Lead Software Engineer (Java)

We're looking for an exceptional Lead Backend Java Engineer to define technical direction, inspire engineering teams, and build world-class backend systems. This role combines deep technical expertise with engineering leadership, enabling you to influence architecture, delivery, AI adoption, and engineering culture across multiple teams and client engagements.

You'll be a recognised technical leader who enjoys solving complex challenges, mentoring engineers, and ensuring every solution delivers measurable business value.

As a Lead Backend Java Engineer, you will:

• Define and evolve the technical strategy for backend engineering across projects and teams.
• Lead the design and delivery of scalable, secure and resilient distributed systems using Java and the Spring ecosystem.
• Provide architectural leadership across multiple client engagements, ensuring consistency, maintainability and long-term scalability.
• Act as the technical authority for backend engineering, supporting teams in solving complex engineering challenges.
• Establish and continually improve engineering standards, coding practices, testing strategies and development processes.
• Mentor Senior, Mid-level and Junior Engineers, building capability across the engineering function.
• Drive technical planning, estimation and delivery, ensuring engineering excellence while balancing commercial objectives.
• Partner with Product, Delivery and Client stakeholders to align technology decisions with business outcomes.
• Champion AI and automation to improve productivity, engineering quality and client value.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and shape engineering roadmaps that keep the organisation at the forefront of modern software development.

Technical Expertise

You'll bring extensive commercial experience in:

• Modern Java (Java 8+) and advanced language features
• Spring Boot and the wider Spring ecosystem
• Spring Security, Spring Data JPA and Spring Cloud
• Designing and delivering RESTful APIs
• Microservices, event-driven architecture and distributed systems
• Relational and NoSQL databases
• Messaging platforms such as Kafka or RabbitMQ
• Docker and containerisation
• Kubernetes and cloud-native deployments
• Cloud platforms including AWS, Azure or GCP
• CI/CD pipelines and DevOps practices
• Observability, monitoring and distributed tracing
• JVM performance tuning and concurrency
• Automated testing strategies across all testing layers
• Build tooling including Maven or Gradle

Experience with reactive programming, WebFlux or platform engineering would be advantageous. Technical Leadership

• Define engineering standards that improve quality across multiple teams.
• Make architectural decisions that enable scalable, maintainable solutions.
• Lead the resolution of complex technical challenges.
• Drive continuous improvement across engineering practices.

Engineering Excellence

• Champion clean architecture, testing, security and performance.
• Create an engineering culture focused on craftsmanship and continuous learning.
• Ensure consistent adoption of modern development practices.
• Raise technical capability through coaching and mentoring.

Strategic Delivery

• Align engineering decisions with client objectives and commercial priorities.
• Lead delivery across multiple programmes or workstreams.
• Identify opportunities to improve client platforms and introduce innovative solutions.
• Balance technical excellence with pragmatic delivery.

People Leadership

• Coach and develop engineers at every stage of their careers.
• Build high-performing, collaborative engineering teams.
• Foster knowledge sharing and create opportunities for growth.
• Lead by example through humility, integrity and technical credibility.

AI & Innovation

• Define the engineering strategy for responsible AI adoption.
• Lead initiatives that automate repetitive work and improve developer experience.
• Explore emerging technologies and identify opportunities to create competitive advantage.
• Enable teams to use AI confidently, ethically and effectively.

What we'll offer you:

We trust people to do their best work. That means flexibility over rigid rules, impact over activity, and real investment in your growth both professionally and personally. You'll be part of a supportive, and friendly culture, surrounded by smart, curious people who care deeply about what they do.

We offer flexible working, including hybrid and remote options. Our office hubs are located in Edinburgh, Leeds, Manchester, London and Bulgaria, with occasional travel to client sites or CreateFuture offices when needed.

We trust you to manage your time balancing collaboration with client time and focused work. What matters is the impact you have, not how busy you look. Our hiring process

We try to keep our hiring process clear, fair and respectful of your time. We aim to get back to everyone who applies and we will be upfront about where you are in the process.

Depending on the role, we might also ask you to do a short presentation, a practical or technical task or have a values focused conversation. We will explain what is involved before anything happens.

CreateFuture is an AI-native consulting partner where people do work that matters and are supported to do it well. We work alongside organisations such as PayPal, adidas, NatWest, FanDuel and Money Saving Expert, building digital products and services that make a difference while always putting people first. We're a team of creators. We write code, shape delivery, build go-to-market strategies, develop AI solutions and create the practices that support our people. We work side by side with our clients, challenging what's not working and helping them to build the future. Our commitment to craft, quality, and culture has helped us scale to over 600 people in just a few years. Our UK Benefits * 35 days leave (including bank holidays). * Private medical insurance. * Enhanced parental and adoption leave. * Financial coaching + 5% pension match. * 40 hours of paid learning and development. View our full list of UK benefits. CreateFuture is a Great Place to Work-Certified company and has won Best Workplaces UK multiple years in a row. Join us on our journey. Let's create tomorrow, together, today.