Software Engineer

Software Engineer
Location: Manchester Exchange Quay, hybrid working 2 days on site Department: Technology
We're working with an ambitious technology business that uses data science, behavioural insights and digital technology to help organisations connect more effectively with the communities they serve.
Their cloud-based SaaS platform combines machine learning, AI and sophisticated web technology to support hundreds of thousands of customer interactions every week across sectors including Social Housing, Local Government and Healthcare.
As the business continues to grow, they are looking for a Software Engineer to join their engineering team and help build and evolve their award-winning AI products.
The role
This is a genuine full-stack Software Engineer position where you'll work across backend development, databases and frontend applications.
You'll be working with an Adobe ColdFusion (CFML) backend, MySQL databases and a React/TypeScript frontend. While previous ColdFusion experience is not required, you'll need strong commercial experience with another server-side technology and be comfortable learning CFML.
You'll work closely with Software Engineering, Data Science, DevOps, QA and Business Analysis teams to develop secure, reliable and scalable software.
The role will give you the opportunity to work on:


Full-stack development across backend, database and frontend applications


A multi-tenant SaaS platform


AI, machine learning and LLM integrations


API development and third-party integrations


Technical design and code reviews


CI/CD and AWS-hosted environments


A shared React component library


Key responsibilities


Design, develop and maintain new features across the backend, database and frontend


Develop server-side applications using a structured, maintainable architecture


Design and evolve MySQL schemas and write efficient, secure queries


Optimise database performance through indexing and query tuning


Build and maintain REST APIs and third-party integrations


Integrate with external machine learning and LLM services


Develop React and TypeScript applications


Contribute to a shared component library and Storybook


Write automated tests and maintain reliable CI/CD pipelines


Work with Git and GitHub, including pull requests and peer code reviews


Work alongside DevOps on AWS-based environments and deployments


Apply security and performance best practice throughout development


Contribute to technical design and support less experienced engineers


What we're looking for
You'll ideally have 3+ years of commercial software engineering experience and be confident working independently across both backend and frontend development.
Essential experience


3+ years' commercial software development experience


Commercial experience with MySQL, including schema design, indexing and query optimisation


Commercial experience building applications with React and TypeScript


Strong experience with a server-side language such as Java, C#, PHP, Node.js or CFML


Experience designing and developing REST APIs


Experience integrating with third-party services


Good understanding of Git, GitHub, pull requests and code review


Experience writing automated tests


Understanding of web application architecture, HTTP and application state


Experience developing secure, maintainable and testable software


Degree in Computer Science or a related subject, or equivalent commercial experience


Desirable experience
Experience with any of the following would be beneficial:


Adobe ColdFusion / CFML


Liquibase or similar database migration tools


Storybook and component libraries


Semantic versioning and private npm packages


AWS, particularly S3, CloudFront, EKS and RDS


Docker, Kubernetes or Helm


GitHub Actions or other CI/CD platforms


Machine learning or LLM integrations


Product analytics and event instrumentation


Multi-tenant SaaS platforms


Webpack, Babel, Vite, ESLint or Prettier


Frontend performance testing


Scrum or Agile development environments


What's important
You don't need previous ColdFusion experience for this role.
The key requirements are strong commercial experience with MySQL and React, alongside solid server-side development experience in another technology. Full onboarding and support will be provided to help you develop your ColdFusion/CFML knowledge.
You'll also be someone who:


Enjoys solving complex technical problems


Takes pride in writing clean, secure and maintainable code


Can debug issues across the frontend, backend and database


Is comfortable working independently


Communicates technical concepts clearly


Can challenge requirements and technical decisions constructively


Enjoys sharing knowledge with colleagues


Has strong attention to detail and a methodical approach to development


Why join?
This is an opportunity to join a growing technology business working on products that combine software engineering, behavioural data science, machine learning and AI.
You'll have the opportunity to work across the full technology stack, develop new technical skills and have a genuine impact on the evolution of the platform.
If you're a full-stack Software Engineer with strong React and MySQL experience and are interested in learning ColdFusion, we'd be keen to hear from you.