Senior Java Engineering Architect
- london, england, United Kingdom
- Contract
- £90 - £130 Per Hour
Job Description
Location
London / (4 days/week from office; 1 day/week from home)
Contract OR FTE
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.
Key Responsibilities
Payments & Banking Domain
- Design and architect high-volume, mission-critical payment processing platforms.
- ISO 20022, Settlement and clearing systems, Banking operational workflows, Reconciliation systems
- Regulatory and compliance-driven architecture
- Collaborate with business and operations teams to modernize banking platforms.
- Architect enterprise messaging hubs and event-driven ecosystems.
- Drive architecture patterns for asynchronous processing and large-scale distributed systems.
- Design highly decoupled and configurable integration frameworks.
- Champion AI-powered software engineering practices across the SDLC.
- Drive adoption of Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, Cursor
- LLM-powered engineering tools
- Define AI-first engineering frameworks enabling accelerated delivery while maintaining engineering quality.
- Design and govern cloud-native application platforms using Kubernetes, Docker
- Ensure platforms support high availability, resilience, scalability, and operational excellence.
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.
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
- Data modelling, performance tuning, HA/DR architecture, and transaction-heavy systems.
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.


