Senior Scala Engineer

Oliver Bernard; Greater London; On-site; GBP 111,000 - 166,000; Full time

Job summary

Oliver Bernard is seeking a Senior Scala Engineer for a 12-month contract in London. The role focuses on backend development with Scala, while also touching frontend work in TypeScript. You will shape scalable cloud-native services and collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver robust software.

The position emphasizes strong backend design, modern engineering practices, and ownership of critical services, with DRY code and thorough testing in an Agile environment.

Qualifications

• Extensive commercial experience with Scala in backend systems.
• Experience building RESTful APIs and microservices.
• Familiarity with distributed architectures and cloud deployments.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and maintain high-performance backend services using Scala.
• Build frontend components and APIs using TypeScript.
• Develop scalable microservices and distributed systems.

Skills

Scala expertise

RESTful APIs & microservices

Distributed systems

CI/CD practices

Agile teamwork

React frontend familiarity

Kafka/messaging

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

AWS/Azure/GCP

Terraform/IaC

Play / Akka / Cats Effect / ZIO

Job description

Contract: 12 Months

The Opportunity

We're looking for a Senior Scala Engineer to join a high-performing engineering team on a 12-month contract. This role is ideal for an experienced backend engineer with deep Scala expertise who is also comfortable working across the full stack using TypeScript.

You'll play a key role in designing, building, and enhancing scalable, cloud-native applications while collaborating closely with product managers, architects, and fellow engineers.

The role is approximately 90% Scala and 10% TypeScript, with a strong emphasis on backend development and modern engineering practices.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and maintain high-performance backend services using Scala.
• Build and enhance frontend components and APIs using TypeScript.
• Develop scalable, resilient microservices and distributed systems.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver high-quality software.
• Write clean, maintainable, and well-tested code.
• Participate in code reviews and contribute to engineering best practices.
• Support CI/CD pipelines and cloud-based deployments.
• Troubleshoot production issues and optimise application performance.

Required Skills & Experience

• Extensive commercial experience developing applications with Scala.
• Experience building RESTful APIs and microservices.
• Knowledge of distributed systems and event-driven architectures.
• Experience with relational and/or NoSQL databases.
• Familiarity with Docker and Kubernetes.
• Experience working with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure or GCP).
• Strong understanding of software engineering principles, testing, and CI/CD.
• Excellent communication skills and experience working within Agile teams.
• Experience with Akka, Cats Effect, ZIO, or Play Framework.
• Experience with React or other modern frontend frameworks.
• Kafka or other messaging technologies.
• Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, CloudFormation, etc.)
• IR35: Inside IR35
• Location: London

If you're a senior Scala engineer looking for your next long-term contract and enjoy working across both backend and frontend technologies, we'd love to hear from you.