Lead Java Developer

Citi; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

27 days annual leave

Discretional annual bonus

Private Medical Care & Life Insurance

Employee Assistance Program

Pension Plan

Parental Leave

Employee discounts

Learning and development resources

Job summary

Citi in London is seeking a Lead Java Developer to drive the development of real-time and on-demand risk systems within our global trading and risk framework. You will own the full development lifecycle, from architecture to production support, and collaborate with London-based traders, risk teams and technology partners.

The role offers exposure to cutting-edge tech, AWS migrations, and a chance to influence global markets.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent in a relevant field.
• Master's degree preferred.
• Experience in Capital Markets Front Office technology.
• Experience leading applications development lifecycle.

Responsibilities

• Lead delivery of Real-Time and On-Demand Risk enhancements for the Credit Business.
• Own the full development lifecycle: architecture, design, implementation, automated testing strategies, release execution, and production support.
• Drive alignment of RT/OD workflows with EOD Risk strategy, ensuring functional parity, reconciliation, and controlled cutover.
• Lead adoption and build‑out of RT/OD capabilities on strategic risk platform, including integration of new analytics, workflows, and risk datasets.
• Deliver significant performance improvements through optimized risk calculation strategies.
• Guide the migration of compute workloads to AWS, implementing best practices for scalability, throughput, resiliency, and cost efficiency.
• Collaborate with NAM and APAC teams in a follow‑the‑sun model to improve delivery velocity and reduce operational risk.
• Provide user-facing updates, demos, documentation, and education to promote adoption and ensure successful rollout of new capabilities.
• Lead root cause analysis on production issues, drive long‑term stability improvements, and strengthen monitoring and observability across the platform.

Skills

Core Java

J2EE

Spring Framework

Python scripting

Capital Markets

Front Office Risk

Microservices

APIs

Docker

Kubernetes

OpenShift

Kafka

JMS

gRPC

Latency optimization

ELK

Prometheus

Grafana

Jaeger

Linux/Unix

Education

Bachelor's degree/University degree or equivalent experience

Master's degree preferred

Job description

Discover your future at Citi

Working at Citi is far more than just a job. A career with us means joining a team of more than 230,000 dedicated people from around the globe. At Citi, you’ll have the opportunity to grow your career, give back to your community and make a real impact.

Job Overview

Engineer the future of global finance. At Citi, our Tech team doesn’t just support finance – we are helping to redefine it. Every day, $5 trillion crosses through our network. We do business in 180+ countries operating at a scale few can match. From deploying advanced AI to helping shape global markets, we build systems that matter. Look to join a team where your work helps influence economies, your ideas can drive innovation and outcomes, and your growth is backed by mentorship, continuous learning and flexibility with potential hybrid work opportunities. Help solve real-world challenges that touch millions and get the opportunity to build the future of finance with Citi Tech.

Full time

The Lead Java Developer is a senior level position responsible for establishing and implementing new or revised application systems and programs in coordination with the Technology team. The overall objective of this role is to lead applications systems analysis and programming activities.

Responsibilities

• Lead delivery of Real-Time and On-Demand Risk enhancements for the Credit Business by partnering directly with London-based trading, MQA, Market Risk, and technology teams.
• Own the full development lifecycle: architecture, design, implementation, automated testing strategies, release execution, and ongoing production support.
• Drive alignment of RT/OD workflows with EOD Risk strategy, ensuring functional parity, reconciliation, and controlled cutover.
• Lead adoption and build‑out of RT/OD capabilities on strategic risk platform, including integration of new analytics, workflows, and risk datasets.
• Deliver significant performance improvements through optimized risk calculation strategies.
• Guide the migration of compute workloads to AWS, implementing best practices for scalability, throughput, resiliency, and cost efficiency.
• Collaborate actively with NAM and APAC teams in a follow‑the‑sun model to improve delivery velocity, reduce operational risk, and ensure rapid triage of production incidents.
• Provide user-facing updates, demos, documentation, and education to promote adoption and ensure successful rollout of new capabilities.
• Lead root cause analysis on production issues, drive long‑term stability improvements, and strengthen monitoring and observability across the platform.

Recommended Experience

• Strong experience in Core Java, J2EE, Spring Framework
• Exposure to Python scripting and data analysis
• Experience in fast moving Capital Markets Front Office technology environment with experience in Fixed Income products
• Working knowledge of Front Office Risk calculations, especially for Credit products
• Experience in building highly scalable and distributed applications using Microservices, APIs, and Container technologies such as Docker, Kubernetes, OpenShift, etc.
• Strong expertise in messaging technologies such as Kafka, JMS, gRPC etc
• Proficient in latency measurement and performance optimization of Java based platforms with focus on JVM tuning
• Experience with observability stacks like ELK, Prometheus, Grafana, Kiali, Jaeger etc.
• Sound knowledge for persistence technologies such as relational databases, NoSQL databases, off heap storages and distributed caches
• Hands‑on knowledge of Linux / Unix
• Experience working with senior Quants and Technology Managers
• Good verbal and written communication

Education

• Bachelor's degree/University degree or equivalent experience
• Master's degree preferred

This job description provides a high-level review of the types of work performed. Other job-related duties may be assigned as required.

What we’ll provide you

• 27 days annual leave (plus bank holidays)
• A discretional annual performance related bonus
• Private Medical Care & Life Insurance
• Employee Assistance Program
• Pension Plan
• Paid Parental Leave
• Special discounts for employees, family, and friends
• Access to an array of learning and development resources

Visit our Global Benefits page to learn more.

Alongside these benefits Citi is committed to ensuring our workplace is where everyone feels comfortable coming to work as their whole self, every day. We want the best talent around the world to be energized to join us, motivated to stay and empowered to thrive.

Citi is an equal opportunity employer, and qualified candidates will receive consideration without regard to their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other characteristic protected by law.

If you are a person with a disability and need a reasonable accommodation to use our search tools and/or apply for a career opportunity review Accessibility at Citi.

View Citi's EEO Policy Statement and the Know Your Rights poster.