Senior Software Engineer

About the Role

Our world-leading Time & Frequency department is seeking a Senior Software Engineer with expertise in Unix/Linux software development and containerisation.

This is an exceptional opportunity to join the global authority in precision timing at a defining moment for UK digital infrastructure.

Backed by a government investment of £180 million in the National Timing Centre (NTC) programme , we are developing a world-first resilient time distribution capability that will provide industry with a robust complement to satellite systems (such as GPS) – which are increasingly vulnerable to disruption from solar storms, jamming and spoofing. This will underpin essential services, including

• Telecommunications,
• Online banking,
• Emergency response,
• Transport networks, and
• Wider digital and data-driven operations.

Together, these services form the backbone of modern society - and your leadership will help ensure they remain secure, reliable and robust even if global navigation satellite systems fail.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide technical leadership within the software team, setting and promoting best practice in software design, coding standards, security, testing and CI/CD pipelines.

• Design, develop and implement robust, secure and highly-available software solutions for production environments, taking end‑to‑end responsibility across the SDLC.

• Identify and implement continuous improvements to software architecture, development processes and operational practices, acting as a process owner for agreed engineering standards and approaches.

• Lead a small software team or workstream, providing direction, prioritisation and technical decision‑making while mentoring engineers and assuring delivery quality.

• Act as Scrum Master when required, leading agile ceremonies, supporting effective delivery, and continuously improving team ways of working.

About You

To be successful in this role, you will have the following skills, experience, and qualifications: 

Essential Experience :

• Experience building robust software deployed into high ‑ availability production environments , with a strong emphasis on software quality, reliability, and maintainability .

• Proven experience working within Agile/Scrum delivery teams , contributing to iterative, collaborative software development.

Essential Technical Skills :

• Software development in a Unix/Linux environment , using any modern language (with Python preferred ).

• Hands ‑ on experience with container runtimes and containerising applications .

• Experience designing, building, or maintaining CI/CD pipelines to support automated build, test, and deployment processes.

We actively recruit citizens of all backgrounds, but the nature of our work in specific departments means that nationality,  residency and security requirements can be more tightly defined than others. You will be asked about this throughout the recruitment process. To work at NPL, you will need to obtain BPSS security clearance.

However, to work in this role in the Time and Frequency department, you will need to have an SC clearance with no restrictions, or you must have the ability to obtain an SC clearance.

Please note: Applications will be reviewed, and interviews conducted throughout the duration of this advert therefore we may at any time bring the closing date forward. We encourage all interested applicants to apply as soon as practical.

About Us

The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) is a world-leading centre of excellence that provides cutting-edge measurement science, engineering and technology to underpin prosperity and quality of life in the UK. Find out more about what it is like working here - The measure of us - Overview