Lead Java Engineer

Technical & Modernisation Leadership

• Lead the modernisation of large-scale Legacy systems, transitioning from monolithic architectures to scalable, API-driven microservices.
• Drive architectural best practices across performance, reliability, security, and maintainability.

Engineering Leadership & Delivery

• Provide hands-on technical leadership while mentoring and managing a large offshore engineering team (20+ developers).
• Own engineering standards, code quality, and delivery outcomes across distributed teams.

Cloud & Platform Transformation

• Oversee the migration of enterprise platforms from Legacy Middleware (eg, WebSphere) to containerised Kubernetes environments across GCP, AWS, or internal cloud platforms (IKP).
• Champion DevOps practices, automation, and CI/CD maturity.

Stakeholder & Architecture Engagement

• Act as a senior technical interface between engineering, architecture, product, and business stakeholders.
• Translate complex regulatory and financial requirements into low-level technical designs and implementation plans.

Full-Stack Development Leadership

• Design and build secure, high-performance applications using Java 17+, Spring Boot, and Angular.
• Set standards for Front End engineering, API design, and Back End service orchestration.

Data & Platform Evolution

• Support the modernisation of Legacy SDLC tooling and data platforms.
• Lead or contribute to complex data migrations, including Elasticsearch upgrades and distributed data pipelines.

• Java 17+, Spring Framework, Spring Boot
• Microservices & RESTful API design

Frontend

• Angular, TypeScript
• HTML5, CSS3, SASS

Cloud, DevOps & Infrastructure

• Kubernetes (GKE/IKP/AWS EKS)
• Docker, Terraform
• CI/CD: GitHub Actions, Jenkins

Messaging, Streaming & ETL

• Apache Kafka
• Apache Flink, Apache Beam
• Redis

Databases

• PostgreSQL
• Oracle
• MongoDB

Security & Compliance

• OAuth 2.0, Okta
• Enterprise security scanning: Checkmarx, Aqua Security
• Strong understanding of banking-grade security and regulatory control frameworks, * Proven experience within Tier 1 financial institutions (eg Goldman Sachs, HSBC, Barclays, or equivalent).
• 20+ years' experience in enterprise Java and web-based platforms.

Leadership & Influence

• Demonstrated success leading large engineering teams across onshore and offshore models.
• Strong ability to coach, mentor, and develop senior engineers while influencing technical strategy.

Technical Excellence

• Deep expertise in Agile delivery (Scrum/Kanban), TDD, and enterprise design patterns.
• Track record of delivering complex system transformations in regulated environments.

Education

• MSc in International Banking & Finance and/or
• BSc in Computer Information Systems (or equivalent)

A leading Tier 1 financial institution is expanding its Manchester technology hub and seeks an experienced Lead Full-Stack Software Engineer to play a pivotal role in the transformation of its digital business banking platforms. This position offers a rare opportunity to enter on a high-value contract while transitioning into a permanent senior leadership role within a globally recognised organisation. The successful candidate will combine technical authority, architectural vision, and people leadership in a complex, regulated environment.