Senior Backend Java Engineer

Madfish; United Kingdom; Remote; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading technology company in the UK is looking for an experienced Senior Backend Java Engineer to join their team. The ideal candidate will play a critical role in architecting and developing microservices, mentoring team members, and optimizing system performance. Key requirements include over 7 years of experience in Core Java, a deep understanding of the Spring ecosystem, expertise in Docker and Kubernetes, and familiarity with AWS services. This opportunity offers a collaborative environment focused on technical excellence.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of commercial experience with Java 8 or above.
• Strong command of design patterns and enterprise architecture.
• Proficiency in advanced SQL and relational databases.
• Hands-on experience with Spring Framework and microservices.
• Experience in Docker and Kubernetes deployments.

Responsibilities

• Architect & develop distributed microservices using Java and Spring Boot.
• Lead technical decisions across backend stack including design patterns.
• Mentor team members and establish engineering standards.
• Optimize system performance through profiling and refactoring.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver high-impact features.

Skills

Core Java Expertise

Distributed Systems Understanding

Spring Ecosystem Knowledge

Database Management

CI/CD Automation Skills

Docker Knowledge

AWS Cloud Expertise

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

Jenkins

GitLab CI

Job description

"CodeSmart” Software Engineering Artel is looking for an experienced Senior Backend Java Engineer to join our high-performance engineering team. In this role, you will drive architecture decisions, lead development of scalable microservices, and ensure the technical excellence of our non-game products. You will collaborate closely with product, DevOps, and engineering leadership to influence system design, optimize performance, and uphold best practices across the platform.

What You Will Do

• Architect & develop distributed microservices using Java (8+) and Spring Boot, ensuring system scalability, high availability, and fault tolerance.
• Lead technical decisions across the backend stack, including design patterns, integration strategies, data models, and service communication.
• Mentor and guide team members, set engineering standards, and review code to ensure quality and consistency.
• Optimize system performance through deep profiling, load analysis, and refactoring of critical components.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams (QA, Product, DevOps) to drive technical alignment, resolve complex issues, and deliver high-impact features.
• Design & maintain database layers, including optimized query design, indexing strategies, and efficient JPA usage.
• Containerize & orchestrate services using Docker and Kubernetes for resilient, scalable deployments.
• Own CI/CD & cloud deployment strategies to streamline releases and improve reliability.

Must-Have Requirements

• 1. Core Java Expertise
  • Deep understanding of collections, concurrency, JVM internals, and performance tuning.
  • 7+ years of commercial experience with Java (8+).
• 2. Advanced Design & Architecture
  • Strong command of design patterns, enterprise architecture, and modular system design.
  • Proven experience refactoring or re-architecting legacy systems at scale.
• 3. Databases & Persistence
  • Advanced SQL knowledge: schema design, normalization, relationships, and ACID principles.
  • Expert experience with JDBC, JPA/Hibernate, entity modeling, and performance tuning.
• 4. Senior-Level Spring Ecosystem Knowledge
  • Spring Core (DI, IoC), AOP, Security, Data JPA, Web, and Integration frameworks.
  • Experience with Spring Cloud: service discovery, config, load balancing, distributed tracing.
  • Ability to design secure, modular, and scalable REST APIs.
• 5. Netflix OSS & Distributed Systems
  • Hands-on experience with Eureka, Ribbon, Hystrix, or modern equivalents.
  • Strong understanding of resilience patterns (circuit breakers, retries, bulkheads, rate limiting).
• 6. Docker & Kubernetes
  • Proficiency in containerization, multi-stage builds, K8s deployments, and Helm (optional).
  • Ability to design scalable, production-grade deployment pipelines.
• 7. CI/CD Automation
  • Experience with modern CI/CD systems (Jenkins, GitLab CI, GitHub Actions).
  • Experience automating testing, deployments, and environment management.
• 8. AWS Cloud Expertise
  • Practical experience with AWS services (EC2, ECS/EKS).