Senior Backend Engineer

Pulselive; Greater London; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading technology company in Greater London is seeking a Senior Software Engineer (Java) on a contract basis. The role focuses on building robust backend services for sports applications and involves designing scalable systems with Java and Spring Boot. Candidates should have extensive experience with microservices, RESTful APIs, and collaboration within agile teams. This position offers a competitive day rate of £400 - 500 and is ideal for skilled developers looking to make an impact in the sports tech industry.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in software development, particularly with Java.
• Experience working in agile teams and participating in sprint planning.
• Strong understanding of backend services and API design.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop scalable backend systems using Java and Spring Boot.
• Build and maintain RESTful APIs to support applications.
• Participate in code reviews and uphold development best practices.

Skills

Java 11+

Spring Boot and Spring Framework (v5+)

JPA/Hibernate and ORM principles

Designing and building microservice architectures

Creating and consuming RESTful APIs

Git for version control

JSON and working with structured data

Unit testing with frameworks like JUnit

Task management tools like JIRA

Tools

PostgreSQL

MySQL

Docker

Kubernetes

AWS services (e.g., S3, Lambda, EC2)

Maven

Job description

Senior Software Engineer – Java (Contract - Outside of IR35)

Duration: 3 Months Plus

Start Date: ASAP

Day Rate: £400 - 500 per day

As a Senior Software Engineer (Java) – Contractor at Pulselive, you’ll be focused on delivering robust, high-performance backend services and APIs that power digital experiences for millions of sports fans globally. This role is ideal for an experienced, hands-on engineer with strong Java and Spring expertise who thrives in a collaborative and fast-paced delivery environment.

You’ll work closely with cross-functional teams to build, integrate, and optimize systems that handle real-time sports data, video, and live commentary. This position is project- and delivery-focused, with no line management or people-leadership responsibilities required.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and develop scalable backend systems using Java and Spring Boot
• Deliver well-structured, maintainable, and testable code aligned with project requirements
• Build and maintain RESTful APIs to support web and mobile applications
• Integrate with third‑party data providers (e.g. sports data, video, commentary)
• Use Git to manage code versioning and contribute to shared repositories
• Manage deployments across multiple environments (Dev, Test, Staging, Prod)
• Ensure systems are performant, secure, and resilient
• Identify and manage project-level technical dependencies
• Participate in sprint planning and delivery-focused meetings with the wider team
• Write and maintain clear technical documentation
• Contribute to code reviews and uphold development best practices

Core Skills & Experience

Expert-level knowledge

• Java 11+
• Spring Boot and Spring Framework (v5+)
• JPA/Hibernate and ORM principles
• Designing and building microservice architectures
• Creating and consuming RESTful APIs
• Git for version control and collaborative development
• JSON and working with structured data
• Unit testing with frameworks like JUnit
• Task management tools like JIRA
• Writing technical documentation for APIs and backend components

Proficient with

• SQL (PostgreSQL, MySQL, or similar)
• Kafka or other messaging/event-driven platforms
• Docker containerization
• Kubernetes for orchestration
• AWS services (e.g., S3, Lambda, EC2, etc.)
• Maven for build and dependency management
• CI/CD pipelines and deployment automation

Basic understanding of

• Python (scripts, tools, integrations)
• Frontend technologies: HTML, CSS, JavaScript (for context when integrating with frontend)