Senior Software Engineer - (Java, NodeJS, AWS, Python)

xdesign; City of Edinburgh; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

xdesign is seeking an experienced Senior Backend Java Engineer to build scalable, secure backend systems and influence technical direction. You will mentor peers, drive architectural decisions and champion automation and AI integration across projects.

The role combines hands-on coding with leadership, collaborating across cross-functional teams to deliver high-value client outcomes while maintaining engineering excellence and modern workflows.

Qualifications

• Hands-on experience with Java 8+ and Spring Boot.
• Experience designing RESTful APIs with security and scalability.
• Proficiency in SQL and NoSQL databases.
• Experience with Docker and cloud platforms (AWS).
• Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines and Git workflows.
• Ability to mentor and lead engineering discussions.

Responsibilities

• Design, build and maintain scalable backend systems using Java and Spring.
• Lead technical design and architectural discussions with teams.
• Develop and evolve RESTful APIs focusing on security and performance.
• Promote engineering excellence through testing, docs and reviews.
• Drive delivery across multiple initiatives balancing speed and value.
• Mentor engineers and raise team capability.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver client outcomes.
• Research and evaluate new technologies and AI capabilities.

Skills

Java 8+

Spring Boot

Python

NodeJS

Spring Data JPA

Spring Security

REST APIs

Microservices

SQL

NoSQL

Kafka/RabbitMQ

Docker

AWS

CI/CD (Jenkins/GitLab)

Git

Observability (logs/metrics/tracing)

Maven/Gradle

JVM performance

Spring Cloud/WebFlux

Job description

Senior Backend Java Engineer

Build software that matters. Shape the future of engineering.

We're looking for an experienced Senior Backend Java Engineer who is passionate about building scalable, high-quality software and helping teams grow. This is more than a hands-on engineering role-you'll influence technical direction, mentor other engineers, drive architectural decisions, and help us embed AI and automation into the way we deliver value for our clients.

What You'll Do

• Design, build and maintain scalable, secure and resilient backend systems using modern Java and the Spring ecosystem.
• Lead technical design and architectural discussions, ensuring solutions are maintainable, performant and aligned with best practices.
• Develop and evolve RESTful APIs with a focus on security, versioning, performance and reliability.
• Champion engineering excellence through clean code, automated testing, documentation and code reviews.
• Drive delivery across multiple initiatives while balancing speed, quality and commercial value.
• Mentor engineers through coaching, pairing and constructive feedback, helping raise capability across the team.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to solve problems together and deliver outstanding outcomes for clients.
• Research and evaluate emerging technologies, frameworks and AI capabilities that improve how we build software.
• Promote automation wherever possible, removing repetitive work so teams can focus on solving meaningful problems.
• Contribute to a culture of continuous learning, innovation and technical excellence.

What You'll Bring

Technical Expertise

• Modern Java (Java 8+) including Streams, Lambdas and Optional
• Spring Boot and the wider Spring ecosystem
• Python
• NodeJS
• Spring Data JPA / Hibernate
• Spring Security including OAuth2 and JWT
• REST API design and implementation
• Microservices and distributed system design
• SQL databases with strong query optimisation skills
• NoSQL databases
• Messaging technologies such as Kafka or RabbitMQ
• Docker and containerised application development
• Cloud platforms AWS
• CI/CD pipelines using tools such as Jenkins or GitLab CI
• Git and modern software development workflows
• Observability tooling including logging, metrics and distributed tracing
• Comprehensive testing across unit, integration and functional layers
• Maven or Gradle
• Java concurrency and JVM performance fundamentals
• Experience with Spring Cloud, WebFlux or reactive programming would be advantageous.

What Success Looks Like

• Technical Excellence & Craft Mastery
  Write clean, maintainable and highly optimised code.
  Set high standards for quality, testing and documentation.
  Coach others in engineering best practices and modern development techniques.
• Architectural Leadership
  Design scalable, resilient and secure systems.
  Make thoughtful architectural decisions that support long-term maintainability.
  Evaluate new technologies and guide adoption where they add value.
• Commercial Delivery
  Lead projects from discovery through delivery.
  Understand client challenges and translate them into practical technical solutions.
  Deliver outcomes that create measurable business value.
• Leadership & Collaboration
  Lead engineering ceremonies and facilitate productive technical discussions.
  Mentor and develop engineers across the team.
  Communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
  Foster an environment where knowledge sharing and continuous improvement are part of everyday work.
• AI & Innovation
  Explore and implement AI-driven approaches that improve engineering efficiency.
  Champion responsible adoption of AI across delivery teams.
  Help shape our engineering practices for the future.

What we’ll offer you:

We trust people to do their best work. That means flexibility over rigid rules, impact over activity, and real investment in your growth both professionally and personally. You'll be part of a supportive, and friendly culture, surrounded by smart, curious people who care deeply about what they do.

We offer flexible working, including hybrid and remote options. Our office hubs are located in Edinburgh, Leeds, Manchester, London and Bulgaria, with occasional travel to client sites or CreateFuture offices when needed.

We trust you to manage your time balancing collaboration with client time and focused work. What matters is the impact you have, not how busy you look.

Our hiring process

We try to keep our hiring process clear, fair and respectful of your time. We aim to get back to everyone who applies and we will be upfront about where you are in the process.

It usually looks like this:

Call with our Talent Acquisition Team
Role specific capa