Principal Java Engineer (Contract)
About Our Client
Our Client is a leading technology services provider specialising in delivering innovative, scalable software solutions across various industries. Renowned for fostering a collaborative and forward-thinking culture, they are committed to driving technological excellence and supporting employee growth. Recognised with multiple awards, the organisation prides itself on creating a great place to work where talent thrives and impactful projects are at the forefront.
Role Overview
This exciting contract opportunity involves joining a dynamic team as a Principal Java Engineer. The role is pivotal in shaping critical initiatives within the organisation's technology portfolio, focusing on designing and developing high-performance backend services. Your expertise will guide strategic technical decisions, contribute to product roadmaps, and influence the organisation's technological direction. This position offers a chance to work on transformative projects, utilising the latest Java and Spring frameworks, whilst collaborating with diverse teams to deliver innovative solutions.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead the development of complex backend systems using Java (17+) and Spring Boot, incorporating reactive patterns where applicable.
- Design and implement RESTful APIs following contract-first principles, with particular attention to latency-sensitive applications.
- Architect scalable, reliable service integrations leveraging cloud platforms (AWS, Google Cloud Platform, or Azure), including implementation of queues, caches, and managed databases.
- Develop and maintain secure authentication protocols, including OAuth 2.0, OIDC, and SAML, ensuring seamless integration with enterprise identity providers.
- Establish and evolve service architecture standards, encompassing domain modelling, event-driven design, API versioning, and backward compatibility.
- Create robust integration contracts with various enterprise systems, ensuring data consistency and error handling.
- Implement and oversee cross-cutting concerns such as observability, auditability, idempotency, and traceability.
- Drive high system reliability through automated testing, CI/CD pipelines, containerisation, and comprehensive monitoring.
- Collaborate with stakeholders to align technical solutions with business objectives, advising on best practices and optimisation strategies.
- Mentor technical team members, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and innovation.
Essential Skills & Experience
- Over 10 years of professional experience in back-end development, with a significant focus on Java enterprise applications.
- Extensive hands-on experience with the Spring ecosystem (Spring Boot, Spring Security, Spring Data).
- Proven track record in designing and delivering RESTful APIs and event-driven architectures using message brokers like Kafka or RabbitMQ.
- Strong knowledge of cloud deployment and management (preferably AWS, Google Cloud Platform, or Azure).
- Practical experience with relational databases such as PostgreSQL or MySQL, and familiarity with NoSQL systems is advantageous.
- Solid understanding of security protocols, particularly OAuth 2.0, OIDC, and SAML.
- Experience implementing CI/CD pipelines, containerisation (Docker, Kubernetes), and automated testing frameworks.
- Excellent problem-solving skills, with the ability to decompose complex solutions and anticipate project risks.
Desirable Skills & Experience
- Familiarity with loyalty, rewards, or financial calculation engines.
- Experience in building API aggregation layers or BFFs for mobile applications.
- Knowledge of Salesforce CRM, Commerce Cloud, or similar enterprise systems.
- Background working in fintech, payments, or transaction-sensitive environments focusing on auditability and data integrity.
- Experience with feature flagging, progressive rollout strategies, or working closely with mobile development teams.
Why Apply?
If you are a seasoned Java professional eager to lead impactful projects in a collaborative, innovative environment, this contract role presents a unique opportunity to influence significant technical and business outcomes. Our Client welcomes candidates with the right expertise and a passion for building high-quality scalable systems.
Candidates who meet the essential criteria are encouraged to submit their CV for consideration. We look forward to discovering how your skills can contribute to cutting-edge solutions and transformative projects.
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