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Senior Backend Engineer

hackajob
London
hackajob is collaborating with Rightmove to connect them with exceptional professionals for this role.

Role: Senior (Java + PHP) Backend Engineer I

Location: London (Hybrid - 2 days in the Soho Office)

Reports to: Engineering Manager

The role

We are on a mission to make home moving easier and simpler. Home movers across the UK spend more than a billion minutes on Rightmove each month and our website and apps receive over 140 million visits per month. To support our mission, we need software engineers with vision and passion to deliver innovative and exciting solutions for our internal users, working on in house applications and microservices integrated with third party applications that underpin how Rightmove operates.

At Rightmove we work in autonomous cross-functional teams using Agile processes. Each team owns a part of the Rightmove experience made up of design, product, engineering and testing specialists. You will collaborate to ensure we deliver quality solutions that satisfy millions of users, thousands of agents and hundreds of passionate Rightmovers. You will be responsible for defining solutions to business and technical problems in a way which ensures maintainability, scalability and high-performance standards.

What you'll be doing

  • Develop new features and improvements using Java 17+, Spring Boot, Elasticsearch, Kafka, Gradle, Hibernate, Couchbase, SQL, and Docker as part of our PHP-to-Java migration.
  • Collaborate cross-functionally with internal teams and stakeholders to align on goals and requirements.
  • Take ownership of key technical decisions and end-to-end project delivery.
  • Balance feature development with technical debt, making thoughtful trade-offs based on timing and impact.
  • Ensure high-quality, secure, and extensible code that meets current and future needs.
  • Communicate effectively with stakeholders and third parties to align technical solutions with business objectives.
  • Advocate for emerging technologies that drive value and align with the company roadmap.
  • Mentor junior engineers and help foster a culture of growth, ownership, and continuous improvement.

We're looking for someone who

  • Extensive commercial experience with Java 17+, PHP, Spring Boot, and Kafka.
  • Proven leadership on complex projects, including task assignment across multiple engineers.
  • Strong collaboration, coordination, and solution-oriented mindset.
  • Deep understanding of TDD practices and pipeline optimisation, including left-shifting.
  • Skilled in balancing technical and business OKRs through pragmatic decision-making.
  • Passionate about application performance and user behaviour insights.
  • Proactive in introducing new technologies and improving team practices.
  • Committed to knowledge sharing, fostering team ownership, and creating a psychologically safe environment.

About Rightmove

Our vision is to give everyone the belief they can make their move. We aim to make moving simpler, by giving everyone the best place to turn to and return to for access to the tools, expertise, trust and belief to make it happen.

We're home to the UK's largest choice of properties, and are the go-to destination for millions of people planning their next move, reading the latest industry news, or just browsing what's on the market.

Despite This Growth, We’ve Remained a Friendly, Supportive Place To Work, With Employee #1 Still Working Here! We’ve Done This By Placing The Rightmove How's At The Heart Of Everything We Do. These Are The Essential Values That Reflect Our Culture, And Include

  • We create value…by delivering results and building trust with partners and consumers.
  • We think bigger…by acting with curiosity and setting bold aspirations.
  • We care deeply…by being real, having fun, and valuing diversity.
  • We move together…by being one team - internally collaborative, externally competitive.
  • We make a difference…by focusing on delivering measurable impact.

We believe in careers that open doors, and help our team develop by providing an open and inclusive work environment, offering ongoing training opportunities, and supporting charity fundraising events. And with 88% of Rightmovers saying we’re a great place to work, we’re clearly doing something right!

If all this has caught your eye, you may well be a Rightmover in the making...

What we offer

People are the foundation of Rightmove - We’ll help you build a career on it.

  • Cash plan for dental, optical and physio treatments
  • Private Medical Insurance, Pension and Life Insurance, Employee Assistance Plan
  • 27 days holiday plus two (paid) volunteering days a year to give back, and holiday buy schemes
  • Hybrid working pattern with 2 days in office
  • Contributory stakeholder pension
  • Life assurance at 4x your basic salary to a spouse, family member or other nominated person in your life
  • Competitive compensation package
  • Paid leave for maternity, paternity, adoption & fertility
  • Travel Loans, Bike to Work scheme, Rental Deposit Loan
  • Charitable contributions through Payroll Giving and donation matching
  • Access deals and discounts on things like travel, electronics, fashion, gym memberships, cinema discounts and more

As an Equal Opportunity Employer, Rightmove will never discriminate on the basis of age, disability, sex, race, religion or belief, gender reassignment, marriage/civil partnership, pregnancy/maternity, or sexual orientation.

At Rightmove, we believe that a diverse and inclusive workforce leads to better innovation, productivity, and overall success. We are committed to creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for all employees, regardless of their background or identity, to develop and promote a diverse culture that reflects the communities we serve.

Ultimately, we care much more about the person you are, and how you think and approach things, than a list of qualifications and buzzwords on a CV. Even if you can’t say ‘yes’ to all the above, but are smart, self-motivated and passionate about this role, then get in touch.
Posted 2026-03-15

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