Technical Back-End Lead – Java (Saas, Ml / Ai, Scale-Up)

Ikue; Gauteng; Hybrid; ZAR 1 200 000 - 1 800 000; Full time

Job summary

A technology scale-up in Gauteng is seeking a Technical Back-End Lead to guide talented Java engineers in building scalable services. This role involves driving architecture decisions and collaborating with cross-functional teams on a cutting-edge SaaS platform. The ideal candidate will have over 15 years of Java development experience, a passion for mentorship, and an understanding of cloud-native architecture. This position offers competitive compensation and flexible hybrid working conditions.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Employee Share option scheme

Flexible hybrid working

Qualifications

• 15+ years of hands-on Java back-end development experience.
• Proven experience building and scaling distributed systems or SaaS platforms.
• Strong understanding of cloud-native architecture (AWS preferred).

Responsibilities

• Leading and mentoring a team of high-performing Java back-end engineers.
• Driving architecture decisions and hands-on development for scalable services.
• Collaborating cross-functionally with Product, Front-End, Data Science & DevOps teams.

Skills

Java back-end development

Team leadership

Cloud-native architecture

Agile methodologies

Microservices architecture

Tools

AWS API Gateway

Spring Boot

Docker

GitHub

Terraform

Job description

Technical Back-End Lead – Java (SaaS, ML / AI, Scale-Up)

Ikue is a technology scale-up with a clear purpose and vision.

We know that customer data is at the heart of hyper-personalisation and are looking for the brightest, most inspiring engineers to deliver our product which enables data to drive every decision, every communication, and every customer interaction.

Responsibilities

• Leading and mentoring a team of high-performing Java back-end engineers.
• Driving architecture decisions and hands-on development for scalable, high-performance services.
• Collaborating cross-functionally with Product, Front-End, Data Science & DevOps teams.
• Championing best practices in software engineering, CI / CD, and testing.
• Helping scale and evolve our SaaS platform to meet growing user and data demands.
• Working closely with ML / AI teams to integrate intelligent features and services.

Tech Stack

• Agile, test-driven development microservices architecture for config-based distributed data processing.
• Orchestration using AWS API Gateway, Event Bridge, SQS, Lambda and Step Functions.
• Java 17+, Spring Boot / Batch, Docker, ECS for core services.
• Docker, ECS, SageMaker for analytical services.
• GitHub (CI / CD), Terraform and Cloud Formation (IAC).

Qualifications

• 15+ years of hands-on Java back-end development experience.
• 2+ years in a technical leadership or team lead role.
• Proven experience building and scaling distributed systems or SaaS platforms.
• Strong understanding of cloud-native architecture (AWS preferred).
• Excellent communication and leadership skills.
• Passion for mentoring, continuous improvement, and staying ahead of tech trends.
• Bonus: Experience working with ML / AI-enabled systems or data platform.

Benefits

Play a pivotal role in a fast-scaling product with huge market potential.

Work with a smart, passionate, and collaborative team.

Real autonomy, ownership, and input on technical direction.

Flexible hybrid working (remote-first culture).

You will be rewarded with a highly competitive salary plus benefits and participation in our Employee Share option scheme that rewards people who are motivated and perform well!

Application

If this sounds like you, then you know what to do. We look forward to receiving your application.