Principal Java Developer

Ocho; Belfast; Remote; GBP 68,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading global payments business is seeking a Principal Java Engineer to drive backend development and lead design discussions for merchant-focused products. With a strong engineering presence in Northern Ireland, you will ensure systems are scalable, secure, and perform efficiently. The ideal candidate has over 10 years of backend development experience with Java and a solid understanding of modern engineering practices in a collaborative, remote-first environment.

Benefits

Flexible working

Collaborative culture

High-impact projects

Qualifications

• 10+ years of backend engineering experience focused on Java.
• Proven experience in scalable, secure systems.
• Strong understanding of OO design and microservice architecture.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and development of backend services and APIs.
• Set technical direction and coach developers.
• Collaborate with stakeholders for scalable solutions.

Skills

Backend engineering

Java

Distributed systems

REST APIs

Microservice architecture

CI/CD workflows

SQL

Leadership

Collaboration

Job description

Overview

Principal Java Engineer - NI 100% remote
Salary: up to £80k + bonus+ benefits

About the Company

Our client is a leading global payments business with a strong engineering presence in Northern Ireland. Their mission is to radically and responsibly deliver value to merchants by building a next-gen, merchant-first ecosystem. With a product-centric culture and a focus on technical excellence, they empower small teams to deliver big outcomes free from red tape and bureaucracy.

The Role

As a Principal Java Engineer, you\'ll drive backend development across complex distributed systems, helping to define and deliver merchant-focused products. You\'ll be trusted to lead design discussions, introduce best practices, and work closely with Product and DevOps teams to ensure scalable, secure, and high-performing systems are built from the ground up. You\'ll balance strategic thinking with hands-on coding and technical delivery.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the design and development of distributed backend services and APIs in Java
• Set technical direction across projects and coach developers on architecture and design patterns
• Collaborate with stakeholders to translate business needs into elegant, scalable solutions
• Define and enforce software quality standards, including test automation and CI/CD pipelines
• Continuously evaluate and improve engineering practices, tooling, and technical processes
• Contribute to deployment strategies and support production systems when required

Essential Criteria

• 10+ years of backend engineering experience with a deep focus on Java
• Proven experience designing and delivering scalable, secure systems in a high-volume environment
• Strong understanding of OO design, design patterns, refactoring, and microservice architecture
• Hands-on experience with REST APIs, message queues, distributed systems, and caching
• Solid grasp of modern CI/CD workflows and cloud-native development
• Deep experience with SQL and relational database design
• Strong leadership, mentoring, and collaboration skills
• Ability to work independently, navigate ambiguity, and drive technical decisions

Why Join

• Principal-level influence in a product-led engineering team
• Empowered to shape architecture and technical direction
• Flat structure, collaborative culture, and fast decision-making
• Flexible working, remote-first team, and modern Java stack
• High-impact projects solving real merchant problems

How to Apply

If you\'re a hands-on technical leader ready to shape the future of merchant-focused payments technology, apply via the link. Or reach out to Phil Gamble directly via LinkedIn or WhatsApp for an informal conversation.