Senior Software Engineer Jobs
The IT sector continues to face a global shortage of experts, leaving businesses with difficult vacancies to fill in an industry that requires significant technical proficiencies. As such, individuals with the right skills are in a great position to capitalise on the job market.
Software engineers are very popular, with every business needing one in some capacity. In particular, senior positions are in high demand, requiring a more specific set of skills and experience than a general role.
The employment of software engineers is forecasted to grow by 21 per cent by 2028 - significantly higher than many other sectors. Jobseekers with the ability to gain security clearances are even more desirable, as they naturally gain access to a large portion of the market in which dealing with highly sensitive information is part of the daily regime.
What is a software engineer?
Software engineers design and create software for computers and applications. They’re analytical thinkers who use a vast knowledge of engineering principles and programming languages to make software easier to use.
As an expert in this role, you may find yourself working for an organisation, as an independent contractor, consultant or even in a research and development role, creating new code and fostering up-and-coming prospects in the field.
What do you do as a senior software engineer?
As a software engineer, your daily tasks will include a significant amount of coding. You’ll rarely be just sitting at a desk resolving technical problems. Instead, most of your time will be spent overseeing several different projects and teams, collaborating to solve issues and developing new code.
Another key responsibility of software engineers is examining code, and then revising or rewriting it as required. These experts have to get to know their clients, understand their needs and expectations and then develop prototypes that satisfy business requirements.
Software engineers might work independently or within teams, but a senior software engineer will supervise a group of professionals. They need to have strong interpersonal skills as a notable part of the career involves working alongside project managers, data scientists, UX designers and other professionals to achieve shared goals.
Is it hard to become a senior software engineer?
Like many careers within the information technology sector, becoming a software engineer can be quite challenging initially, especially if you’re coming into the process without a background in tech, programming or coding. However, if these are the key things a software engineer needs to know, you’ve already got a roadmap on how to get your foot in the door.
Anybody could learn how to code with the right motivation. In fact, a lot of software engineers who received a formal university education choose to self-teach when they need to learn something new. If you’re a beginner trying to get into the industry, open-source languages like Python are a great place to start building knowledge.
What is the highest position a software engineer can get?
Fortunately, software engineering is a field with many career progression opportunities. Throughout the first few years of your career, you’ll move from level one to three, considered a mid-level engineer. By this point, you’ll have been working as a software engineer for around five years, regularly supporting professionals at the lower levels.
Progressing from a mid-level software engineer, you’ll generally choose either a technical or a managerial career path. The former is where the term ‘senior software engineer’ comes into play, but other titles include senior staff engineer or principal engineer, denoting a professional of the highest level in this sector.
If instead, you choose to advance along a managerial career path, you’ll spend the majority of your time facilitating the development of systems, applications and programmes within your company or its clients. Some of the common titles that appear as an expert makes their way along a managerial career path include director of engineering, vice president of engineering and, eventually, chief technology officer.
As a senior software engineer, you’ll likely be working with highly confidential programmes, systems and information. As such, companies actively favour those who have the ability to gain security clearances.
Senior software engineer jobs in the United Kingdom
Software engineering is a highly sought-after area within the IT sector, which means there is a lot of competition between employers to poach the best talent. For professionals with the right set of skills, experience and personal attributes, now is the perfect time to look for a role as a senior software engineer.
What age is an average senior software engineer?
Many people assume you can’t work in tech beyond a certain age. However, the average age for senior software engineers ranges from approximately 37 to 42 years. There’s absolutely no age limit for software engineers - you can become successful in your field regardless of how old you are, provided you’re willing to stay up-to-date with the latest tech and commit to learning.
The main consideration for professionals looking to start their career in software engineering after the age of 40 is the amount of learning required. Like most jobs within tech, there’s a lot. You can start by learning programming languages, as coding is the backbone of any successful expert in the field.
Online tutorials, books and even coding camps are great resources available to you. Additionally, it’s useful to network with other professionals to make connections within the industry, learn about any upcoming opportunities and follow the latest trends in tech closely.
How many hours does a senior software engineer work?
A software engineer generally works a standard nine-to-five pattern, which might sound unusual as they’re often portrayed as experts who work 60 to 80 hours a week. Of course, this depends largely on the nature of your company. If you’re working at a startup, more hours will likely be required than at a large business.
Senior engineers will usually have to add a few extra hours to the typical working pattern, as they’ll be supporting their team members, managing the development cycle and conducting various other tasks and responsibilities unique to their authority. However, a senior engineer will also have a vast amount of experience to rely on, so their tasks are likely completed to a high standard more efficiently than a junior professional.
Where can you find senior software engineer jobs in the UK?
Software engineers are needed across all industries, although experts might find there are particularly interesting and exciting opportunities in areas like government, defence and finance.
These sectors share a need for highly secure systems, programmes and applications, as they will contain some of the most sensitive and classified data. As a result, companies in these areas rely on hiring experts with the ability to gain the highest levels of security clearance before they’re offered a job.
To find your next senior software engineer job, sign up for a specialised job board such as SecurityClearedJobs.com to learn about the latest positions at some of the UK’s largest employers. Recruiters will also be able to contact you directly after you upload your CV to the website.