Lead Java Developer (3-6 Month Contract)

Inspired Thinking Group (ITG); Birmingham; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Mentoring and leadership

AI tooling support

Job summary

Inspired Thinking Group (ITG) in the United Kingdom is seeking a Lead Java Developer to drive the development of web-based products for high-profile clients. You will work in a cross-functional, Agile team alongside BAs, Scrum Masters, architects, and QA.

You will mentor engineers, lead code reviews, and help define development strategy, with familiarity in Spring Boot, REST, AWS, Docker, and AI-assisted tooling.

Qualifications

• Proven experience leading Java development teams.
• Strong knowledge of Java ecosystems including Spring Boot.
• Experience delivering web applications in Agile environments.
• Ability to mentor and grow engineers across multiple projects.

Responsibilities

• Lead development of Java-based web applications for high profile clients.
• Mentor and develop team members; conduct code reviews and pair programming as needed.
• Define development strategy and drive incremental releases in sprints.
• Collaborate with account directors, creative teams and clients to meet timelines.

Tools

Spring Boot

Maven

Adobe AEM

AWS

Docker

GitLab

Terraform

Job description

Our Digital Engineering team at ITG are responsible for building world class, enterprise grade digital applications for high profile brands. We pride ourselves in working with mature Agile methodologies and make use of the latest versions of technology. Our teams are structured in such a way that gives every employee the opportunity to learn new skills, work on various projects over time and see the results of your efforts in the online consumer marketplace. Joining the Digital Engineering function would see you work as part of a cross-functional, product style team, generally consisting of a Business Analyst, Scrum Master / Project Manager, Solution Architect, Lead Developers (FE and BE), Developers, and Testers (Manual and Automated).

ITG require a talented Lead Java Developer to work on the development of a range of web based products and tools.

Lead Java Developers are responsible for building and maintaining a range of websites and applications for our clients, ranging from content management systems, to complex rules engines, finance calculators and tools.

At ITG, Lead Java Developers work with a variety of tools and frameworks. Many of our projects use Spring Boot, while others are based on light weight servlets and serverless, cloud functions. We use modern tools, frameworks and IDEs, and work in agile sprint teams alongside business analysts, frontend developers, QA testers and scrum masters.

Lead Developers are active members of the development team, specialising in Java Development but also working on projects using technologies with whichthey may be unfamiliar.

We integrate AI tooling across the full development lifecycle — from business analysis and architecture through to design, QA, and code delivery. Lead Frontend Developers use AI coding assistants (primarily Cursor) as a core part of daily workflow, not as an optional extra. It is important that developers understand how to use AI effectively and where its limitations lie.

Lead Developers lead from a technology standpoint, but also support, mentor and develop other members of the team.

What software, code and frameworks will I be working with?

Java

• Java 17-21
• Maven
• Spring, Spring Boot
• Adobe AEM

General

• Experience using REST APIs.
• HTML and CSS
• XML
• JSON
• OAuth
• REDIS
• Docker
• AWS Infrastructure
• Terraform
• Git (GitLab)
• Groovy Scripting

Testing

• TDD
• Unit testing with JUnit, Hamcrest & Mockito
• JMeter
• Bruno

Supporting Tools:

• IntelliJ IDEs
• JIRA
• Confluence
• GitLab pipelines
• Lucid Charts
• Agentic AI assistance from Claude Code

An idea of the day to day?

• Work closely with account directors, creative, and the client directly to ensure projects are delivered on time
• Help define and execute the development strategy
• Mentor and develop other members of the team
• Implement and improve working practices
• Identifyand research emerging market trends to ensure you are always on top of your game
• Working in an Agile team to allow development of small, incremental releases and rapid iteration
• Use of Claude Code to accelerate delivery of high quality software with supporting tests and documentation; but also supporting the team by continuously improving our AI tools, skills and workflows
• Participation in sprint ceremonies such as planning, standups, and demonstrations
• Conduct code reviews to ensure quality standards are upheld
• Estimation of tasks for a wide range of projects
• Lead Developers also act as Line managers for developers on the team, and should have experience of managing and mentoring employees

This role is all about working with others to solve technical challenges. As such the candidate must have exceptional communication skills, both written and oral, and should demonstrate experience of writing technical documentation - including the ability to craft clear, unambiguous prompts for AI tools.

We Value Diversity

We champion and welcome diversity in our workforce and ensure all job applicants receive equal and fair treatment, regardless of age, race, gender or gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, disability, or nationality.

We are not only committed to increasing the visibility and recognition of talent from under-represented groups within our organisation, but the wider industry too.

At the end of the day, we make sure we take time to look after ourselves, each other, and the planet, because we're always stronger together.

ITG have a number of community groups available to employees and exist to offer a safe space for like-minded colleagues, with shared interests to connect, socialise and check in with each other.