At a Glance
- Tasks: Design and build high-performance Java microservices in a dynamic financial tech environment.
- Company: Established fintech company focused on low-latency systems and cloud infrastructure.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, hybrid working model, and significant technical influence.
- Other info: Collaborate with top engineers and contribute to a culture of continuous improvement.
- Why this job: Make impactful engineering decisions in a mission-critical setting with real autonomy.
- Qualifications: 8 years of Java experience, strong AWS skills, and a passion for performance engineering.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 80000 £ per year.
A Principal / Lead Java Engineer role in a high-performance financial technology environment.
Core stack: Java, Spring Boot, AWS (SQS, SNS, Lambda, S3), event-driven and low-latency systems.
A technically serious role where the problems are hard, the performance requirements are real, and your decisions carry genuine weight.
About the Company:
Our client is an established financial technology business building high-performance systems where latency, throughput and reliability are engineering-grade requirements, not aspirations. They work at the intersection of modern cloud infrastructure and low-latency market data, and are looking to bring in an experienced Principal Engineer to own technical delivery and raise the bar across the team.
The Role:
This is a senior individual contributor role with real technical influence. You will be designing and building complex, high-throughput Java microservices, contributing to architectural decisions, and working close to the metal on performance-critical components. The expectation is that you bring both depth and the ability to share it mentoring engineers, leading on technical decisions, and setting the standard for how the team builds and ships software. Experience in financial markets, market data or regulated environments is an advantage, but the core requirement is someone who understands what engineering for performance actually means and has the track record to prove it.
Key Responsibilities:
- Design, build and deliver high-performance Java microservices using Spring Boot in a production cloud environment.
- Architect and evolve event-driven and low-latency system components, including IPC, messaging and data pipeline design.
- Own technical decision-making across your domain, from API design and data modelling through testing, observability and production deployment.
- Integrate with AWS cloud infrastructure SQS, SNS, Lambda, S3 and related services, with hands-on infrastructure ownership.
- Drive engineering quality through code review, SDLC improvements and tooling such as SonarQube, CI/CD pipelines and containerised delivery via Docker and Kubernetes.
- Mentor and upskill engineers across the team, contributing to a culture of technical rigour and continuous improvement.
- Apply AI tooling and agentic development practices to accelerate delivery and improve engineering productivity.
- Contribute to architectural decisions across the wider engineering function, including input on cross-team technical standards.
What You'll Need:
Essential:
- 8 years of professional software engineering experience, with strong Java as the primary language.
- Proven experience with Spring Boot and modern Java designing, building and operating production backend services at scale.
- Experience building event-driven or message-based systems AWS SNS/SQS, Kafka, Solace or similar middleware.
- Solid cloud infrastructure experience on AWS, with hands-on deployment and operational ownership.
- Strong understanding of CI/CD, containerisation (Docker/Kubernetes) and modern SDLC practices.
- Experience in low-latency, high-throughput system design financial services, market data or trading systems background is advantageous.
- Right to work in the UK.
Nice to have:
- C++ experience in a financial markets or low-latency context.
- Familiarity with FIX protocol, SBE or market data feed handler development.
- Experience with AI-assisted development tooling and agentic workflows.
Why Apply?
- Salary: 90-120k.
- Location and working model: Belfast / Hybrid.
- Senior technical role with real autonomy architecture decisions, technical ownership, and meaningful influence over how the team works.
- Work on high-performance, mission-critical systems where engineering decisions carry real consequences.
- Collaborate with engineers who take performance and correctness seriously, in a domain where cutting corners is not an option.
Java Developer ( Low Latency ) in Belfast employer: Ocho
Join a dynamic and innovative digital consultancy that champions a remote-first work culture, offering exceptional benefits such as a competitive salary, generous annual leave, and a commitment to professional development. With a focus on quality and collaboration, you'll thrive in an environment that values your expertise and provides the autonomy to shape QA processes while working on complex, multi-component systems alongside a talented team in Northern Ireland.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Java Developer ( Low Latency ) in Belfast
✨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 Ocho 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 Ocho.
✨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 Ocho.
✨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 Ocho 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 Developer ( Low Latency ) in Belfast
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 Ocho.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Ocho 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 Ocho
✨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 Ocho 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.
