Lead Java Developer (VP) in Belfast

Citi is a world‑leading global bank with approximately 200 million customer accounts and a presence in more than 160 countries and jurisdictions worldwide. We provide consumers, corporations, governments, and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, transaction services, and wealth management.

You will join the Equity Derivatives technology team in Belfast, specialising in developing and supporting the reference data platform and systems that manage crucial foundational data such as securities, currencies, accounts, holidays, compositions, and other instrument master data for the Global Equity Derivatives business. This team is a key partner to the markets business and has been a major contributor to its success by ensuring the accuracy, consistency, and timely availability of critical reference data.

As a Senior Software Engineer, you will collaborate with front office, operations, Product Owner team, and development team members to provide solutions that improve efficiency, decrease operational risk, and enable business expansion. You will have experience in building high‑performing, scalable, and enterprise‑grade applications while adopting best‑in‑class engineering practices. You’ll work in a collaborative, respectful, trusting, and diverse environment that encourages creative thinking and critical problem‑solving to serve our clients globally.

Specifically, your work on static reference data systems will underpin various critical functions, from accurate trade processing and risk calculations to regulatory reporting, directly contributing to business growth and operational stability.

Role Overview / What will you do:

Citi is looking for a Senior Software Engineer (VP Level) to work on the equity derivatives reference data platform. We work in an Agile and DevOps manner, self‑organise our work with BAs, speak directly with business users across the globe, and have good autonomy over technology decisions. We own the continuous delivery pipeline through to production and strive to release frequently into production.

Responsibilities:

• Define the architecture, design, development, code review, pairing, testing, and maintenance of applications.
• Design and implement scalable applications and services with a solid focus on quality, continuous integration, deployment, observability, metrics, and monitoring.
• Write testable code following clean coding and SOLID design principles, instilling best engineering practices across the wider firm.
• Perform code reviews and contribute to the overall quality, maintainability, and testability of software developed.
• Adapt to changes in priorities and requirements.
• Work closely with clients and stakeholders (e.g., Front Office, Quants, Risk, Operations, Regulatory teams) to define reference data requirements, ensure data quality and governance, and deliver robust solutions that materially impact the business and improve the end‑user experience.
• Provide leadership to project and team from a regional perspective.
• Collaborate with production support, BAs, and other developers to help investigate and communicate on production issues, mentor junior developers, and provide general leadership to the team.

Key Skills and Experience required:

• Very strong software development experience.
• Strong knowledge of Java and RESTful web services.
• Experience in developing performant code and a solid understanding of Java threading.
• Experience working with git‑based source code management.
• Good understanding of clean coding and SOLID principles.
• Proficiency in code quality measurements using tools like Sonar.
• Familiarity with and ability to leverage AI‑powered development tools and platforms (e.g., code generation, intelligent refactoring, testing assistance) to enhance productivity and code quality.
• A team player comfortable working in a team that deals with ambiguity and problem‑solving.
• Ability and willingness to mentor junior team members.
• University degree or equivalent experience preferred.

Any Beneficial / Nice to have skills and experience:

• Strong understanding of financial reference data, data modelling, data governance, and data quality management concepts.
• Experience integrating with and managing static data from various financial market data providers.
• Familiarity with different persistent storage technologies involving both SQL and NoSQL.
• Experience working within an Agile environment.

Benefits:

• 27 days annual leave (plus bank holidays)
• Discretionary annual performance‑related bonus
• Private medical care & life insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Pension plan
• Paid parental leave
• Special discounts for employees, family, and friends
• Access to an array of learning and development resources

Citi is committed to ensuring our workplace is where everyone feels comfortable coming to work as their whole self, every day. We want the best talent around the world to be energised to join us, motivated to stay and empowered to thrive. Citi is an equal‑opportunity employer, and qualified candidates will receive consideration without regard to their race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other characteristic protected by law.