Staff Engineer ( Java )
9 days ago
Belfast
Staff Software Engineer ( Java ) The Opportunity My client is a US based Software Provider, working with Academic and Sporting institutions, they systems that sit at the heart of day to day operations for these large scale organisations and require a strong emphasis on correctness, reliability, and long term scalability. Please note this role is " Remote First " , with the client having offices in central Belfast for meetups. The Staff Software Engineers will act as a senior technical leader across this product area. This is a high impact role with a strong backend focus, centred primarily around Java based systems. You will operate as a technical adviser across multiple teams, shaping architecture, unblocking delivery, raising engineering standards, and helping systems scale in a demanding domain. Success in this role is defined by durable technical improvements, clearer architectural direction, and stronger collaboration across engineering, product, and platform functions. This role reports into an Engineering Manager and works closely with senior stakeholders across the wider organisation. What You Will Do Act as a Staff level technical leader across a complex product suite Drive backend architecture and system design decisions within Java and Spring based services Lead high impact initiatives focused on scalability, performance, and reliability from design through to production Serve as a go to technical authority for complex domain and system level challenges Partner closely with Product to translate business workflows into robust and scalable technical solutions Collaborate with platform and reliability teams to improve observability, operational maturity, and system health Reduce legacy complexity by addressing architectural gaps, performance bottlenecks, and accumulated technical debt Raise the bar across teams through pairing, design reviews, documentation, and knowledge sharing What You Will Bring Must haves 10 or more years of professional software engineering experience Deep expertise in Java with strong knowledge of the Spring ecosystem Backend focused background with solid relational database experience, ideally PostgreSQL Experience working within complex or legacy domains where architecture is actively evolving Proven ability to influence technical direction beyond individual delivery Strong ownership mindset across design, implementation, and operational support Comfortable collaborating cross functionally with Product, Platform, SRE, and Support teams Clear communicator who builds trust and drives alignment Pragmatic approach to decision making, balancing speed, quality, and long term system health Nice to haves Experience with Angular or modern JavaScript frameworks Background in data heavy systems, analytics platforms, or performance optimisation Familiarity with AWS best practices, DevOps tooling, or SRE operating models Exposure to compliance driven, regulated, or operationally complex products Who Thrives in This Role You are a Staff engineer who leads through influence rather than authority. You enjoy digging into complex systems, asking hard questions, and leaving platforms healthier than you found them. You are comfortable operating in ambiguity, particularly within mature or post acquisition environments, and you care deeply about helping teams scale sustainably. You balance humility with high standards, think beyond immediate delivery, and take pride in building systems that are reliable, scalable, and genuinely valuable to end users. Why work with OCHO ? OCHO represents the largest selection of technology roles of any tech recruitment firm in Northern Ireland. If this role isn't quite right, I'm always happy to meet for a coffee to talk through career moves and opportunities in 2026. Feel free to reach out to Ryan Quinn directly on LinkedIn for more information on this position. Skills: Java Microservices AWS Event-driven Benefits: Work From Home Bonus