At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the redesign of in-house applications and mentor developers for continuous improvement.
- Company: Join Bestway Group, a diverse and inclusive tech company.
- Benefits: Enjoy a competitive salary, pension, 22 days leave, and life assurance.
- Other info: Be part of a dynamic team with a focus on diversity and inclusion.
- Why this job: Make a real impact by driving engineering excellence and innovation.
- Qualifications: 10+ years in Java development with strong experience in Spring Boot and micro-services.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 80000 £ per year.
We're searching for a Modernization Engineer Lead to lead the redesign of our in‑house applications. Working closely with the Principal Architect and providing mentorship to our developers, this role will be the main driver of continuous improvements to define and enforce standards across the team.
Responsibilities
- Engineering Standards: Define and enforce Bestway's Java and Node.js coding standards across the team, with a specific focus on robust exception handling, binary stream handling, structured logging via Application Insights, and adherence to security‑first development practices.
- Cloud‑Native Readiness: Ensure all application logic is optimised for containerisation from the ground up, including implementation of proper Health Check endpoints, secure Secret Management via Azure Key Vault, correct port mapping for Container Apps, and stateless design principles compatible with Azure Container Apps (ACA).
- Technical Mentorship: Provide direct, hands‑on mentorship to junior and mid‑level developers, identifying technical debt at the code‑base level, running structured code reviews, and building a culture of engineering excellence that prevents recurring quality issues such as corrupted or misconfigured deployments.
- Architectural Liaison: Work closely with the Principal Architect to translate high‑level designs (HLDs) into production‑ready implementation plans, ensuring the development team understands not just what to build, but why the architectural decisions were made and what constraints must be respected.
- Quality Assurance: Champion a strong automated testing culture – unit tests, integration tests, and contract tests – to prevent regression and ensure deployments are verifiably stable before reaching production.
Qualifications
- Experience: 10+ years in Java development with significant, demonstrable experience in Spring Boot and micro‑services architecture, not just familiarity but production ownership.
- Azure Integration: Proven experience building applications that consume Azure‑native services, including Azure Key Vault for secrets, Azure Storage API, and Azure Service Bus for event‑driven messaging.
- DevOps Mindset: Solid understanding of the full CI/CD lifecycle; comfortable reading and contributing to Dockerfiles and GitHub Actions YAML workflows, not as a DevOps engineer but as a developer who understands the pipeline their code flows through.
- API Mastery: Deep expertise in RESTful API design principles, OAuth2 authentication flows (including FusionAuth integration), and DMARC‑compliant transactional email logic via SendGrid.
- Testing Discipline: A strong, non‑negotiable focus on automated unit and integration testing, with the ability to define testing standards that the wider team can adopt and maintain consistently.
- Education: Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or equivalent experience. Relevant Microsoft Azure developer certifications are advantageous.
Benefits
- Competitive salary
- Pension
- 22 days annual leave, plus bank holidays
- On‑site parking
- Life assurance
Bestway Group is an equal opportunity employer and we value diversity and inclusion. We welcome people of different nationalities, backgrounds, experiences, abilities, and perspectives. We want strong, and diverse teams built from talented individuals with different backgrounds identities and experiences. If this is of interest to you and you would like to learn more, please do get in touch, we are looking forward to hearing from you.
Modernization Engineer Lead employer: Bestway Group
At Bestway Group, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer that fosters a culture of innovation and collaboration. As a Modernization Engineer Lead, you will not only have the opportunity to shape the future of our in-house applications but also benefit from a supportive environment that prioritises mentorship and professional growth. With competitive salaries, generous leave policies, and a commitment to diversity and inclusion, we ensure that every team member feels valued and empowered to excel in their career.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Modernization Engineer Lead
✨Join Local Tech Meetups
Get out there and mingle with fellow developers by joining local tech meetups. It’s a fantastic way to meet people who might be working at Bestway Group or know someone who does. Plus, you can pick up some trendy tech skills and trends while you're at it!
✨Contribute to Open Source Projects
Show off your coding chops by jumping into open-source projects. Not only does this give you practical experience, but it also gets you noticed in the dev community. You'll create a killer portfolio that speaks volumes about your skills to Bestway Group.
✨Tap into Online Developer Communities
Don’t underestimate the power of online developer communities like GitHub, Stack Overflow, and even Reddit. Participate in discussions, share your projects, and build your visibility. We can often find opportunities through these channels that can lead to a full-time gig at companies like Bestway Group.
✨Explore Job Boards Specifically for Tech Roles
Keep your eyes peeled on job boards that focus on tech roles. Sites like TechCareers or Stack Overflow Jobs can often have listings for companies like Bestway Group that might not show up on broader job sites. Make it a habit to check these regularly, and don’t hesitate to apply directly through our website!
We think you need these skills to ace Modernization Engineer Lead
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show off your coding skills:When applying for a software engineering role, it's super important to showcase your coding skills. Make sure your CV includes your tech stack, any relevant programming languages you’re comfortable with, and examples of projects you've worked on. If you have a GitHub profile, link it up! We love to see code in action.
Tailor your portfolio:For a full-time role, we’d expect to see some solid examples of your work in your portfolio. Make sure to include at least two or three projects that highlight your problem-solving skills and your ability to work with different technologies. Focus on the projects that are most relevant to the position at Bestway Group.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Bestway Group and how your skills align with the role. Show us your passion for software development. We dig enthusiastic candidates who understand the value of collaboration and continuous learning!
Be clear and concise:When it comes to writing your CV and cover letter, clarity is key. Avoid jargon that could confuse us and stick to simple, direct language. Highlight your achievements with quantifiable results where possible, and keep everything easy to read. A well-organised application goes a long way!
How to prepare for a job interview at Bestway Group
✨Brush Up on Your Coding Skills
For a full-time software engineering role, it's crucial that we stay sharp with our coding abilities. Expect technical questions that might involve solving problems on the spot or discussing algorithms. Practise on platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank to get comfortable with the types of questions that often come up.
✨Know Your Tools and Frameworks
Make sure we’re well-acquainted with the tools and technologies listed in the job description. Familiarise ourselves with any specific frameworks or programming languages mentioned. If Bestway Group uses React or Node.js, for instance, be ready to discuss how we’ve used them in previous projects or coursework.
✨Showcase Your Projects
Bring along a portfolio that highlights our best work. This could be code samples, GitHub repositories, or any side projects we’ve built. Make sure we can talk through our thought process for each project, especially the challenges we faced and how we solved them—this shows our problem-solving skills in action.
✨Prepare for Behavioural Questions
While technical skills are key, full-time positions also require cultural fit. Be ready to discuss our previous experiences and how we handle teamwork, conflict, and deadlines. Brush up on the STAR method—Situation, Task, Action, Result—to clearly articulate our past experiences when discussing how we've contributed to a team.