Rightmove
Senior Software Engineer I - Backend (Java)

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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.
Role: Senior Backend Engineer I (Java)
Location: London (Hybrid - 2 days in the London Office)
Reports to: Engineering Manager - Customer Tooling
The role
At Rightmove, we’re on a mission to make home moving easier and simpler for everyone. Every month, millions of people spend over a billion minutes on our platform, with more than 140 million visits across our website and apps. Behind that experience is a team of passionate engineers building the tools and services that power how we operate.
We’re looking for a Senior Backend Engineer to help shape and deliver innovative solutions for our internal users. You’ll work on in-house applications and microservices, integrating with third-party platforms to support our core business. This is an opportunity to solve meaningful problems at scale, with real impact across the organisation.
Our teams are autonomous and cross-functional, combining design, product, engineering and testing expertise. You’ll collaborate closely with others to deliver high-quality, reliable solutions that support millions of users, thousands of agents, and hundreds of Rightmovers. You’ll play a key role in defining scalable, maintainable, and high-performance solutions to both business and technical challenges.
To find out more about our tools, tech and people, head to our tech blog. ✍️
What You'll Be Doing
Designing and building new features and enhancements using Java 17+, Spring Boot, Elasticsearch, Kafka, Gradle, Hibernate, Couchbase, SQL, and Docker. Collaborating with cross-functional teams and stakeholders to shape solutions and align on priorities. Taking ownership of key technical decisions and delivering projects end-to-end. Balancing new feature development with technical debt, making thoughtful, pragmatic trade-offs. Writing high-quality, secure, and extensible code that supports both current needs and future growth. Communicating effectively with stakeholders and third parties to ensure solutions meet business objectives. Championing new and emerging technologies that add value and align with our roadmap. Mentoring and supporting junior engineers, helping to build a culture of growth, ownership, and continuous improvement.
Reasons to use Rodeo
I’m in my final year doing Economics and I don’t know whether to apply for grad schemes now or do a masters first. What do you think?
Honest answer — it depends on where you want to end up. A lot of top grad schemes (Big 4, civil service, banking) don’t need a masters. Let’s look at the ones you’d be competitive for now, and we can decide if a masters actually adds anything.
Also worth knowing: most autumn 2026 applications are open now. Timing matters more than you think.
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Grad scheme, placement, apprenticeship? Not sure what you want yet — that's fine. Your agent talks it through with you and turns "I have no idea" into a shortlist.
Graduate Consultant — 2026 Scheme
Why you're a good match
StrongYour economics background and your summer at a regional bank line up with what PwC looks for on the consulting scheme. Applications close in four weeks.
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Every day your agent scans the market matching roles against what actually matters to you, not just keywords on a CV.
Why you're a good match
You’ve got the grades and the economics background, and your bank internship is exactly the experience this scheme looks for. Apply soon — deadlines close within the month.
Experience fit
Your summer at the bank plus your econometrics coursework map directly to the day-one responsibilities on this scheme — client modelling, market briefings, and deal support.
Only hits
No noise. No "maybe this fits." Just roles with a clear explanation of why they're right — and where to focus when applying.
We're Looking For Someone Who
Brings strong commercial experience with Java 17+, Spring Boot, and Kafka. Has successfully led complex projects, including coordinating work across multiple engineers. Is highly collaborative, organised, and solution-focused in their approach. Has a deep understanding of TDD practices and pipeline optimisation, including left-shifting. Can balance technical priorities with business OKRs through pragmatic decision-making. Is passionate about performance, scalability, and understanding user behaviour. Proactively introduces new ideas, technologies, and ways of working to improve team outcomes. Is committed to sharing knowledge, fostering team ownership, and contributing to a psychologically safe and inclusive environment.
About Rightmove
Our vision is to give everyone the belief that 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 Hows 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.


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Your very own career expert that helps elevate your application to the next level.
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 of this has caught your eye, you may well be a Rightmover in the making......
People are the foundation of Rightmove - We’ll help you build a career on it.
What We Offer
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. 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. We offer hybrid working with a minimum of 2 days in the office. For our roles, such as Field or Home-based positions, different working arrangements apply - full details will be shared during the recruitment process.
As an Equal Opportunity Employer, Rightmove will never discriminate based on 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.
By applying, you confirm that you are aged at least 18 or over and that you’ve read and understood our Privacy Policy, which explains how we handle and protect your personal information during the recruitment process.
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