Java Software Engineer

Lead Engineer (Vice President) – Front Office Trading London (Hybrid) £120k - £130k + Bonus + Excellent Benefits Overview My client is looking to hire a Lead Engineer (VP) to play a key role in the transformation of Front Office technology. This is a high-impact position within a multi-year platform modernisation programme, focused on building real-time, low-latency, high-performance systems that directly support front office trading workflows. You’ll operate across the full stack, influence architecture, and work closely with the business to deliver scalable, next-generation trading platforms. The Role As a Lead Engineer, you will combine hands-on engineering with technical leadership, shaping both the platform and engineering standards. Key responsibilities: Build and evolve a suite of real-time, high-performance microservices for trading workflows Lead end-to-end solution design across backend and frontend systems Partner directly with traders and stakeholders to translate requirements into impactful solutions Drive best practices across distributed systems, testing, CI/CD, and code quality Influence and contribute to the modernisation strategy of the fixed income tech stack Act as a technical leader, raising the bar across engineering standards and design decisions Tech Environment Java | React (Vite, NX) | Kafka / Solace / RabbitMQ | WebSockets / SSE | Rx | Kubernetes | SQL About You You are a strong technologist and technical leader with a passion for building high-performance systems in complex environments. You will bring: Deep expertise in modern Java, including concurrency, memory management, and reactive programming Strong experience building real-time, event-driven systems Advanced front-end experience with modern tooling (React, Vite, NX, Playwright) Strong understanding of distributed systems and microservices architecture Experience designing and deploying RESTful and event-driven APIs Hands-on experience with containerisation and orchestration (Kubernetes) A track record of driving engineering excellence through best practices, CI/CD, and code quality Desirable Experience within financial markets / front office trading environments (Rates, Credit, Fixed Income) Exposure to low-latency systems What is on Offer Hybrid working model Competitive salary and non-contributory pension 30 days holiday + bank holidays (with option to buy more) Private healthcare and life assurance Flexible benefits (retail discounts, gym, Bike4Work scheme) CSR programme + 2 days volunteering leave Why Join? Work on business-critical systems used directly by traders Play a key role in a large-scale modernisation programme Influence architecture, tooling, and engineering direction Join a team that values engineering quality, performance, and innovation Apply If you’re interested in leading the build of next-generation trading platforms in a front office environment, apply now or reach out for a confidential discussion.