Senior Java Software Engineer
You will work with Java 17/21, Spring Boot 3, Kotlin, Kafka, REST/gRPC, AWS, Docker, and Kubernetes. As Principal Engineer, you own and evolve the architecture for cloud-native, high-volume payment processing and merchant platforms at a fast-growing fintech company.
Free Tailor for ATS: 10/10 runs left
Principal Java Engineer
Location: Hybrid — London
We're currently partnered with a fast-growing technology company operating in the payments space, processing high-volume transactions at scale who are looking for a Principal-level backend engineer to help own and evolve the architecture behind their most critical platforms.
What You'll Do
Own and drive architecture for platforms that scale with the business and unlock new capabilities
Design and evolve high-scale, cloud-native systems powering payments and merchant experiences
Lead development of resilient, secure, and compliant services for high-volume transaction processing
Champion modern backend practices (Java 17/21, Spring Boot 3, Kotlin, clean architecture)
Architect event-driven systems (Kafka) enabling scalable, decoupled domains across teams
Define standards for API-first development (REST/gRPC) and domain-driven design
Set the bar for availability, performance, fault tolerance, and observability
Partner with Product, Data, and leadership to translate priorities into technical strategy
Lead cross-organisational initiatives critical to company growth
Mentor senior engineers and bring structure to ambiguity across technical and regulatory domains
What You Bring
8+ years building and operating distributed, production-grade backend systems
Track record operating at Senior Staff / Principal level across multiple teams or domains
Deep expertise in Java (17+), Spring Boot, and modern backend practices
Strong experience with microservices, event-driven architecture, async systems
Experience with high throughput, low latency systems — fintech/transaction-heavy environments a strong plus
Solid grounding in system design, data structures, performance trade-offs
Hands-on production experience with AWS, Docker, Kubernetes
Experience implementing observability, resilience patterns, CI/CD best practices
Strong communication skills and ability to influence senior stakeholders
Experience mentoring engineers and leading through ambiguity
The Role
Flexible hybrid working
Health insurance
Meal allowance
25 days annual leave + bank holidays
Public transport allowance
Regular team events
If this role is of interest, apply here or email dounia.hardwicke@exploreltd.com for more information