Principal Java Engineer
Up to £120,000
Candidates must be based in Belfast All applications not based in Belfast will be disregarded
Do you enjoy shaping the technical direction of complex, large-scale systems - and doing it with modern Java at the highest level?
My client is looking for a Principal Java Engineer to take a lead role in defining architecture, driving engineering standards and delivering systems that matter. This isn't a heads-down coding role - it's for someone who can operate at the intersection of deep technical expertise and strategic thinking, and who wants to leave a real mark on the systems and teams they work with.
Based in Belfast, the team offers a flexible hybrid setup to suit how you work best.
What you'll be doing
- Setting the technical direction and architectural vision for core backend systems
- Leading design and delivery of large-scale, high-performance Java applications
- Owning key engineering decisions and driving them through from concept to production
- Establishing and championing best practices, coding standards and design patterns across engineering
- Mentoring and elevating senior engineers around you
- Collaborating with product, DevOps and leadership to align technical strategy with business goals
- Driving improvements in performance, reliability and scalability across the platform
What we're looking for
- Extensive commercial experience as a Senior or Staff Java Engineer, with time at principal or architect level
- Deep expertise in modern Java (Java 11+)
- Proven track record of owning and delivering complex distributed systems at scale
- Strong experience with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP or Azure)
- Expert-level understanding of microservices, event-driven architectures and REST APIs
- Solid grasp of both SQL and NoSQL databases
- A natural leader who can influence without authority and bring engineers along with them
Nice to have
- Experience with Spring / Spring Boot at scale
- Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, CloudFormation)
- Containerisation and orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes)
- Background in high-throughput, mission-critical or regulated environments
This role would suit a technically exceptional engineer who's ready to operate at the highest level - someone who wants ownership, influence and the opportunity to shape something significant.
If you have any questions on the role, feel free to reach out to Brendan McCrory directly.