Technical Lead (Java)

Job description
Role Summary
We are looking for experienced and forward‐thinking Technical Leads - Backend to lead the design and development of backend services for large‐scale digital banking and financial platforms.
The role requires strong expertise in system architecture and design, microservices backend engineering, and understanding of banking / financial service domains, along with the ability to lead engineering teams and communicate confidently with client stakeholders to deliver scalable, secure and high-quality backend solutions.
In today's engineering ecosystem, AI assistants are integral to the Software Development Lifecycle. Engineers, including this role, are expected to leverage AI tools for code generation, test creation, and refactoring, while focusing their expertise on architecture, system thinking, code verification, security, quality assurance, and strategic technical decisions.
Key Responsibilities
Technical Leadership
Lead and mentor a team of backend engineers across multiple functional domains.
Provide technical direction and ensure alignment with architecture standards and engineering best practices.
Review solution designs, code quality, and implementation approaches - promoting clean architecture, resilient microservices, and AI‐enhanced development patterns.
Guide the team in diagnosing complex technical challenges, using both traditional analysis and AI-powered debugging or observability tools.
Support planning, estimation, and technical decision-making within the engineering team.
Backend Architecture & Development
Design and develop backend services using Java and modern backend frameworks (e.g., Spring Boot).
Define and implement microservices-based architecture and API-driven systems.
Ensure backend services are scalable, secure, resilient, and maintainable.
Drive best practices in backend development, including maintainable system design, automated testing, code quality, API governance, performance optimization and documentation.
Work closely with DevOps teams to support CI/CD pipelines, incorporate intelligent automation, and ensure stable, secure deployment environments.
Integrate AI-assisted development practices into coding, testing, documentation, code reviews, and defect prevention workflows.
Banking & Payment Domain
Design backend systems supporting banking products and financial transaction processing.
Build and maintain services related to payments, card processing, financial operations, and core banking functions.
Ensure backend implementations comply with financial industry standards and security requirements.
Collaborate with business and product teams to translate banking and financial requirements into technical solutions.
Client Collaboration & Delivery
Work directly with client stakeholders, architects, and product owners to understand business processes, requirements and define technical solutions.
Challenge and clarify requirements with curiosity dig deep into the "why" behind business needs.
Participate in architecture discussions and technical workshops with client teams.
Communicate technical designs, trade-offs, and solutions clearly to both engineering teams and non-technical stakeholders.
Support project delivery by ensuring technical risks are identified and mitigated early.
Technical Qualifications
Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field
8+ years of backend development experience.
3+ years in a Technical Lead or senior engineering role.
Strong experience with Java and backend frameworks (e.g. Spring Boot).
Experience designing and implementing microservices, API-driven systems, event-driven architectures or messaging systems (e.g., Kafka), RDBMS and SQL.
Solid experience working with containerization (Docker, Kubernetes).
Strong understanding of CI/CD, version control (Git), and automated pipelines.
Experience working in Agile delivery environments.
Excellent leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
Specific Qualifications
Experience working in banking, fintech, or financial services environments.
Familiarity with core banking, card, payment systems, or related financial systems.
Knowledge of industry standards (e.g. PCI-DSS) or payment security practices.
Handson exposure to AIassisted development tools (GitHub Copilot, Claude Code, or similar).
Ability to write effective prompts and context for AI code generation.
Ability to assess AI-generated code, verify security vulnerabilities, validate AI-generated tests for completeness and edge case coverage.
Nice-to-Have
Exposure to cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP)
Familiarity with modern API architectures such as GraphQL or BFF patterns
Experience working with mobile-first platforms or digital banking applications
What Makes You Successful in This Role
You are experienced engineer with great mindset in leading end-to-end technical delivery and problem solving, forward thinking in applying AI-assisted solutions to optimize productivity, and willingness in mentoring others.
(Note: Due to the high volume of applications we receive, we are unable to respond to every candidate individually. If you have not received a response from GFT regarding your application within 10 workdays, please consider that we have decided to proceed with other candidates. We truly appreciate your interest in GFT and thank you for your understanding)