Location: Hybrid - Newcastle office preferred. Other UK locations available including London. Start day: ASAP Contractor rate: £400 per day inside IR35 Duration: 6 months, initially Role Overview As a Senior Software Developer, you’ll design, build, and maintain full‑stack digital services that support citizen‑facing government platforms. Working within a multi‑disciplinary Agile team, you’ll contribute to solution design while ensuring the stability, security, and resilience of the products you deliver. You’ll work across modern cloud environments, develop scalable backend services, build high‑quality UIs, and support continuous delivery through strong engineering practices and automated testing. Key Responsibilities • Develop and maintain digital services and contribute to solution design • Build backend services using Java (8+), Node.js, and Spring Boot • Develop UI components with performance, usability, and security in mind • Build secure, scalable solutions using AWS or Azure • Work with APIs, RESTful services, and microservice architectures • Use Docker/Kubernetes for containerisation • Create automated test suites to support CI/CD • Follow engineering best practices and code quality standards • Collaborate across Agile ceremonies with BA/DevOps/QA teams • Ensure accessibility standards (WCAG 2.2 AAA) are met Skills & Experience Essential • Full‑stack development experience • Strong hands‑on Java (8+), Node.js, Spring Boot • Experience with AWS and/or Azure • Knowledge of SQL and NoSQL databases • Docker and Kubernetes experience • Strong CI/CD and automated testing capability • Experience with APIs and microservices • Understanding of accessibility standards • Strong Agile delivery experience Desirable • Event‑driven architecture (e.g., Kafka) • ETL or external systems integration • Experience with SonarQube or similar tools • Background in accessible digital services • Cloud‑native/serverless familiarity • Awareness of AI/ML‑enabled development • Strong communication and hybrid‑working collaboration skills