Lead Backend Architect - £150,000 – Financial Services
Overview
I am currently looking for a Lead Backend Architect to join my client who are a global financial services organisation and social network for investors. You will lead the design and evolution of our client’s backend systems, development processes, and infrastructure strategy. This is a key leadership role focused on delivering scalable, resilient, and high-performing solutions while fostering strong collaboration across engineering, DevOps, and monitoring teams.
Key Responsibilities
Define and oversee the end-to-end software development lifecycle (SDLC)
Establish and refine engineering standards, including coding, reviewing, and testing practices
Lead efforts to implement robust automated testing (unit, integration, E2E)
Collaborate with DevOps to optimize CI/CD workflows and release pipelines
Design high-load, fault-tolerant, and highly available systems
Apply modern architectural patterns such as microservices and event-driven architecture
Ensure scalability, maintainability, and performance of backend services
Develop and maintain comprehensive architectural documentation
Conduct architecture reviews, technical audits, and drive adoption of best practices
Partner with infrastructure teams to ensure system reliability and operational efficiency
Integrate monitoring and logging solutions (e.g., Prometheus, Grafana, ELK)
Define strategies for disaster recovery, scaling, and infrastructure resilience
Improve observability by enhancing visibility into performance and error metrics
Skills and Experience Required
10+ years of backend development experience, including 5+ years in an architectural or engineering leadership role
Proven experience designing and scaling high-load, distributed systems
Deep understanding of microservices, service orchestration, and API communication (REST, gRPC)
Expertise with SQL and NoSQL databases, including performance tuning and optimization
Experience with Golang development
Strong background in automated testing methodologies and tools
Familiarity with cloud platforms, Kubernetes, and DevOps collaboration
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with a strategic mindset
Experience maintaining architectural documentation and leading technical reviews
Package
Competitive salary – up to £150,000
Discretionary Bonus
Flexible and hybrid working options (office based in London)
Option to work abroad with excellent relocation package