Lead Java Engineer

Salary - £75-100k base + bonus + benefits

Java, Microservices, AWS, Distributed Systems, Agile

The Role:

A major financial services platform is looking for a Lead Software Engineer to take ownership of high-impact, business-critical systems built on a modern Java microservices architecture. This is a hands-on role where you’ll shape how core services are designed, built and scaled, working closely with architecture and business stakeholders to deliver resilient, production-grade software.

You’ll be embedded in a cross-functional team with real responsibility for platform evolution, not just delivery against a backlog.

What You Will Be Doing:

• Build and evolve scalable services within a distributed architecture, supporting key business applications
• Take ownership of end-to-end delivery, from design through to deployment and ongoing optimisation
• Drive engineering standards across security, performance, observability and reliability
• Work closely with architects and senior engineers to shape platform direction and design decisions
• Contribute to automation across build, test and deployment pipelines
• Balance structured design with pragmatic experimentation and prototyping where needed

What You Bring:

• Strong background building server-side systems in Java within production environments
• Experience delivering robust, well-tested software in complex, business-critical platforms
• Good understanding of microservices principles and distributed system design
• Exposure to cloud-based infrastructure and modern workload management approaches
• Ability to translate complex requirements into clear, deliverable technical solutions