Lead Engineer Back End

OSB Group; Maidstone; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

A financial services company in Maidstone seeks a Lead Engineer (BackEnd) to provide technical leadership in developing backend solutions and mentoring teams. The role involves working with Java technologies, embracing Agile methodologies, and ensuring delivery of high-quality outcomes. Candidates should have a strong background in Java development, API design, and database management, along with experience in CI/CD and cloud platforms. A competitive salary and comprehensive benefits are offered.

Benefits

Annual bonus opportunity up to 15%

28 days annual leave + bank holidays

Enhanced family-focused benefits

Qualifications

• Extensive hands-on experience developing backend systems using Java (Java 8 minimum, ideally Java 11+).
• Strong experience designing and consuming RESTful APIs, building event-driven systems.
• Solid experience working with relational and NoSQL databases and ORM frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Design high-quality, scalable backend solutions using modern Java technologies.
• Champion Test-Driven Development (TDD) practices.
• Develop integration tests to validate acceptance criteria.

Skills

Java

Spring Boot

RESTful APIs

Agile methodologies

Docker

Kubernetes

CI/CD pipelines

NoSQL databases

ORM frameworks

Tools

PostgreSQL

MongoDB

Cosmos DB

JUnit

Mockito

WireMock

Job description

Lead Engineer (BackEnd) – UK & India Delivery Teams

As a Lead Engineer (BackEnd) you will support distributed Agile ways of working, contribute to Run the Live (RTL) responsiveness, and help drive production stability. A key part of the role is mentoring and developing engineering capability within our India hub, helping to build long-term, OSB‑led technical expertise.

Responsibilities

• Designing, developing and maintaining high‑quality, scalable backend solutions using modern Java technologies
• Building and maintaining Java web services and components in line with detailed designs and best practices
• Championing Test‑Driven Development (TDD), ensuring strong unit and integration test coverage
• Developing integration tests to validate acceptance criteria and end‑to‑end system behaviour
• Driving technical standards around performance, resilience, security and code quality
• Leading and contributing to team ceremonies, ensuring meetings are focused and productive
• Working closely with UK and offshore teams to deliver high‑quality outcomes in an Agile environment
• Supporting RTL activities and responding effectively to production issues when required

What you will be doing?

Acting as a technical bridge between product owners, cloud architects, delivery leads and development teams to ensure robust, scalable solutions ready for regulatory and customer‑facing releases.

Qualifications

• Extensive hands‑on experience developing backend systems using Java (Java 8 minimum, ideally Java 11+), Spring Boot and microservices
• Strong experience designing and consuming RESTful APIs, building event‑driven systems, and applying DDD principles
• Solid experience working with relational and NoSQL databases (e.g. PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Cosmos DB) and ORM frameworks such as Spring Data JPA/Hibernate
• Proven experience in Agile delivery environments, CI/CD pipelines and automated testing (JUnit, Mockito, WireMock)
• Strong communication and stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to mentor others and explain complex technical concepts clearly
• Experience with cloud platforms (Azure, AWS or GCP), containerisation (Docker, Kubernetes) and DevOps practices

Benefits

Base salary between £65,000 – £75,000 dependent upon experience. Enhanced family‑focused benefits. Annual bonus opportunity up to 15%. 28 days annual leave + bank holidays.

For full benefits details visit: https://www.osb.co.uk/careers/overview

About us

At OSB Group, we understand how much our people bring to our organisation, which is why we try our best to give back too! Our purpose is to help our customers, colleagues and communities prosper and we are on a transformation journey to become "the bank of the future". Our commitment to professional development, flexible working, and employee well‑being fosters a dynamic and supportive workplace.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Not sure if you meet the spec? Let us decide. Research tells us that those from marginalised groups feel like they need to meet 100% of the criteria to apply. Here at OSB, we are committed to inclusivity and understand the value different experiences and perspectives can bring, so please don't feel like you need to check every box to apply for a role internally. We champion diversity at all levels, with Board‑level Diversity Champions tracking our progress. We are proud to be signed up to the Women in Finance Charter to actively support the growth and development of senior women in our sector and are dedicated to treating all our employees and job applicants equally, opposed to discrimination on any grounds.

About the team

At OSB Group, we’re passionate about helping our customers, colleagues and communities prosper. Our specialist lending and savings brands are powered by modern, resilient technology – and our engineers play a vital role in shaping secure, customer‑focused digital experiences in a regulated environment. We're looking for a Lead Engineer to provide hands‑on technical leadership to our Savings Value stream. You'll ensure consistency in architecture, code quality and security across our full‑stack platforms, including backend services and Salesforce components.

The role reports into the Principal Engineer and will partner closely with Product Owners, Cloud Architects and Delivery Leads to ensure solutions are robust, scalable and ready for regulatory and customer‑facing releases. The role can be based from our Wolverhampton, Chatham or London office and will require occasional travel between all OSB Group locations.

Next steps

If this sounds like you, please apply now! For internal applications please visit the internal careers page to apply.

Shortlisted candidates will go through a personalised recruitment process, that is relevant and conversational – inclusive any individual reasonable support required. We want to bring out the best in you!