Senior Java Architect

Senior Java Engineering Architect – Banking, Payments & AI-Driven Engineering

London / (4 days/week from office; 1 day/week from home)

Contract or Perm

£120Kpa or £500pd (Inside IR35)

Role Summary

We are seeking a highly experienced Java Engineering Architect to lead the architecture, design, and delivery of next-generation Banking and Payment platforms. The ideal candidate will have deep expertise in payment engines, banking operations, messaging architecture, integration patterns, cloud-native engineering, and AI-driven software delivery.

This role requires a strong technology leader who can define enterprise architecture, drive engineering excellence, lead large backend engineering teams, and leverage AI-powered development practices to accelerate software delivery and innovation.

Required Skills & Experience

Core Architecture

* 15+ years of software engineering experience.

* 8+ years in Solution Architecture, Enterprise Architecture, or Principal Engineering roles.

* Proven experience delivering enterprise-scale Banking and Payment solutions.

Java & Backend Engineering

* Expert-level knowledge of: Java, Spring Boot, Spring Cloud, Microservices

Messaging & Integration

Deep expertise in Messaging Hub architecture.

* Strong experience with: Kafka, NATS, Event Streaming Platforms

* Expert understanding of: Integration patterns, Enterprise Integration Architecture, Messaging patterns, API architecture, Event-driven architecture

Databases

* Strong expertise in: Oracle, PostgreSQL

* Data modelling, performance tuning, HA/DR architecture, and transaction-heavy systems.

Leadership & Communication

* Exceptional stakeholder management and executive communication skills.

* Ability to influence senior leadership and engineering organizations.

* Strong architectural documentation and presentation capabilities.

* Experience leading globally distributed teams.

* Strategic thinker with a hands-on engineering mindset.

Preferred Qualifications

* Banking or Financial Services industry background.

* Experience with large-scale modernization and transformation programs.

* TOGAF, Kubernetes, Cloud, or Architecture certifications.

* Experience building AI-enabled engineering organizations.

* Exposure to GenAI and Enterprise LLM integration patterns