Lead Java Engineer - Identity

Mindera; City Of London; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading software company in the UK is seeking a Lead backend engineer to leverage their expertise in Java and Kotlin, focusing on building cloud-native systems. This six-month contract role involves leading engineering projects, mentoring junior engineers, and ensuring secure, high-quality code delivery. Ideal candidates will have experience with CI/CD, Kubernetes, and payment systems integration.

Benefits

Competitive Rates

Friendly and welcoming team

Opportunity to work with leading Retailers

Extension possibility

Qualifications

• Proven experience as a Lead Java Engineer in backend-heavy environments.
• Strong experience in Java 17+, ideally with Spring Boot or Micronaut.
• Hands-on knowledge of Kafka, event-driven architecture, and Microservices.
• Solid understanding of payment systems and PSP integrations.
• Experience with cloud infrastructure (preferably Azure) and CI/CD.

Responsibilities

• Lead technical deep dives and knowledge sharing in the teams.
• Influence product and business decisions.
• Write high-quality Java code using frameworks like Spring Boot.
• Build robust services for secure payment transactions.
• Manage CI/CD pipelines using GitHub Actions.

Skills

Kotlin

Java

Spring Boot

Micronaut

CI/CD

Kubernetes

Cloud platforms (Azure, AWS, GCP)

Agile methodology

Kafka

Tools

Terraform

GitHub Actions

OpenTelemetry

Dynatrace

Job description

At Mindera, we craft software with people we love.

We’re looking for a Lead backend engineer with a background in Kotlin or Java. Familiarity with Micronaut (or similar frameworks such as Spring Boot). Experience working in Identity teams (authentication, authorisation, SSO/OAuth). Proven track record of leading complex engineering projects. Strong problem-solving and communication skills.

Nice to Have: Experience with IAM platforms (Okta, Auth0, Keycloak, ForgeRock). Knowledge of identity/security standards such as OpenID Connect, JWT, SAML, MFA. Cloud platform experience (Azure, AWS, or GCP). Exposure to DevOps practices and CI/CD pipelines.

Please note: This is a six month contract that sits outside IR35. You will be required to work in Paddington 3 days a week.

What does the role involve?

• Lead technical deep dives and knowledge sharing in the teams, anticipating challenges and proposing solutions
• Start influencing product and business decisions

Hands-on Software Development:

• Write high-quality Java code using frameworks such as Spring Boot or Micronaut.
• Build robust services that support secure, high-volume payment transactions.
• Develop integrations with acquiring banks, payment gateways, and fraud detection tools.

Cloud & DevOps Practices:

• Build and support cloud-native systems on the cloud (preferably Azure) using Terraform and Kubernetes.
• Manage CI/CD pipelines using GitHub Actions and ensure smooth delivery to production.
• Own monitoring, alerting, and observability, using tools like OpenTelemetry and Dynatrace.

Security & Compliance:

• Champion secure coding practices and data protection across services.

Collaboration & Mentoring:

• Work closely with product owners, engineering leads, and other stakeholders to shape technical solutions.
• Mentor and support more junior/mid/senior engineers, driving technical excellence across the board.
• Help establish and promote best practices around code review, testing, delivery, and operational support.

Continuous Improvement:

• Continuously improve platform reliability, performance, and cost-efficiency.
• Stay up-to-date with technology trends and proactively identify innovation opportunities.

Key Responsibilities and Qualifications

• Proven experience as a Lead Java Engineer in backend-heavy environments in teams having multiple levels of engineering.
• Strong experience in Java 17+, ideally with experience in using Spring Boot or Micronaut. Kotlin experience is a bonus. If the applicant does not have experience they must show willingness to learn Kotlin.
• Hands‑on knowledge of Kafka, event‑driven architecture, enterprise integration patterns and Microservices.
• Solid understanding of payment systems and PSP integrations, including fraud, tokenisation, and settlement flows.
• Experience with cloud infrastructure (Azure preferred), CI/CD, and Kubernetes.
• Working knowledge of regulatory and compliance standards (PCI DSS, SCA, PSD2).
• Strong communication skills and the ability to explain complex technical concepts to a range of audiences.
• Experience working in Agile/Scrum teams with a DevOps culture and test‑driven mindset.

Nice to Have

• Experience with IAM platforms (Okta, Auth0, Keycloak, ForgeRock). Knowledge of identity/security standards such as OpenID Connect, JWT, SAML, MFA.
• Cloud platform experience (Azure, AWS, or GCP). Exposure to DevOps practices and CI/CD pipelines.

Benefits

• Competitive Rates
• Six month contract outside IR35 with possibility of extension
• Friendly and welcoming team
• Opportunity to work with one of the UK's leading Retailers

At Mindera we use technology to build products we are proud of, with people we love.

Software Engineering Applications, including Web and Mobile, are at the core of what we do at Mindera. We partner with our clients, to understand their product and deliver high performance, resilient and scalable software systems that create an impact on their users and businesses across the world.

You get to work with a bunch of great people, where the whole team owns the project together. Our culture reflects our lean and self‑organisation attitude. We encourage our colleagues to take risks, make decisions, work in a collaborative way and talk to everyone to enhance communication.

We are proud of our work and we love to learn all and everything while navigating through an Agile, Lean and collaborative environment.

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