Full job descriptionI’m looking for a Lead Backend Software Engineer to shape backend architecture, drive engineering excellence, and guide teams building high-performance digital products used at scale. This is a hands-on leadership role where you’ll influence technical strategy, mentor engineers, and ensure backend systems are robust, secure, and future-ready.

What you’ll be doing*Lead backend architecture – Define and evolve scalable, secure, high-performance backend systems
*Set engineering standards – Champion best practices, secure coding (OWASP), and high-quality delivery
*Hands-on technical contribution – Support critical backend work and review complex code
*Guide teams & mentor engineers – Facilitate design discussions, code reviews, and technical decision-making
*Improve tooling & CI/CD – Enhance pipelines, build processes, and operational workflows
*Drive continuous improvement – Reduce technical debt and introduce modern backend approaches
*Support compliance – Ensure systems align with standards such as ISO27001 and PCI
What we’re looking for*Strong backend engineering experience with Java (11+) & Spring Boot
*Event-driven architecture expertise – Kafka or similar
*Cloud experience – ideally AWS; Kubernetes knowledge beneficial
*Deep understanding of microservices, REST APIs & distributed systems
*Experience with SQL/NoSQL databases
*Strong CI/CD, automated testing & DevOps awareness
*Ability to influence technical direction across teams
*Comfortable communicating technical risks to non-technical stakeholders
Hybrid working- London or Newcastle
*3 month rolling contract
*Outside IR35