Java Technical Lead

Version 1 Solutions Limited; Newcastle upon Tyne; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading technology solutions provider in the UK is seeking an experienced Java Technical Lead to join its Digital Data & Cloud Practice. The role involves guiding a Java-focused development team in a high-volume financial services environment, ensuring high-quality delivery and adherence to standards. Ideal candidates will have extensive experience with Java and cloud-native applications. The position offers a hybrid work model with a robust benefits package.

Benefits

Hybrid work schedule

Private medical insurance

Profit share scheme

Incentivized certifications

Qualifications

• Strong experience in trading or financial platforms processing high message volumes.
• Proven ability in designing cloud-native applications with microservices.
• Deep knowledge of application security best practices.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Java development team in complex backend components.
• Act as a technical bridge between the client and the technical team.
• Oversee releases, deployments, and ensure high production stability.

Skills

Java

Spring framework

Docker

Kafka

SQL

Agile/Scrum

Tools

Kubernetes

Git

Redis

Job description

Technical Leadership

• Lead and support the team across complex backend components, ensuring high-quality delivery.
• Guide developers on best practices across Java, system design, messaging, caching, and distributed processing.
• Troubleshoot and resolve complex issues related to sequencing, recovery, message failures, and large-volume processing.
• Provide hands‑on oversight for releases, deployments, and production stability.
• Drive sound engineering practices such as CI/CD, code quality, and operational readiness.
• Ensure the team adheres to performance, security, and resilience standards, particularly around large-scale message handling.

Team & Stakeholder Management

• Act as the technical bridge between the Version 1 technical team and the client.
• Provide full ownership of tasks assigned to the whole team.
• Maintain clear awareness of team activities, workload distribution, and developer challenges.
• Communicate status, risks, and expectations effectively to both Version 1 and client stakeholders.

Experience & Skills

• Experience working on trading or financial platforms that process millions of messages per day, with strong awareness of related non‑functional requirements such as latency, resiliency, throughput optimization, failover handling, and backpressure management.
• Experienced in designing and developing cloud native applications with a microservices architecture running on Docker/OpenShift/Kubernetes platform.
• Experienced in application development using Java, SQL (SQL Server, Oracle etc) and messaging platforms such as Kafka, MQ etc.
• Experienced in Spring framework, Spring Boot technologies.
• Experienced in Java REST API development and application security best practices (OAuth, JWT etc).
• Experienced in Gradle, Maven, Git/Bitbucket.
• Experienced in caching services like Redis etc.
• Experience with GitHub Copilot and other coding assistants.
• Experience working in an Agile/Scrum work environment.

Version 1 has celebrated over 28 years in Technology Services and continues to be trusted by global brands to deliver solutions that drive customer success. Our expertise enables our customers to navigate the rapidly changing Digital‑First world we live in. We foster strong partnerships with leading technology giants including Microsoft, AWS, Oracle, Red‑Hat, OutSystems, Snowflake, ensuring that our customers are provided with the highest quality solutions and services.

Company Overview

We’re an award‑winning employer reflecting how our employees are at the very heart of Version 1 and what we do:

• UK & Ireland’s premier AWS, Microsoft & Oracle partner
• 3600+ strong, €350/£300m revenue business
• 10+ years as a Great Place to Work in Ireland & UK
• Best Workplace for Women in the UK & Ireland by GPTW
• Best Workplace for Wellbeing in the UK by GPTW

Benefits & Culture

We are a core values driven company, we hire people who share our values, and we reward those who display and foster them; it’s deeply embedded within our DNA. Invest in us and we’ll invest in you!

We are seeking an experienced Java Technical Lead to join our UK Digital Data & Cloud Practice. Our Digital Practice is expanding rapidly and there will be an opportunity for you to achieve medium and long‑term career goals. You will be working for one of our high‑profile trading clients within the financial services domain. You will provide both hands‑on technical leadership and day‑to‑day guidance to a Java‑based development team supporting high‑volume message processing environment. The current team is heavily Java‑focused, but the client’s ecosystem relies extensively on Kafka, Kubernetes/OpenShift, caching solutions, REST APIs, and high‑throughput distributed systems. The Lead must bring the breadth and depth required to help the team operate independently without continuous escalation to the CITI manager.

At Version 1, we believe in providing our employees with a comprehensive benefits package that prioritises their well‑being, professional growth, and financial stability. One of our standout advantages is the ability to work with a hybrid schedule along with business travel, allowing our employees to strike a balance between work and life. We also offer a range of tech‑related benefits, including an innovative Tech Scheme to help keep our team members up‑to‑date with the latest technology. We prioritise the health and safety of our employees, providing private medical and life insurance coverage, as well as free eye tests and contributions towards glasses. Our team members can also stay ahead of the curve with incentivised certifications and accreditations, including AWS, Microsoft, Oracle, and Red‑Hat. Our employee‑designed Profit Share scheme divides a portion of our company’s profits each quarter amongst employees. We are dedicated to helping our employees reach their full potential, offering Pathways Career Development Quarterly, a programme designed to support professional growth.