At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead backend engineering, design scalable systems, and mentor fellow engineers.
- Company: Dynamic digital product organisation with a collaborative culture.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, career progression, and a focus on personal development.
- Other info: Join a vibrant team in Newcastle with excellent growth opportunities.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on secure platforms while shaping the future of backend technology.
- Qualifications: Strong Java and Spring Boot experience, plus leadership skills in backend architecture.
The predicted salary is between 63000 - 77000 £ per year.
We’re working with a digital product organisation that builds large-scale, secure platforms within a highly regulated environment. The business has an open, collaborative culture where engineers are trusted to contribute at a high level, with a strong focus on technical quality, personal development, and long-term career progression.
Role Overview
Reporting into senior engineering leadership, the Lead Back End Engineer will act as the cornerstone of backend technical excellence. This role combines hands-on engineering, architectural ownership, and technical leadership to deliver scalable, secure, and maintainable backend services. You’ll guide engineering practices across multiple teams, influence technology decisions, and help align backend strategy with wider business goals.
Key Responsibilities
- Define and evolve backend architecture for scalability, maintainability, and performance
- Set coding standards and champion secure development practices
- Influence technology choices, frameworks, and tooling
- Lead improvements to CI/CD pipelines, build processes, and operational workflows
- Communicate technical risks clearly to non-technical stakeholders
- Lead projects with a focus on strong systems design and engineering outcomes
- Contribute to critical backend systems when required
- Review and refine key codebases to ensure alignment with architectural goals
- Provide technical oversight for major initiatives
- Coach and develop engineers, strengthening backend capability across the organisation
- Facilitate design discussions, code reviews, and technical problem-solving sessions
- Build consensus on technical decisions across teams
- Identify and address technical debt
- Introduce new backend technologies and engineering practices
- Drive improvements in reliability, scalability, and delivery speed
- Stay up to date with backend technology trends
- Share knowledge through internal workshops, presentations, and forums
- Support recruitment and promote a strong engineering culture
- Ensure backend systems align with recognised security and compliance standards
Key Skills & Experience
- Strong experience building backend systems using Java (Java 11+) and Spring Boot
- Proven ability to design and lead backend architecture for complex platforms
- Strong experience with AWS
- Experience with Kubernetes and containerised environments
- Knowledge of Kafka and event-driven architectures
- Experience designing RESTful APIs and microservice architectures
- Strong understanding of SQL and NoSQL databases
- Experience building and maintaining CI/CD pipelines
- Comfortable working in Agile teams using Git-based source control and tooling
- Knowledge of recognised security and compliance frameworks
- A natural technical leader who enjoys mentoring and influencing others
Apply Today!
Location: Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, NE12 8BX
Salary: £80,000 - £90,000
Sector: Java
Type: Permanent
Posted: 02/09/2026
Lead Back End Engineer employer: Ronald James
As an Information Security Manager at our fast-growing B2B technology business, you'll thrive in a dynamic work culture that prioritises innovation and collaboration. We offer competitive benefits, including professional development opportunities and a commitment to employee growth, ensuring you can advance your career while making a meaningful impact on our governance and compliance strategies. Join us in a location that fosters creativity and teamwork, where your expertise will be valued and your contributions will drive our success.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Lead Back End Engineer
✨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 Ronald James 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 Ronald James.
✨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 Ronald James.
✨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 Ronald James 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 Lead Back End Engineer
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 Ronald James.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Ronald James 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 Ronald James
✨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 Ronald James 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.
