We are working with an impressive global Insurance Services client, looking for a hands‑on Technical Lead to drive the design, delivery and evolution of a modern, AI‑enabled engineering platform. This role offers the opportunity to combine technical leadership with hands‑on development, leading a talented team whilst shaping architecture, engineering standards and the adoption of AI‑driven capabilities across the organisation.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead the architecture, design and delivery of scalable cloud‑native applications and services
- Define service boundaries, integration patterns, data models and non‑functional requirements
- Drive engineering best practices across code quality, security, performance and testing
- Remain actively involved in software development, solving complex technical challenges
- Lead and mentor a team of engineers through coaching, reviews and technical guidance
- Own sprint planning, estimation, delivery forecasting and release quality
- Collaborate with Product, Architecture, QA and DevOps teams to align technical and business objectives
- Drive observability, monitoring, resilience and incident management standards
- Support recruitment, technical assessments and onboarding activities
- Lead the design and implementation of AI‑enabled product capabilities
- Architect and deliver RAG, semantic search and vector database solutions
- Champion effective use of AI‑assisted development tools across engineering teams
- Evaluate emerging technologies and provide strategic technical recommendations
Requirements
- 8–12 years' experience in software engineering with deep Java expertise
- Previous experience leading engineering teams or owning technical delivery outcomes
- Expert‑level knowledge of Java 17+ and modern Spring Boot ecosystems
- Strong understanding of microservices, distributed systems and scalable architecture design
- Experience with workflow automation or BPM platforms
- Advanced SQL and database design expertise
- Strong knowledge of API security, authentication and secure software development practices
- Experience owning CI/CD pipelines and deployment automation strategies
- Demonstrable experience delivering AI‑enabled solutions in production or near‑production environments
- Knowledge of LLM integrations, vector databases, prompt engineering and RAG architectures
- Experience guiding engineering teams in the adoption of AI tools and practices
- Strong Agile delivery and stakeholder management experience
- Excellent leadership, communication and mentoring skills
- Passion for balancing technical excellence with successful business delivery
Java Technical Lead employer: Calibre Candidates
Join a dynamic and supportive team at a growing insurance brokerage in Sunderland, where you can enjoy a unique 4-day working week that promotes a healthy work-life balance. With excellent career progression opportunities and a focus on nurturing relationships with clients, this role offers a rewarding environment for experienced Commercial Insurance Brokers looking to thrive in their careers while enjoying generous holiday allowances and structured earnings potential.
