Lead Software Engineer

We are partnered with an established financial services organisation to look for a Technical Lead (Java / Cloud-Native Platforms) with a deep background in enterprise Java ecosystems and modern cloud-native architectures. In this role, you will act as the engineering gatekeeper and architectural governor for high-volume, internet-facing web and mobile channels.

This is not a day-to-day coding role; instead, you will focus heavily on code quality governance, low-level design validation, DevOps strategy, and technical risk mitigation across both internal engineering teams and external delivery vendors.

Responsibilities:

• Review and validate internal and vendor-delivered codebases to enforce strict standards around modularity, scalability, performance, and the reduction of technical debt.
• Review low-level design documents (including class/sequence diagrams, API contracts, and database ER models) and ensure actual implementation perfectly matches theoretical design.
• Define and oversee branching, merging, and baselining strategies while monitoring adherence to automated CI/CD pipelines and deployment standards.
• Proactively identify technical risks and ensure all applications strictly align with regional financial regulatory compliance, data privacy laws, and OWASP security standards.
• Provide hands-on technical guidance, conduct merge request reviews, and mentor developers to foster a culture of technical accountability.
• Partner with IT Planning and Enterprise Architecture teams to ensure platforms align with the long-term corporate technology roadmap.

Requirements:

• 10 years of professional IT delivery experience, with a significant track record inside a Financial Institution like a Bank, FinTech, or Tier-1 Financial Vendor
• Deep technical expertise in enterprise Java, Spring Boot microservices, and modern integration patterns including Kafka, IBM MQ, or RabbitMQ.
• Strong practical experience with cloud-native deployment patterns, Docker, Kubernetes, and GitOps frameworks utilizing ArgoCD.
• Proven track record delivering secure, internet-facing web and mobile applications with deep knowledge of SSO, OIDC, SAML, MFA, and OWASP standards.
• Solid understanding of relational and NoSQL databases, alongside exposure to payments or cash management domains.
• Assertive and highly collaborative communication profile, capable of driving architectural standards and confidently auditing external vendor deliveries.