Position: Lead Java Developer

Location: Working 2 days a week from Solihull with occasional travel to Croydon based on business needs
Candidate should be willing to go for F2F interview in Solihull office

Security Clearance: SC Cleared, NPPV3 (please share if they only have SC clearance as well)

Senior Java Developer (Spring Boot Microservices)

Overview

We are seeking a talented and experienced Senior Java Developer to join our Agile Application Development team, working on a large-scale and innovative public sector platform.

This is a hands-on development role focused on designing, developing, and delivering new features and services using modern Java technologies within a cloud-hosted microservices architecture. You will work closely with Business Analysts, Testers, and fellow Developers to translate business requirements into robust technical solutions and deliver high-quality software through modern CI/CD practices.

The ideal candidate will be a strong problem solver with extensive Java development experience, capable of reviewing Jira stories, refining requirements with stakeholders, and independently delivering feature development from design through to deployment.

Experience with Angular and TypeScript is highly desirable, as there will be opportunities to support UI development and enhance Front End capabilities within the team.

Key Responsibilities

1. Design, develop, test, and maintain scalable Java-based applications and microservices.
2. Review and analyse Jira user stories and translate business requirements into technical solutions.
3. Collaborate closely with Business Analysts to refine and elaborate requirements.
4. Work alongside Testers to ensure solutions are thoroughly tested and meet quality standards.
5. Develop RESTful APIs and integrate with internal and external systems.
6. Contribute to system design, code reviews, and technical discussions.
7. Build and maintain CI/CD pipelines using Jenkins and AWS tooling.
8. Ensure applications are developed in line with coding standards, security requirements, and best practices.
9. Participate in Agile ceremonies, including sprint planning, backlog refinement, stand-ups, and retrospectives.
10. Produce and maintain technical documentation within Confluence.
11. Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives across development processes, tooling, and code quality.

Essential Skills & Experience

Technical Skills

1. 8+ years of Java development experience.
2. Strong experience with Java 17+.
3. Spring Boot.
4. Spring Data JPA/Hibernate.
5. Microservices architecture.
6. REST API development and integration.
7. PostgreSQL or similar relational database technologies.
8. Docker containerisation.
9. AWS cloud platforms and services.
10. Jenkins CI/CD pipelines.
11. Maven.
12. JUnit and automated testing frameworks.
13. Git source control.
14. Agile development methodologies (Scrum/Kanban).
15. Jira and Confluence.

Experience

1. Proven experience delivering enterprise-scale Java solutions.
2. Experience reviewing user stories and translating business requirements into technical designs and deliverables.
3. Strong experience working directly with Business Analysts to refine and clarify requirements.
4. Experience collaborating closely with Testers throughout the software development life cycle.
5. Experience developing and deploying applications within AWS-hosted environments.
6. Experience implementing and maintaining CI/CD pipelines.
7. Strong troubleshooting, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
8. Experience working within collaborative Agile delivery teams.
9. Experience developing solutions using Test Driven Development (TDD) principles and engineering best practices.

Desirable Skills & Experience

1. Angular and TypeScript development experience, including the ability to develop and support Front End components and integrate with RESTful APIs.
2. Spring Cloud.
3. ActiveMQ or other messaging technologies.
4. Experience developing, deploying, and supporting applications within AWS-hosted environments.
5. Experience working with cloud-native architectures and CI/CD deployment pipelines.
6. TestContainers, Mockito, and other modern testing frameworks.
7. SonarQube.
8. SOAP web services.
9. Grafana and Prometheus.
10. Public Sector project experience.

Personal Attributes

1. Strong hands-on developer with a passion for building high-quality solutions.
2. Excellent analytical and problem-solving abilities.
3. Comfortable engaging with Business Analysts and technical stakeholders to clarify and challenge requirements where appropriate.
4. Ability to review requirements, identify gaps, and propose effective technical solutions.
5. Collaborative team player who enjoys working closely with Developers and Testers.
6. Self-motivated and capable of delivering solutions with minimal supervision.
7. Strong communication, documentation, and organisational skills.
8. Committed to continuous improvement and learning new technologies.

Candidate Profile Summary

The ideal candidate is a hands-on Senior Java Developer who can independently take a Jira story, work with Business Analysts to elaborate requirements, collaborate with Testers to ensure quality delivery, and develop high-quality solutions using Java, Spring Boot, AWS, and Microservices Architecture.

Experience with Angular and TypeScript is highly desirable and will be viewed as a significant advantage, enabling the successful candidate to contribute to both Back End and Front End development where required. Public Sector experience is strongly preferred.