc.co.uk
Redeployment: The BBC is committed to redeploying employees seeking suitable alternative employment within the BBC and they will be given priority consideration ahead of other applicants. Priority consideration means for those employees seeking redeployment their application will be considered alongside anyone else at risk of redundancy, prior to any individuals being considered who are not at risk.
#J-18808-Ljbffr