Lead Backend Architect — Java, Kubernetes, Multi-Region

Fairygodboss; England; On-site; GBP 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

J.P. Morgan is seeking a Lead Software Engineer to drive technical strategy and architecture for mission‑critical applications. You will lead a skilled team, design high‑performance backend services in Java, and shape multi‑region architectures for resilience and scale.

You will champion MongoDB and Kubernetes adoption, define API standards, and mentor engineers in secure, efficient delivery. Senior leadership and cloud‑native development experience are essential.

Qualifications

• Formal training or certification on Software Engineering concepts and applied experience.
• Extensive experience in Java and object-oriented programming.
• Proven leadership in Kubernetes and cloud-native application development.
• Deep expertise in MongoDB, including change streams and schema design.
• Strong background in RESTful and gRPC API design and implementation.
• Demonstrated experience with API best practices and service registry concepts.
• Track record of designing highly resilient, multi-region architectures.
• Ability to architect and promote custom frameworks and reusable components.
• Experience leading Agile, self-managing teams.
• Demonstrated experience leading effective use of approved AI-assisted software development tools.
• Strong understanding of responsible AI use in engineering workflows.

Responsibilities

• Own the technical strategy and architecture for mission-critical applications, ensuring alignment with goals and best practices.
• Lead and mentor a team of software engineers, providing guidance and professional development.
• Drive design and implementation of high-performance backend services using Java and cloud-native tech.
• Champion resilient, multi-region architectures for fault tolerance and DR.
• Drive adoption of MongoDB and Kubernetes with modern platforms.
• Set and enforce API design standards (REST/gRPC) including versioning and documentation.
• Guide integration and management of service registries for dynamic discovery.
• Promote creation of reusable frameworks and components.
• Manage project delivery, timelines, quality, and risk mitigation.
• Encourage enterprise AI-assisted engineering practices and validation standards.
• Apply SDLC toolchain knowledge to improve automation value.

Skills

Java

Kubernetes

REST/gRPC

Agile leadership

Secure coding

AI-assisted development

Cloud-native development

Microservices

Education

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field

Tools

MongoDB

Service registries

API design tooling

Job description

J.P. Morgan is seeking a Lead Software Engineer to drive technical strategy and architecture for mission‑critical applications. You will lead a skilled team, design high‑performance backend services in Java, and shape multi‑region architectures for resilience and scale.

You will champion MongoDB and Kubernetes adoption, define API standards, and mentor engineers in secure, efficient delivery. Senior leadership and cloud‑native development experience are essential.