Harrington Starr
Senior Software Developer (Path to Head of Engineering)
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Senior Java Developer (Path to Head of Engineering)
UK – Hybrid (3 days onsite)
Java, Spring Boot, Microservices, Cloud, TDD, Capital Markets, Post-Trade
The Company
This is a rare opportunity to join a specialist post-trade technology firm operating at the heart of the capital markets space. Trusted by some of the most sophisticated participants in the industry, this business has built a reputation for delivering mission-critical clearing and prime brokerage technology that demands both precision and performance. The engineering team is lean, expert and highly collaborative — with a culture that treats technology as a genuine business differentiator rather than a support function.
The Opportunity
As a Senior Java Developer, you will take a central role in building and evolving the firm's post-trade technology platform — including in-house systems, APIs, client reporting tools and the client web portal. You will also be responsible for customising and extending a third-party trading system to meet complex business requirements. Working closely with Client Services and Product Management, you will translate demanding, real-world requirements into scalable, high-quality software solutions.
Critically, this role carries an explicit pathway to Head of Engineering. Depending on organisational growth and individual performance, that transition is anticipated within 24 months — making this an exceptional opportunity for a senior developer ready to step into engineering leadership.
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What You'll Be Doing
- Designing, developing and maintaining in-house systems, APIs, reporting tools and the client web portal
- Customising and extending third-party trading systems to meet business requirements
- Writing clean, well-tested, production-grade code following SOLID principles, Design Patterns and Clean Code practices
- Applying TDD and BDD methodologies using JUnit, Spock and Mockito
- Contributing to and improving code review standards across the team
- Liaising directly with Client Services and Product Management to understand requirements and propose solutions
- Managing and mentoring a small team of Java developers, supporting their growth and career development
- Working alongside offshore developers, maintaining clear communication across time zones
- Leveraging AI tooling within the SDLC to drive productivity and quality
What We're Looking For
- 7+ years' Java development experience within a Financial Services firm
- Strong hands-on expertise in Java 11+, Spring/Spring Boot, multithreading, performance tuning and RMI
- Capital Markets domain knowledge — Clearing, Prime Brokerage or similar post-trade experience
- Solid grounding in TDD, BDD, Agile and automated builds/deployments
- Experience with CI/CD toolchains (GitHub, Azure DevOps, Jenkins) and deployment management
- Proficiency with Git, Maven, JUnit/Spock and Mockito
- Microservices architecture knowledge
- Strong understanding and application of SOLID, Design Patterns and Clean Code
- Ability to communicate clearly with both technical peers and non-technical stakeholders
- Cloud platform exposure (AWS, Azure or GCP)
- Desirable: Groovy, FpML, FIX/FIXML, REST, JSON, Message Queuing
- Desirable: experience leading a developer team or working with offshore teams
- Right to work in the UK without sponsorship
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What's on Offer
- Up to £125,000 basic
- Performance-related bonus
- Clear and explicit pathway to Head of Engineering within ~24 months
- Hybrid working – 3 days per week onsite
- Private healthcare, pension, life assurance and critical illness cover
- 100% cloud-based, modern tech stack with Azure AI Cognitive Services integration
- A business that values engineering as a core differentiator
Find Out More
If you would like to have a confidential conversation and find out more about this opportunity, please get in touch with Con Lam at Harrington Starr, or click the apply button below.
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