At a Glance
- Tasks: Design and build high-performance backend systems using Java and Spring Boot.
- Company: Join Citi, a leading global bank with a focus on innovation.
- Benefits: Enjoy competitive salary, generous holidays, and private medical insurance.
- Other info: Collaborative environment with opportunities for mentorship and career growth.
- Why this job: Make an impact with cutting-edge technology and AI-assisted engineering tools.
- Qualifications: 5-8 years of Java development experience and strong API design skills.
The predicted salary is between 63000 - 77000 £ per year.
We are looking for a Senior Java Backend Engineer (C12) in Belfast to join the core engineering team building Vendor Master Central (VMC)—an enterprise-scale registry platform responsible for ingesting, reconciling, and managing millions of market data service records, contracts, and vendor hierarchies. This role is backend-first, centered on designing high-throughput ingestion pipelines, resilient Spring Boot microservices, clean RESTful APIs, and domain data models. Experience or interest in Full Stack development with React/TypeScript is a strong plus, enabling end-to-end feature ownership from backend services up to user-facing web tools.
We actively embrace GenAI-assisted engineering (Devin, GitHub Copilot, Cursor) to automate boilerplate, accelerate unit testing, and achieve high engineering velocity.
Key Responsibilities:
- Backend Microservices: Design, build, and maintain production-grade REST APIs and microservices using Java 21/25 and Spring Boot.
- Data Ingestion & Processing: Build resilient ETL and reconciliation services that ingest, validate, and deduplicate complex monthly datasets from multiple upstream sources into a unified data model.
- Data Modeling & Storage: Design relational schemas (PostgreSQL / Oracle), optimize complex SQL queries, and implement transactional data integrity, staging layers, and immutable audit logs.
- Full Stack Collaboration (Bonus): Partner with or contribute to the React/TypeScript frontend to integrate APIs seamlessly with data grids, curation drawers, and bulk Excel upload workflows.
- GenAI Velocity: Leverage AI-powered developer tooling (Devin, Copilot, Cursor) for rapid prototyping, component scaffolding, and automated test coverage.
- Engineering Excellence: Drive high code quality through TDD/BDD (JUnit 5, Mockito), automated CI/CD pipelines, containerization (Docker/OpenShift), and code reviews.
- Mentorship & Ownership: Act as a technical pillar within the Pune agile squad, collaborating with global teams and mentoring junior engineers.
What We Are Looking For:
- Core Backend Requirements: 5–8+ years of hands-on software development experience with core focus on Java (21/25) and Spring / Spring Boot.
- Strong foundation in RESTful API design, microservice architecture, and enterprise integration patterns.
- Deep expertise in relational databases (SQL), schema design, data indexing, transactions, and performance tuning (PostgreSQL, Oracle, or MySQL).
- Solid experience building data ingestion, transformation, or batch processing pipelines.
- Strong testing discipline: unit testing, integration testing, and mock frameworks (JUnit, Mockito, Testcontainers).
- Experience with modern DevOps pipelines (Git, Maven/Gradle, Jenkins/Tekton, Docker, Linux).
- Nice-to-Have / Full-Stack Plus: Experience or familiarity with React, TypeScript, or modern frontend SPAs (state management, component design, data grids).
- Familiarity with client/server Excel file processing (.xlsx generation, bulk upload parsing).
- Experience working with autonomous AI engineering agents (e.g., Devin) or AI-assisted coding tools.
- Experience with message brokers or event streaming (Kafka, MQ).
Qualifications & Competencies:
- Education: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or equivalent practical experience.
- Autonomy & Judgment: Ability to operate with limited direct supervision, make sound architectural choices, and deliver features independently.
- Communication: Strong English communication skills and ability to collaborate across distributed global teams (India, UK, US).
- Risk & Controls: Sound understanding of secure coding practices, data governance, and enterprise security standards.
This job description provides a high-level review of the types of work performed. Other job-related duties may be assigned as required.
What we offer:
We work hard to have a positive financial and social impact on the communities we serve. In turn, we put our employees first and provide the best-in-class benefits they need to be well, live well and save well. By joining Citi Belfast, you will not only be part of a business casual workplace with a hybrid working model (up to 2 days working at home per week), but also receive a competitive base salary (which is annually reviewed), and enjoy a whole host of additional benefits such as:
- Generous holiday allowance starting at 27 days plus bank holidays; increasing with tenure
- A discretional annual performance related bonus
- Private medical insurance packages to suit your personal circumstances
- Employee Assistance Program
- Pension Plan
- Paid Parental Leave
- Special discounts for employees, family, and friends
- Access to an array of learning and development resources
Alongside these benefits 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 energized to join us, motivated to stay, and empowered to thrive. Sounds like Citi has everything you need? Then apply to discover the true extent of your capabilities.
Java Full Stack Developer employer: Citigroup
Citi is an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work environment in the heart of London where innovation meets collaboration. As a Sales Director, you will benefit from extensive training and mentorship opportunities, fostering your professional growth while working alongside industry leaders in FX Sales. With a strong commitment to integrity and inclusivity, Citi provides a supportive culture that empowers employees to excel and drive meaningful results for clients.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Java Full Stack Developer
✨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 Citigroup 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 Citigroup.
✨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 Citigroup.
✨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 Citigroup 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 Java Full Stack Developer
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 Citigroup.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Citigroup 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 Citigroup
✨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 Citigroup 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.