Job Description
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Lead Full-Stack Software EngineerTier 1 Investment & Business Banking
Location: Manchester (Hybrid)Engagement: Contract-to-PermanentRate: Inside IR35 via Umbrella
Overview
A leading Tier 1 financial institution is expanding its Manchester technology hub and seeks an experienced Lead Full-Stack Software Engineer to play a pivotal role in the transformation of its digital business banking platforms.
This position offers a rare opportunity to enter on a high-value contract while transitioning into a permanent senior leadership role within a globally recognised organisation. The successful candidate will combine technical authority, architectural vision, and people leadership in a complex, regulated environment.
Key ResponsibilitiesTechnical & Modernisation Leadership
* Lead the modernisation of large-scale legacy systems, transitioning from monolithic architectures to scalable, API-driven microservices.
* Drive architectural best practices across performance, reliability, security, and maintainability.
Engineering Leadership & Delivery
* Provide hands-on technical leadership while mentoring and managing a large offshore engineering team (20+ developers).
* Own engineering standards, code quality, and delivery outcomes across distributed teams.
Cloud & Platform Transformation
* Oversee the migration of enterprise platforms from legacy middleware (e.g., WebSphere) to containerised Kubernetes environments across GCP, AWS, or internal cloud platforms (IKP).
* Champion DevOps practices, automation, and CI/CD maturity.
Stakeholder & Architecture Engagement
* Act as a senior technical interface between engineering, architecture, product, and business stakeholders.
* Translate complex regulatory and financial requirements into low-level technical designs and implementation plans.
Full-Stack Development Leadership
* Design and build secure, high-performance applications using Java 17+, Spring Boot, and Angular.
* Set standards for frontend engineering, API design, and backend service orchestration.
Data & Platform Evolution
* Support the modernisation of legacy SDLC tooling and data platforms.
* Lead or contribute to complex data migrations, including Elasticsearch upgrades and distributed data pipelines.
Technology StackBackend
* Java 17+, Spring Framework, Spring Boot
* Microservices & RESTful API design
Frontend
* Angular, TypeScript
* HTML5, CSS3, SASS
Cloud, DevOps & Infrastructure
* Kubernetes (GKE / IKP / AWS EKS)
* Docker, Terraform
* CI/CD: GitHub Actions, Jenkins
Messaging, Streaming & ETL
* Apache Kafka
* Apache Flink, Apache Beam
* Redis
Databases
* PostgreSQL
* Oracle
* MongoDB
Security & Compliance
* OAuth 2.0, Okta
* Enterprise security scanning: Checkmarx, Aqua Security
* Strong understanding of banking-grade security and regulatory control frameworks
Candidate ProfileExperience & Background
* Proven experience within Tier 1 financial institutions (e.g. Goldman Sachs, HSBC, Barclays, or equivalent).
* 20+ years' experience in enterprise Java and web-based platforms.
Leadership & Influence
* Demonstrated success leading large engineering teams across onshore and offshore models.
* Strong ability to coach, mentor, and develop senior engineers while influencing technical strategy.
Technical Excellence
* Deep expertise in Agile delivery (Scrum/Kanban), TDD, and enterprise design patterns.
* Track record of delivering complex system transformations in regulated environments.
Education
* MSc in International Banking & Finance and/or
* BSc in Computer Information Systems (or equivalent)
Why Join?
* Play a visible leadership role in large-scale digital transformation
* Transition from contract flexibility to permanent leadership
* Work within a globally recognised Tier 1 banking environment
* Influence architecture, people, and platform strategy at enterprise scale