Graduate Software Engineer London 2024

Starling is the UK’s first and leading digital bank on a mission to fix banking! Our vision is fast technology, fair service, and honest values. All at the tap of a phone, all the time.

We are about giving customers a new way to spend, save and manage their money while taking better care of the planet which has seen us become a multi-award winning bank that now employs over 2800 across five offices in London, Cardiff, Dublin, Southampton, and Manchester. Our journey started in 2014, and since then we have surpassed 3.5 million accounts (and four account types!) with 350,000 business customers. We are a fully licensed UK bank but at the heart, we are a tech first company, enabling our platform to deliver brilliant products.

Our technologists are at the very heart of Starling and enjoy working in a fast-paced environment that is all about building things, creating new stuff, and disruptive technology that keeps us on the cutting edge of fintech. We operate a flat structure to empower you to make decisions regardless of what your primary responsibilities may be, innovation and collaboration will be at the core of everything you do. Help is never far away in our open culture, you will find support in your team and from across the business, we are in this together!

The way to thrive and shine within Starling is to be a self-driven individual and be able to take full ownership of everything around you: From building things, designing, and discovering to sharing knowledge with your colleagues and making sure all processes are efficient and productive to deliver the best possible results for our customers. Our purpose is underpinned by five Starling values: Listen, Keep It Simple, Do The Right Thing, Own It, and Aim For Greatness.

About the role

We’re hiring for a number of Graduate Software Engineers to join one of our super talented teams within our growing Engineering department. You’ll receive on-the-job training, and join a cohort of wider graduates within technology and the wider bank.

As a graduate working at Starling, we will help you learn and develop Software Engineering skills and expertise by getting you to work on real world problems our amazing team are solving on a daily basis!

Starling is a tech-led company where you will solve challenges which could potentially affect millions of our customers whilst we build and run products that change the world for the better.

Important information

• We are looking for engineers who are located within a commutable distance of either our London or Manchester office. We are operating a hybrid model of working but in-person learning and collaboration is key for us too
• Your first week will be in person with other graduates so you can collaborate and get to know each other and your teams
• The application closing date is: 12th November 2023
• This is a permanent position, taking part in the Starling Bank 12 month graduate scheme, with a start date of 2nd September 2024 - please make sure you're happy to start from that date

What you will do

As a Graduate Software Engineer at Starling you will:

• Contribute to our award-winning platform and internal tooling
• Build new features and products from scratch
• Be able to see the impact that your work has on the lives of our millions of customers
• Share your knowledge with those around you, contributing to our learning culture
• Own your projects, working in small teams across the bank to collaboratively deliver
• Aim for greatness in everything you do, staying curious and inquisitive
• Be part of a scaling team and organisation as we change banking for good

Requirements

We are currently looking for Graduate Software Engineers who must have the following:

• Graduated with a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree within the last 2 years or will be graduating in 2024. Although you require a degree to apply for this role, it is not essential to have a degree in Computer Science or a STEM subject. However, you must be able to demonstrate your ability to write quality code
• A keen interest in software engineering and desire to work in technology
• Excellent communication skills
• Proven ability to work in a team
• Curious, keen to learn and proactive
• You are open to and value feedback in order to improve
• Eligible to work in the UK

Tech we use

At Starling, we use a variety of different tools and technologies to keep our app and business running smoothly. Whether you’re aiming to be front-end, back-end, or a bit of both - we have a host of things in our tech stack that you would have the opportunity to learn and work with. Here are some examples:

• Languages: Java, JS/TS, Swift, Kotlin
• Tools: Docker, Kubernetes, TeamCity, Amazon Web Services (AWS)

We’re open-minded when it comes to hiring and we care more about aptitude and attitude than specific experience. For our graduate intake you will need to be a recent university graduate who is ready to start a full time position from September 2024.

Interview process

Interviewing is a two-way process and we want you to have the time and opportunity to get to know us, as much as we are getting to know you! Our interviews are conversational and we want to get the best from you, so come with questions and be curious. You can expect the following:

• One-way Video Screen - we'll send you 5 questions for you to record your responses which we'll be looking at your fit for the team, interest in the role and Starling
• Take-home tech test (can be solved in any language you are comfortable with) ~3 hours
• Technical face-to-face interview ~1hr 30 mins
• Final Interview ~30 minutes

Benefits

• 25 days holiday (plus take your public holiday allowance whenever works best for you)
• An extra day’s holiday for your birthday
• Annual leave is increased with length of service, and you can choose to buy or sell up to five extra days off
• 16 hours paid volunteering time a year
• Salary sacrifice, company enhanced pension scheme
• Life insurance at 4x your salary
• Private Medical Insurance with VitalityHealth including mental health support and cancer care. Partner benefits include discounts with Waitrose, Mr&Mrs Smith and Peloton
• Generous family-friendly policies
• Perkbox membership giving access to retail discounts, a wellness platform for physical and mental health, and weekly free and boosted perks
• Access to initiatives like Cycle to Work, Salary Sacrificed Gym partnerships and Electric Vehicle (EV) leasing.

About us

You may be put off applying for a role because you don't tick every box. Forget that! While we can’t accommodate every flexible working request, we're always open to discussion. So, if you're excited about working with us, but aren’t sure if you're 100% there yet, get in touch anyway.

We’re on a mission to radically reshape banking – and that starts with our brilliant team. Whatever came before, we’re proud to bring together people of all backgrounds and experiences who love working together to solve problems.

Starling Bank is an equal opportunity employer, and we’re proud of our ongoing efforts to foster diversity & inclusion in the workplace. Individuals seeking employment at Starling Bank are considered without regard to race, religion, national origin, age, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, medical condition, ancestry, physical or mental disability, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

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