Market
National Security & Defense
Software Developer (Full Stack/Front or Back End)
Jacobs
Software Engineering
Bristol, UK
Posted on May 8, 2026
At Jacobs, we're challenging today to reinvent tomorrow by solving the world's most critical problems for thriving cities, resilient environments, mission-critical outcomes, operational advancement, scientific discovery and cutting-edge manufacturing, turning abstract ideas into realities that transform the world for good.
Your impact
Are you ready to shape the future of key digital services? At Jacobs, we are seeking experienced Software Developers, with full-stack, front or back-end capabilities, to join our growing team designing and delivering websites and services built in line with GDS and GOV.UK standards.
This is your opportunity to work on impactful projects that prioritise accessibility, security, and user centred design. As a Software Developer, you’ll collaborate with multidisciplinary agile teams to create secure, scalable, and high quality digital platforms used at national scale.
What you’ll do:
• Design, build, and maintain end to end features for a public sector digital platform.
• Deliver accessible, performant user interfaces using modern front end technologies.
• Build and integrate secure back end services and APIs.
• Collaborate with designers, content teams, and analysts to support content led user journeys.
• Enhance search functionality to support effective content discovery.
• Support authentication and Single Sign On (SSO) integrations.
• Ensure solutions meet security, performance, scalability, and accessibility requirements.
• Work in line with the GDS Service Manual, supporting iterative, user centred delivery.
• Contribute to CI/CD pipelines, deployments, and service monitoring.
• Raise engineering standards through code quality, best practices, and mentoring.
Here's what you'll need
Core requirements:
- Proven experience delivering production‑grade digital services in agile, multidisciplinary teams.
- Strong JavaScript/TypeScript experience.
- Experience writing clean, well‑tested, maintainable code.
- Understanding of accessibility, security, and quality in modern web applications.
- Comfortable working in regulated or high‑assurance environments.
- Collaborative, resilient, and pragmatic in your approach to problem‑solving.
You’ll likely lean more towards one of the following areas - if you don’t necessarily have deep expertise in both areas – we do value great depth in one area and good working knowledge in the other:
Front‑end:
- Strong experience with React and Next.js.
- Excellent HTML, CSS, and modern styling approaches (e.g., Tailwind beneficial).
- Proven experience translating Figma designs and design systems into high‑quality UI.
- Solid understanding of accessibility, usability, and inclusive design.
- Front‑end testing experience (e.g., Jest or similar).
Back‑end:
- Strong experience building services using Node.js, including Express.
- Experience designing secure APIs, authentication, and authorisation.
- Exposure to containerized environments (OpenShift and/or Kubernetes).
- Experience with CI/CD pipelines and automated testing.
- Familiarity with monitoring and observability tools (e.g., Grafana).
- Experience with search services and/or identity solutions is a plus.
Why join us?
We build services that matter. You’ll be trusted to make technical decisions, encouraged to challenge respectfully, and supported to do things properly. We’re not just solving today’s challenges but shaping the future.
Other info
This role is subject to UK Security Vetting at SC (security check) level. Applicants must be willing to undergo the appropriate security clearance process if not already cleared. If you’re successful in your application, we’ll ask you to undergo the relevant vetting process to achieve SC clearance. You can find out more about vetting here. Any offer of employment will be conditional upon satisfactory completion of the relevant clearance process.
This is a full time, permanent role, hybrid (2-3 days/week, Bristol). Full‑time employment at Jacobs is based on a 40‑hour working week. We place a strong emphasis on work‑life balance and flexibility, and flexi-time is available.
As well as great opportunities for career progression and professional learning and development, we offer an excellent and wide range of employee benefits including comprehensive Health Cover, Life Assurance, Income Protection, holiday buy/sell scheme, and a variety of wellbeing, family, parental and fertility support offerings, along with an enhanced contribution pension scheme.
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More company details and info below:
Joining Jacobs not only connects you locally but globally. Our values stand on a foundation of safety, integrity, inclusion and belonging. We put people at the heart of our business, and we truly believe that by supporting one another through our culture of caring, we all succeed. We value positive mental health and a sense of belonging for all employees.
With safety and flexibility always top of mind, we’ve gone beyond traditional ways of working so you have the support, means and space to maximize your potential. You’ll uncover flexible working arrangements, benefits, and opportunities, from well-being benefits to our global giving and volunteering program, to exploring new and inventive ways to help our clients make the world a better place. No matter what drives you, you’ll discover how you can cultivate, nurture, and achieve your goals – all at a single global company. Find out more about life at Jacobs.
We aim to embed inclusion and belonging in everything we do. We know that if we are inclusive, we’re more connected and creative. We accept people for who they are, and we champion the richness of different perspectives, lived experiences and backgrounds in the workplace, as a source of learning and innovation. We are committed to building vibrant communities within Jacobs, including through our Jacobs Employee Networks, Communities of Practice and our Find Your Community initiatives, allowing every employee to find connection, purpose, and belonging. Find out more about our Jacobs Employee Networks here.
Jacobs partners with VERCIDA to help us attract and retain talent from a wide range of backgrounds. For greater online accessibility please visit https://www.vercida.com/uk/employers/jacobs to view and access our roles.
As a disability confident employer, we will interview disabled candidates who best meet the criteria. We welcome applications from candidates who are seeking flexible working and from those who may not meet all the listed requirements for a role.
We value collaboration and believe that in-person interactions are crucial for both our culture and client delivery. We empower employees with our hybrid working policy, allowing them to split their work week between Jacobs offices/projects and remote locations enabling them to deliver their best work.
Your application experience is important to us, and we’re keen to adapt to make every interaction even better. If you require further support or reasonable adjustments with regards to the recruitment process (for example, you require the application form in a different format), please contact the team via Careers Support.
Locations
| City | State | Country |
|---|---|---|
| Bristol | Bristol City | United Kingdom |
