Most people would agree cookies make life better. For us, they help us make our site and marketing better. But if you don't like cookies, that's cool too. Find out more in our
Cookie Policy.
Explore our vision: Incredible, effortless recruitment
£45k-£70k
Typical base salary
12 wks
Replacement guarantee
Systems thinking
Ask how they design for reliability, scale and security, not just features.
Data and API skill
Much of the role is data and integrations. Probe their approach to both.
Language fit, with flex
Match core skills to your stack, but value strong fundamentals over an exact match.
How to run the hire
1. Define the stack and systems
Be clear on languages, databases, and whether it's new build or maintenance.
2. Use a design discussion
Talk through a system design to see how they reason about trade-offs.
3. Source and approach
Approach passive candidates directly.
4. Assess with a real problem
A practical task or code review reveals more than puzzles.
5. Reference reliability
Confirm they built things that stayed up and stayed maintainable.
Fees typically run 15-20% of first-year salary, capped and agreed upfront.
Nothing is due until your hire starts.
Usually 4-8 weeks.
Stack and seniority drive the timeline - niche languages or senior roles narrow the pool.
A Back-End Developer builds the server-side of an application - business logic, databases, APIs and integrations - that the front-end and users depend on.
They focus on reliability, performance and security as much as features.
A Back-End Developer specialises in server-side work. A Full-Stack Developer covers both front and back end.
Full-stack offers flexibility; a specialist offers depth. We'll help you decide which your role needs.
Try: Design a simple API for this scenario and talk me through it.
How do you approach database performance?
How do you handle security? and Tell me about a system you scaled.
Yes - across the common back-end languages and frameworks.
We match core stack where it's essential and weight fundamentals where a strong developer could pick up your tools quickly.
Tell us about your role and a specialist IT recruiter will call you. No fee until your hire starts.
{"@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [{"@type": "Article", "headline": "How to Hire a Back-End Developer in the UK (2026)", "description": "How to hire a Back-End Developer in the UK. Salary, time to hire and what to look for.", "datePublished": "2026-07-13", "dateModified": "2026-07-13", "author": {"@type": "Person", "name": "Charles Trivett", "jobTitle": "Managing Director, Coburg Banks IT", "url": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlestrivett/", "worksFor": {"@type": "Organization", "name": "Coburg Banks"}}, "publisher": {"@type": "Organization", "name": "Coburg Banks", "logo": {"@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/645cf1f1ad8cd97335eefcd6/67e52adb28b5bfce304c13dd_CB%20Sales%20Logo.svg"}}, "mainEntityOfPage": "https://www.coburgbanks.co.uk/hiring/back-end-developer"}, {"@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity": [{"@type": "Question", "name": "How much does it cost to hire a Back-End Developer?", "acceptedAnswer": {"@type": "Answer", "text": "Fees typically run 15-20% of first-year salary, capped and agreed upfront. Nothing is due until your hire starts."}}, {"@type": "Question", "name": "How long does it take to hire a Back-End Developer?", "acceptedAnswer": {"@type": "Answer", "text": "Usually 4-8 weeks. Stack and seniority drive the timeline - niche languages or senior roles narrow the pool."}}, {"@type": "Question", "name": "What does a Back-End Developer do?", "acceptedAnswer": {"@type": "Answer", "text": "A Back-End Developer builds the server-side of an application - business logic, databases, APIs and integrations - that the front-end and users depend on. They focus on reliability, performance and security as much as features."}}, {"@type": "Question", "name": "What's the difference between back-end and full-stack?", "acceptedAnswer": {"@type": "Answer", "text": "A Back-End Developer specialises in server-side work. A Full-Stack Developer covers both front and back end. Full-stack offers flexibility; a specialist offers depth. We'll help you decide which your role needs."}}, {"@type": "Question", "name": "What should I ask a Back-End Developer at interview?", "acceptedAnswer": {"@type": "Answer", "text": "Try: Design a simple API for this scenario and talk me through it. How do you approach database performance? How do you handle security? and Tell me about a system you scaled."}}, {"@type": "Question", "name": "Do you recruit across languages and frameworks?", "acceptedAnswer": {"@type": "Answer", "text": "Yes - across the common back-end languages and frameworks. We match core stack where it's essential and weight fundamentals where a strong developer could pick up your tools quickly."}}]}, {"@type": "ItemList", "name": "What to look for in a Back-End Developer", "itemListElement": [{"@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Systems thinking"}, {"@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Data and API skill"}, {"@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Language fit, with flex"}]}, {"@type": "ProfessionalService", "name": "Coburg Banks IT Recruitment", "url": "https://www.coburgbanks.co.uk/it-recruitment-agencies", "telephone": "+441213622300", "foundingDate": "2002", "areaServed": {"@type": "Country", "name": "United Kingdom"}, "serviceType": "IT Recruitment", "sameAs": ["https://www.linkedin.com/company/coburgbanks/", "https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/coburgbanks.co.uk", "https://www.facebook.com/CoburgBanksJobs/"]}]}
