Graduate Consultant Software Engineer 2027

Graduate Consultant Software Engineer 2027 Overview

Company Name	Softwire
Job Role	Graduate Consultant Software Engineer 2027
Qualifications	Bachelor’s
Category	IT Jobs
Job Type	Full Time
Location	Rest of UK

This is a permanent graduate-level opportunity that combines advanced software engineering with client-facing consulting. The role is designed for people who want to build high-quality software while also acting as a trusted technical partner to customers, helping them improve their businesses through domain knowledge and increasingly through AI-enabled solutions.

You will join a bright, welcoming, and supportive team, working directly with clients on meaningful problems that can affect people’s lives, organisations, and wider society. Alongside project work, you will receive structured training intended to set you up for a long-term career in digital engineering. The role offers broad progression opportunities, with many different technical and non-technical paths available over time, and the company notes that both its current and former managing directors began on the graduate programme.

What the role involves

• Working as both a software engineer and a consultant, helping clients solve important business challenges.
• Building software that creates real-world value, including work for not-for-profit organisations or internal company use during the training phase.
• Taking part in a structured induction that covers coding, source control, modern technology stacks, and the foundations of professional engineering.
• Learning how to deliver commercial-grade software by collaborating with experienced engineers on a team project early in the programme.
• Receiving training in AI-assisted development, including how to review, improve, and oversee code produced with AI tools.
• Joining client project teams after the initial training period and contributing to live delivery work in the office or occasionally on customer premises.
• Continuing to develop through in-house training sessions that broaden your knowledge of system design, development approaches, and additional technologies.
• Using your growing expertise to advise clients on the best technical direction, rather than only carrying out assigned tasks.
• Working with close support, regular peer review, and guidance from experienced colleagues to strengthen your engineering skills.
• Exploring future career directions after the early development period, such as project leadership, technology leadership, consulting, design, data science, or AI-focused work.

Training and development

The first stage of the programme is a software engineering induction. This is a full-time training period that helps new starters build the skills needed to succeed as professional digital engineers. You will learn the basics of coding, source control, and modern technology stacks, then work with other new joiners to create a piece of software, usually for a not-for-profit organisation or for use within Softwire itself. Experienced engineers will guide you through the process so you can learn what is involved in producing software to a commercial standard.

The induction also includes training in AI-assisted development. Rather than focusing only on writing code manually, you will learn how to supervise and refine AI-generated output, reflecting the way the coding profession is changing. The aim is to help you use AI effectively while still concentrating on architecture, quality, and client value.

After the first project, you will move into client delivery work. During this stage, you will be supported by helpful colleagues and industry experts, and your work will be reviewed regularly so that your skills continue to grow. In parallel, you will attend an in-house training programme that runs for six weeks in total across a 12-month period. This programme expands your understanding of professional software engineering, including system design, development methodologies, and other technologies.

As your experience grows, you will be encouraged to take on more responsibility and shape your own career path. The company invests in internal progression and says many of its senior people started as graduates.

Who the company is looking for

• People who are motivated by solving real-world problems and building things that make a positive difference.
• Applicants with a strong interest in coding; previous coding experience is welcome and will help, but the company is open to beginners who already have some exposure.
• Individuals who enjoy working with customers and are excited by the consulting side of the role.
• Candidates who can adapt quickly to unfamiliar environments and build productive relationships with new clients.
• People who can understand client needs and communicate technical ideas clearly to audiences with different levels of digital knowledge.
• Team players who are positive, helpful, and proactive, and who enjoy supporting colleagues and improving team outcomes.
• Applicants with strong logical thinking and analytical reasoning skills.

Location and working style

The role is based in London, Cambridge, or Manchester. It is not a remote-first position. You will need to be in the office or on a customer site at least three days each week, and sometimes as many as five days per week. For the first one to two years of training, the expectation is usually four to five days per week in the office. After that, there is more flexibility, although most employees still work in the office three or more days per week on average.

The company says it can sometimes accommodate short periods of fully remote working or other flexible arrangements, including for caring responsibilities. However, some projects and activities will require office attendance, so remote working cannot be guaranteed at all times. If you have a disability or another personal circumstance that makes regular office attendance difficult, the company encourages you to get in touch to discuss your needs.

The role is full-time. Employees are contracted for at least 37.5 hours per week, and long hours are uncommon. Most people do not regularly work much more than 40 hours per week. Core hours apply so that teams can overlap, and these are usually around 10am to 4pm, although they may vary by team.

Salary and benefits

• Starting salary of £45,000.
• Average profit share of between £2,250 and £3,000.
• 25 days of annual leave, with the option to buy or sell holiday, plus charity days.
• Enhanced maternity, paternity, and adoption pay.
• A dedicated budget for staff social activities and entertainment.
• An annual company holiday abroad.
• Access to excellent offices, including a free on-site gym and a subsidised restaurant in London.
• A workplace that actively promotes diversity and inclusion.
• Structured mentoring and training to support long-term career growth.
• A relaxed, informal environment with little bureaucracy.

Application process

Applications must be submitted through the company’s careers pages; email applications are not accepted. The company expects to recruit around 50 entry-level consultant software engineers in 2027 and will not be hiring apprentices or interns that year. There are no short-term or temporary placements available.

For permanent entry-level roles, the hiring process has six stages: the application form, online tests that usually take around two hours, a 30-minute non-technical interview, a 90-minute technical interview, a 45-minute soft skills interview, and a final group interview day held at the company’s offices. All interviews except the final stage are conducted remotely, and candidates can choose their own interview times using the online booking system. The company aims to respond within two working days at each stage, although it may take longer after the final group interview while decisions are being made.

Successful applicants are offered start dates at various points in the spring and autumn, with the company allocating places on a first-come, first-served basis. For this role, the expected intake months are March, June, September, and November 2027, and applicants are encouraged to apply early to improve their chances of securing a preferred start date.

Additional notes

The company does not require specific academic grades, and offers are unconditional. It is open to applicants from a range of backgrounds, including career switchers and returners, although those candidates are directed to a different permanent role. If you are a proficient programmer, you do not need a degree for this role.

Softwire also says it offers visa sponsorship for permanent roles to non-UK nationals and will cover the application costs for a Skilled Worker visa or Indefinite Leave to Remain.

For people who are new to coding, the company recommends building practical experience first, ideally around 25 hours or more, before taking the coding assessment. It suggests using mainstream languages such as Python, Ruby, JavaScript, Java, or C#, and notes that HTML and CSS are useful but are not programming languages. It also recommends practising coding before the tests, including with platforms such as CodeSignal, HackerRank, or LeetCode.

New starters receive a dedicated training programme at the beginning of their employment, followed by hands-on project work and further part-time training sessions. There is also an optional Level 4 apprenticeship available later for those who want a more formal learning route.

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Degree Requirement: Bachelor’s

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