Lead Java Developer

​​​​​​6 Month Contract

• £780/day Umbrella
• Inside IR35
• Manchester, Leeds or Birmingham
• Hybrid – 60% office attendance
• Technical leadership role with hands-on development

must be eligible for SC clearance

The Opportunity

We’re looking for Lead Java Developers to join a major digital programme delivering large-scale, citizen-facing services.

This is a hands-on technical leadership opportunity for experienced Java engineers who want to combine software development, technical direction and solution design.

You’ll work with a modern technology stack including Java, Spring Boot, AWS, Apache Kafka and MongoDB, helping design and deliver secure, scalable and highly resilient digital services.

You’ll collaborate closely with software engineers, architects, product teams and senior technical stakeholders, taking ownership of complex technical challenges from design and development through to live service support.

Key Responsibilities

Lead the design and development of complex Java applications and services.

Develop high-quality, scalable and maintainable applications using Java and Spring Boot.

Design and develop microservices and RESTful APIs.

Build event-driven solutions using Apache Kafka.

Develop cloud-native applications using AWS.

Design and optimise solutions using MongoDB.

Provide technical leadership and direction to engineering teams.

Establish and promote engineering standards, patterns and best practices.

Work with architects and senior technical stakeholders on solution design and technical strategy.

Identify and manage technical risks, dependencies and potential issues.

Develop reusable libraries, services and engineering components.

Ensure solutions meet requirements around security, resilience, accessibility, performance and scalability.

Troubleshoot complex production issues and support live services.

Provide 3rd-line technical support where required.

Mentor and coach other software engineers.

Contribute to continuous improvement across engineering practices, tools and processes.

Evaluate emerging technologies and recommend appropriate solutions.

Technical Skills

We’re looking for strong commercial experience across:

Java & Spring Boot

• Extensive hands-on Java and Spring Boot experience.
• Enterprise application and backend development.
• Microservices and REST API development.
• Strong understanding of SOLID, clean code and design patterns.

AWS

• Strong commercial AWS experience.
• Designing, developing or deploying applications within AWS.
• Understanding of cloud-native architectures and distributed systems.
• Experience with AWS services for application development, integration, deployment and monitoring.

Apache Kafka

• Hands-on commercial Kafka experience.
• Experience developing Kafka producers and consumers.
• Strong understanding of event-driven and asynchronous architectures.
• Knowledge of messaging, reliability, scalability and distributed systems.

MongoDB

• Strong commercial MongoDB experience.
• Document-based data modelling.
• Integration of MongoDB with Java/Spring Boot applications.
• Understanding of database performance, scalability and optimisation.

Software Engineering & DevOps

You should also have experience with:

• Automated testing and test automation.
• CI/CD pipelines.
• Git and modern source control.
• Agile development.
• Application monitoring, logging and troubleshooting.
• Secure software development.
• Production systems and complex technical problem-solving.

Technical Leadership

As a Lead Java Developer, you'll be expected to:

Provide clear technical direction to engineering teams.

Make and communicate sound technical decisions.

Mentor and coach other developers.

Review and improve engineering practices and standards.

Collaborate effectively with architecture and senior technical stakeholders.

Identify technical risks and develop appropriate mitigation strategies.

Contribute to longer-term technical strategy and technology evolution.

Balance technical quality, user needs, security, performance and delivery requirements.

Desirable Experience

Experience in any of the following would be advantageous:

Government or public-sector digital services.

Large-scale citizen-facing platforms.

Highly regulated or security-sensitive environments.

Docker and Kubernetes.

Infrastructure as Code.

Cloud-native architectures.

Observability, monitoring and production support.

Large multidisciplinary Agile engineering teams.

Apply Now

If you're a Lead Java Developer with strong hands-on experience across Java, Spring Boot, AWS, Kafka and MongoDB, and you're looking for an opportunity where you can combine technical delivery with genuine engineering leadership, we'd love to hear from you.