Java jobs in United Kingdom

Smarkets: Predicting the Future of Betting

Smarkets runs one of the world’s most sophisticated prediction markets, handling over £29 billion in volume since 2010 and engaging 200,000+ traders globally. We’re a technology company that happens to revolutionise betting – from sports to political markets, to delivering the sharpest prices and the fairest odds.

Our stack is designed for scale, reliability, and speed: Linux, Kafka, Postgres, Kubernetes, with Python 3, C++17, and React powering our platform. We build infrastructure that institutions trust while keeping trading accessible to everyone. Our edge? We’ve thrived through every market cycle, competitor, and industry revolution.

At the heart of our success are our people. We create a high-performance environment where exceptional talent can thrive, blending deep business experience with a commercial mindset to drive strategic growth.

If you’re ready to help shape the future of prediction markets with cutting-edge technology and a customer-first philosophy, Smarkets is where you belong.

The Pricing team owns the technology which powers our trading strategies – including connecting to trading exchanges, backtesting strategies, and managing order flow. They work closely with our quant trading team to implement the underlying services which drive our revenue generation.

Recently the Pricing team has been working on rewriting a number of core services into a more modern technology stack (e.g. migrating from Python to Rust) in order to drive down latency on our trading strategies for optimal performance.

As an Engineering Team Lead in our Engineering organisation, you are leading a team of software engineers who build, manage, and maintain the microservices that power Smarkets’ products.

You are here to help organise the direction of your team, guide their career growth, and ensure that we’re building the right stack to power the future of our products. You will be responsible for leveraging your team to ensure that our services are responsive, scalable, and performant.

Ultimately, you will be working alongside your team of engineers, other engineering managers, technical leadership, and product managers, to drive the complex technical projects that help deliver the Smarkets product roadmap.

• You will report to the VP of Engineering.
• Directly manage a team of engineers, from junior to tech-leads.
• Drive sprint planning, including proper scoping of tasks, working alongside our Program Management function.
• Hire great people and keep them happy, motivated, and challenged.
• Ensure the career growth of the engineers in your team as they advance in seniority.
• Set the standard for quality engineering, including improving our engineering processes, to keep our level of excellence high.
• Explore and define next technology adoption paths to help us build our stack for the future.
• Represent the team in cross-functional meetings and internal events.
• Be the champion of the stack by demonstrating first hand how to implement functionalities in the right way, with an eye to the horizon and your mind on the present.

Role Requirements:

• 3+ years of experience building microservices for high speed and high scale products.
• 3+ years of experience working with a modern technology stack (Rust, C++, Java, etc).
• Previous experience leading a team technically or directly.

Our values are at the heart of everything we do – guiding how we work, collaborate, and innovate. They reflect what we expect of ourselves and each other to deliver the best results, while fostering a positive, high-performing environment:

• Push to Win: We set ambitious goals and relentlessly pursue them, always striving for excellence.
• Make Others Better: We lift each other up, share knowledge, and celebrate team success over individual achievement.
• Give a Shit: We care deeply about our work, our users, and the impact we make.
• Be a Pro: We take ownership, act with integrity, and consistently deliver to a high standard.
• Bring the Energy: We bring positivity, curiosity, and enthusiasm to everything we do, inspiring those around us.

Culture Fit: These values define how we succeed as a team. If this isn’t you, this may not be the right place. We hire people who thrive in a fast‑paced, collaborative, and ambitious environment.

Perks & Benefits

We offer a competitive salary and benefits package, alongside a dynamic, collaborative environment where your work truly makes an impact and your voice is heard. Our team is diverse, driven, and ambitious – united by a strong work ethic and a hunger to innovate and win.

Our benefits are designed around Health, Wealth and Development, supporting you both professionally and personally.

These include:

• Stock Options: Vest over 4 years – your success is our success.
• Pension Scheme: Competitive plan via Aviva, with up to 6% matched contributions if you opt in.
• Health Insurance: Comprehensive coverage to keep you and your family healthy.
• Enhanced Parental Leave: Enhanced maternity and paternity leave to support you through life’s most important moments.
• Stay Fuelled: Enjoy fresh, chef‑made breakfast and lunch every day, plus a constant supply of fruit, snacks, tea, coffee and soft drinks – because great work starts with great food.
• Cycle‑to‑Work Scheme: Support for sustainable commuting and staying active.
• Learning & Development: £1,000 annual education budget for courses, conferences, books, or training.
• Holiday: 25 days paid leave + bank holidays, with the option to carry over 5 days.
• Flexible Working: Hybrid model with 3 days in the office and 2 days from home to fit your lifestyle.
• Global Working: Work from anywhere in the world for up to 20 days a year.
• Team Energy: Regular socials, hackathons, and events – because collaboration and fun go hand‑in‑hand.

We aim to have a simple and speedy hiring process and we want to make sure that we are right for you as much as the other way around.

• CV application review – We will review it as quickly as possible.
• Let’s chat – Quick chat with our Talent Team about your experience and the role.
• Meet your Manager – Experience & Mindset Interview.
• Technical Interview – Live Coding + System Design Interview.
• In‑Office Interview – Lunch with other colleagues in the team + LT Chat.

We’re an equal opportunities employer and celebrate diversity in all its forms. If you need any adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know – we’re happy to accommodate your needs.