Senior Java Competency Lead & AI-Driven Backend Architect

dvtcareers; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 1,800,000 - 2,400,000; Full time

Job summary

DVT is seeking a senior Java/JVM engineering leader to define, govern, and evolve the Java engineering competency, ensuring high-quality, scalable back-end solutions across client engagements. This role sets the technical direction and raises the bar for delivery teams, including oversight of Node.js, Python, and Go streams.

You will drive engineering standards, build reference architectures, and mentor engineers, while contributing to LangChain4j integration and AI-enabled development across

Qualifications

• 8–12+ years in software engineering with a strong Java/JVM focus.
• Proven experience leading an engineering team or technical competency stream.
• Educational degree in IT/engineering; AWS or cloud certs valued.

Responsibilities

• Define and evolve the Java/JVM engineering strategy across streams (Node.js, Python, Go).
• Establish and maintain engineering standards, tooling, and best practices.
• Build reusable architectures and accelerators, including Java modernization references.
• Drive AI-assisted development tool adoption and LangChain4j integration.
• Act as the Java technical authority across engagements and solution contexts.
• Define and govern coding standards, architectural patterns, and quality guardrails.
• Review architecture decisions and guide delivery.
• Mentor engineers from graduate to principal levels.

Skills

Java/JVM

Spring Boot 3.x

Kotlin

Quarkus

GraalVM

Apache Kafka

REST

GraphQL

gRPC

Node.js

Python

Go

LangChain4j

AI tools

Education

BSc IT, BEng or equivalent

AWS cloud certifications

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

AWS

Azure

GCP

Job description

DVT is seeking a senior Java/JVM engineering leader to define, govern, and evolve the Java engineering competency, ensuring high-quality, scalable back-end solutions across client engagements. This role sets the technical direction and raises the bar for delivery teams, including oversight of Node.js, Python, and Go streams.

You will drive engineering standards, build reference architectures, and mentor engineers, while contributing to LangChain4j integration and AI-enabled development across