Configuration & Automation Engineer (Java Technical Lead)

LA International; City Of London; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

LA International in London is seeking an experienced CA Engineer / Java Technical Lead to own the design and delivery of scalable Java applications. You will provide hands-on Java engineering and lead the delivery across cross-functional teams in a hybrid London environment.

The role emphasizes expertise in Kafka, Kubernetes and Python, mentoring engineers, and ensuring security, performance and resilience in complex systems.

Qualifications

• Strong Java hands-on development experience.
• Proven experience as Technical Lead or senior engineer.
• Experience with Kafka and event-driven architectures.
• Kubernetes experience deploying containerised apps.
• Python for automation or services development.
• Strong design, troubleshooting and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management.
• Ability to work in Agile or multidisciplinary teams.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership across software engineering and delivery.
• Lead design and development of scalable Java solutions.
• Mentor engineers and guide delivery teams.
• Develop event-driven streaming solutions using Kafka.
• Deploy and maintain apps in Kubernetes.
• Create supporting services with Python.
• Collaborate with architects, DevOps and stakeholders.
• Translate requirements into robust engineering solutions.
• Review designs and code for quality.
• Ensure security, performance, resilience requirements.
• Document technical decisions and standards.
• Troubleshoot complex issues across apps and infra.

Job description

Job Title: CA Engineer (Java Skills / Tech Lead)

Location: London - Hybrid

Contract: 6 months, with possibility of extension

Clearance: SC Cleared or eligible to obtain SC clearance

We are currently recruiting for an experienced CA Engineer / Java Technical Lead to support a major technology programme based in London.

The successful candidate will provide strong technical leadership across the design, development and delivery of scalable applications and services. The role requires excellent hands-on Java engineering capability alongside experience working with Kafka, Kubernetes and Python.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership across software engineering and application delivery.


• Lead the design and development of scalable, secure and resilient Java-based solutions.


• Provide technical direction and guidance to engineers within the delivery team.


• Develop and support event-driven and streaming solutions using Apache Kafka.


• Deploy and maintain applications within Kubernetes environments.


• Develop supporting services, automation and integration components using Python.


• Work closely with architects, engineers, DevOps teams and other technical stakeholders.


• Translate technical and business requirements into robust engineering solutions.


• Review code, designs and technical approaches to ensure quality and consistency.


• Support technical decision-making and contribute to engineering standards and best practices.


• Troubleshoot complex application, integration and infrastructure issues.


• Support the delivery of solutions through development, testing, deployment and production.


• Ensure technical solutions meet appropriate security, performance, resilience and scalability requirements.


• Mentor and support other engineers where required.


• Maintain clear and accurate technical documentation.

Essential Skills & Experience

Candidates should have strong commercial experience across the following:

• Java - strong hands‑on development experience.


• Proven experience operating as a Technical Lead, Lead Engineer or Senior Java Engineer.


• Apache Kafka - experience developing or supporting messaging, streaming or event‑driven architectures.


• Kubernetes - experience deploying and supporting containerised applications.


• Python - experience developing applications, services, automation or supporting tooling.


• Strong software engineering and application design principles.


• Experience working with distributed systems and microservice architectures.


• Experience leading technical delivery within complex environments.


• Strong understanding of scalable and resilient application design.


• Strong troubleshooting and problem‑solving capability.


• Experience providing technical guidance and mentoring to engineering teams.


• Strong communication and stakeholder‑management skills.


• Experience working within Agile or multidisciplinary delivery teams.

Desirable Experience

Experience in the following would be advantageous:

• Cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure or GCP.


• Docker and containerised environments.


• CI/CD pipelines and automated deployment.


• REST APIs and microservices.


• SQL or NoSQL databases.


• Infrastructure‑as‑Code and DevOps tooling.


• Real‑time data processing and event‑driven architecture.


• Enterprise‑scale transformation programmes.


• Government or public‑sector environments.

Due to the nature and urgency of this post, candidates holding or who have held high level security clearance in the past are most welcome to apply. Please note successful applicants will be required to be security cleared prior to appointment which can take a minimum 10 weeks.

We are committed to fostering an inclusive, equitable and accessible workplace where everyone feels valued and supported.

We welcome applications from all individuals, regardless of background or identity, and we encourage candidates who may not meet every listed requirement to still apply.

If you require any adjustments or support during the recruitment process, please let us know and we will work with you to ensure a fair and accessible experience.

Please Note: If a high volume of applications is received, only candidates shortlisted will be contacted.