Senior Backend Engineer - Contractor - (Outside of IR35)

Pulselive; London; On-site; GBP 125,000 - 150,000; Part time

Job summary

A leading sports technology company is seeking a Senior Software Engineer – Java for a contract role in London. This position focuses on delivering robust backend services for a global audience. Ideal candidates will have expert-level knowledge in Java and Spring, experience with microservice architectures, and be comfortable in a collaborative environment. Competitive day rates are offered.

Qualifications

• Strong Java and Spring expertise required.
• Experience with designing and building microservice architectures.
• Ability to write and maintain clear technical documentation.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop scalable backend systems using Java and Spring Boot.
• Deliver maintainable and testable code.
• Build and maintain RESTful APIs.

Skills

Java 11+

Spring Boot and Spring Framework

RESTful APIs

Git for version control

JSON and structured data

Unit testing with JUnit

SQL (PostgreSQL, MySQL)

Docker containerization

AWS services

Tools

JIRA

Maven

Kafka

Kubernetes

Job description

Overview

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

Duration: 3 Months Plus

Start Date: Beginning of August, 2025

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 of:

• 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)