Java Tech Lead

Java Tech Lead / Architect with 10+ years' experience is needed for an initial 6-month contract with further extensions up to 18 months paying £300 a day inside IR35 to drive the design and execution of high-scale, event-driven systems. This role is a hybrid of strategic architectural planning and hands-on engineering leadership. You will be responsible for defining technical roadmaps, mentoring a high-performing engineering team, and ensuring the delivery of robust microservices within a complex, long-term program., * Architectural Leadership: Design and oversee the implementation of scalable microservices and event-based architectures using Java, Spring Boot, and Kafka.

• Team Steering: Act as the technical point of contact for the team; facilitate decision-making, sprint planning, and resource allocation.
• Quality Governance: Conduct rigorous code reviews, approve pull requests, and establish best practices for CI/CD and automated testing.
• Hands-on Delivery: Lead by example by contributing to mission-critical code and solving complex technical bottlenecks that require "Architect-level" troubleshooting.
• Stakeholder Management: Translate business requirements into technical blueprints and communicate progress/risks to program leadership.

·10+ years of professional software development experience

·Expert-level proficiency in Java (current versions) and Spring Boot.

·Deep expertise in Kafka for event-driven architecture and streaming.

·Proven track record in Microservices design patterns, API Gateway management, and Cloud-native development.

·Previous experience leading engineering teams through the full SDLC in an Agile environment.

Preferred Attributes

·Experience with Cloud platforms (AWS/Azure/GCP) and containerization (Docker/Kubernetes).

·Strong understanding of Database design (SQL and NoSQL).

·Excellent communication skills, capable of bridging the gap between technical teams and non-technical stakeholders.

·Hybrid Model: Candidates must be able to commute to West Sussex 3 days per week.

·Stability: While the initial contract is 6 months, this is a multi-year program offering significant long-term potential.