Software Development Engineer (FTC 12 months) - Booker Group

As a Software Development Engineer, youll help design, build and support resilient back-office systems that power sales, stock control and financial accuracy across our Booker estate. Youll work across a mixed technology landscapecombining legacy systems with modern platformsto deliver reliable, scalable solutions for high-volume wholesale operations.

This is a 12-month fixed-term opportunity where youll play a key role in maintaining system performance, delivering change safely, and supporting business-critical services. Youll collaborate closely with colleagues across Technology, Operations, and external partners to ensure everything we release is robust, secure and ready for real-world use.

• Design, develop and maintain store back-office systems using COBOL, Java, REST APIs and scripting within a Linux environment
• Deliver high-quality, well-tested code aligned with engineering standards and change control processes
• Support and enhance system functionality to ensure accuracy, resilience and performanceespecially around stock integrity and sales processing
• Diagnose and resolve complex technical issues, providing 3rd line support and identifying long-term fixes
• Deliver system changes, upgrades and new store rollouts with minimal disruption to trading
• Collaborate with product, programme teams, operations and third-party suppliers to deliver effective solutions
• Produce and maintain clear technical documentation covering design, interfaces and support processes
• Ensure systems meet security, audit and compliance requirements
• Continuously improve system performance and maintainability, supporting modernisation while maintaining legacy systems
• Contribute to team learning, peer reviews and continuous improvement of development practices

• Proven experience delivering and supporting business-critical software in a production environment
• Hands-on experience with COBOL and Java, or a strong willingness to work across both
• Experience working in a Linux environment, including scripting and batch processing
• Knowledge of transactional or back-office systems (e.g. stock control, sales processing, financial systems), ideally in retail or wholesale
• Strong problem-solving skills, with experience diagnosing and resolving complex live issues
• Experience delivering changes via structured development and release processes
• Familiarity with source control tools like Git and development lifecycle practices
• Strong collaboration and communication skills, working with technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Ability to produce clear technical documentation
• Awareness of security, governance and compliance requirements