Lead Java Developer

Senior Java Developer – SC Cleared - £650 PD Hybrid | Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham or Newcastle | 12-Month Contract Are you an experienced Senior Java Developer looking to work on one of the UK's largest and most impactful digital transformation programmes? We're seeking multiple Senior Java Developers to join a high-performing Agile engineering team delivering large-scale digital services used by millions of people across the UK. The ideal candidate will be SC cleared, with working knowledge of Jackson / JAX-RS and mocking frameworks such as Mockito & ActiveMQ or Kafka. The Role As a Senior Java Developer, you'll work alongside Developers, Designers, Product Managers and Business Analysts to design, build and enhance highly available digital services. You'll play a key role in developing scalable microservices, improving engineering standards and contributing to the continuous evolution of modern platforms. This is an excellent opportunity for engineers who enjoy solving complex technical challenges, working with modern technologies and embracing best practices such as pair programming, Test Driven Development and continuous delivery. Key Responsibilities Design, develop and maintain Java-based microservices Build secure, scalable APIs for internal and external consumers Develop robust automated test suites using TDD and BDD Work within Agile delivery teams using modern engineering practices Participate in pair programming and collaborative code reviews Support Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipelines Contribute to technical discussions, architecture and engineering improvements Provide occasional 2nd line application support where required Share knowledge and promote engineering best practice across the wider team Essential Skills Strong commercial experience with Java 21 (or later) Excellent knowledge of Test Driven Development (TDD) and Behaviour Driven Development (BDD) Experience building and supporting large-scale microservice architectures Strong Agile delivery experience Experience developing RESTful APIs Experience building automated testing frameworks Good understanding of Linux or Unix-based operating systems Strong communication skills with both technical and non-technical stakeholders Ability to learn new technologies quickly and adapt to changing priorities Desirable Experience Jackson JAX-RS Mockito or similar mocking frameworks Kafka or ActiveMQ MongoDB or other NoSQL databases High-traffic, large-scale web applications Large data processing and distributed systems Responsive Web Design What's on Offer? 12-month contract Hybrid working (3 days per week onsite) Opportunity to work on one of the UK's largest digital transformation programmes Modern technology stack Collaborative engineering culture focused on quality and continuous improvement Long-term programme with multiple positions available If you're an experienced Java Developer looking to work on meaningful, high-impact technology projects, we'd love to hear from you.