Senior Java Software Engineer

Qodea; City Of London; On-site; GBP 75,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

A global technology group is seeking a Senior Java Software Engineer to lead architectural strategies for their loyalty platform in London. This role offers opportunities for impactful work that combines technology, design, and human behavior. Candidates should possess strong Java development skills and experience in personalisation technologies, backed by a relevant degree. The position fosters flexibility, with collaboration sessions onsite and requires occasional evening availability.

Benefits

Competitive base salary

Matching pension scheme

Discretionary company bonus

36 days annual leave

Private medical insurance

Flexible working hours

Qualifications

• Degree in Computer Science or related field.
• Experience in developing large-scale Java systems.
• Hands-on experience with personalisation and recommendation engines.

Responsibilities

• Lead architecture of scalable Java backend systems.
• Design strategies for performance and reliability of services.
• Drive cross-functional initiatives for modern personalisation technologies.

Skills

Java backend development

API development (REST, GraphQL)

Cloud environments (GCP, AWS)

Content personalisation

Data processing frameworks

Strong communication

Education

Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field

Tools

Spring Boot

Apache Kafka

Kubernetes

Docker

Job description

Work where work matters.

Elevate your career at Qodea, where innovation isn't just a buzzword, it's in our DNA.

We are a global technology group built for what's next, offering high calibre professionals the platform for high stakes work, the kind of work that defines an entire career. When you join us, you're not just taking on projects, you're solving problems that don't even have answers yet.

You will join the exclusive roster of talent that global leaders, including Google, Snap, Diageo, PayPal, and Jaguar Land Rover call when deadlines seem impossible, when others have already tried and failed, and when the solution absolutely has to work.

Forget routine consultancy. You will operate where technology, design, and human behaviour meet to deliver tangible outcomes, fast. This is work that leaves a mark, work you’ll be proud to tell your friends about.

Qodea is built for what’s next. An environment where your skills will evolve at the frontier of innovation and AI, ensuring continuous growth and development.

We look for people who embody:

Innovation to solve the hardest problems.

Accountability for every result.

Integrity always.

About The Role

We are looking for a senior-level Java Software Engineer to be the architectural authority for our loyalty platform. You won't just use AI and ML; you'll design the large-scale systems that make them possible, setting the technical strategy for how we deliver personalized, intelligent experiences to millions of users.

This role is designed for impact, and we believe our best work happens when we connect. While we operate a flexible model, we expect you to spend time on site (at our offices or a client location) for collaboration sessions, customer meetings, and internal workshops.

We want to be transparent about expectations. Our daily collaboration sync is 5-6 pm GMT. Beyond that, this role will require occasional evening availability to align with US time zones for high-priority events, like a critical deployment, a major architectural review, or to resolve an urgent production issue.

In this role you'll:

• Lead the architecture and evolution of scalable, high-performance Java backend systems for personalisation, including data ingestion, profile management, recommendation services, and dynamic content delivery.
• Utilize frameworks like Spring Boot, Apache Kafka for messaging, and RESTful API as well as Backend-for-Frontend (GraphQL) design principles.
• Drive cross-functional initiatives to integrate modern personalisation technologies, such as real-time behavioral analytics and A/B testing frameworks, using Java-based APIs and microservices.
• Define strategies to enhance the performance, reliability, and observability of personalisation services, ensuring low-latency, high-availability systems through Java optimizations and monitoring tools like Micrometer or Prometheus.
• Design and implement Java frameworks for evaluating personalisation effectiveness through both offline metrics and live A/B experimentation.
• Champion engineering best practices in Java development and mentor engineers across teams, raising the bar for code quality and system design.
• Shape long-term technical direction by staying ahead of trends in distributed systems, Java ecosystem advancements, and personalisation technologies—and bringing these innovations into production.

What Success Looks Like

• Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field.
• Experience in developing large-scale java systems.
• Extensive hands-on experience working with content from personalisation and recommendation engines.
• Familiarity with technologies such as Apache Beam, Pub/Sub, and other large-scale data processing frameworks crucial for personalisation at scale.
• Expertise in backend development, with knowledge of Golang is a plus, to build robust and efficient recommendation systems.
• Proficiency with both SQL and NoSQL databases, to manage and query data for personalized experiences.
• Demonstrated experience building robust APIs (REST, GraphQL) and operating in modern cloud environments (GCP, AWS), using Kubernetes, Docker, CI/CD, and observability tools.
• Proven ability to influence engineering direction across teams and functions.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to align diverse technical stakeholders around a cohesive vision.

Nice to Have

• Specialization in personalisation-related areas and recommendation engines.
• Experience deploying personalisation solutions in production.
• Knowledge of end-to-end personalisation system design.
• knowledge of Scala

We believe in supporting our team members both professionally and personally. Here's how we invest in you:

Compensation and Financial Wellbeing

• Competitive base salary.
• Matching pension scheme (up to 5%) from day one.
• Discretionary company bonus scheme.
• 4 x annual salary Death in Service coverage from day one.
• Employee referral scheme.
• Tech Scheme.

Health and Wellness

• Private medical insurance from day one.
• Optical and dental cash back scheme.
• Help@Hand app: access to remote GPs, second opinions, mental health support, and physiotherapy.
• EAP service.
• Cycle to Work scheme.

Work-Life Balance and Growth

• 36 days annual leave (inclusive of bank holidays).
• An extra paid day off for your birthday.
• Ten paid learning days per year.
• Flexible working hours.
• Market-leading parental leave.
• Sabbatical leave (after five years).
• Work from anywhere (up to 3 weeks per year).
• Industry-recognised training and certifications.
• Bonusly employee recognition and rewards platform.
• Clear opportunities for career development.
• Length of Service Awards.
• Regular company events.

Diversity and Inclusion

At Qodea, we champion diversity and inclusion. We believe that a career in IT should be open to everyone, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, disability, or neurotype. We value the unique talents and perspectives that each individual brings to our team, and we strive to create a fair and accessible hiring process for all.