Lead Java Developer

Lead Java Developer (3-6 Month Contract)

Location: Remote, Birmingham, England, United Kingdom
Type: Contract (3-6 months)

Role Overview

Our Digital Engineering team at ITG are responsible for building world class, enterprise grade digital applications for high profile brands. We pride ourselves in working with mature Agile methodologies and make use of the latest versions of technology. Our teams are structured in such a way that gives every employee the opportunity to learn new skills, work on various projects over time and see the results of your efforts in the online consumer marketplace. Joining the Digital Engineering function would see you work as part of a cross-functional, product style team, generally consisting of a Business Analyst, Scrum Master / Project Manager, Solution Architect, Lead Developers (FE and BE), Developers, and Testers (Manual and Automated).

ITG require a talented Lead Java Developer to work on the development of a range of web based products and tools.

Lead Java Developers are responsible for building and maintaining a range of websites and applications for our clients, ranging from content management systems, to complex rules engines, finance calculators and tools.

At ITG, Lead Java Developers work with a variety of tools and frameworks. Many of our projects use Spring Boot, while others are based on light weight servlets and serverless, cloud functions. We use modern tools, frameworks and IDEs, and work in agile sprint teams alongside business analysts, frontend developers, QA testers and scrum masters.

Lead Developers are active members of the development team, specialising in Java Development but also working on projects using technologies with which they may be unfamiliar.

We integrate AI tooling across the full development lifecycle — from business analysis and architecture through to design, QA, and code delivery. Lead Frontend Developers use AI coding assistants (primarily Cursor) as a core part of daily workflow, not as an optional extra. It is important that developers understand how to use AI effectively and where its limitations lie.

Lead Developers lead from a technology standpoint, but also support, mentor and develop other members of the team.

Key Technologies & Frameworks

Java

• Java 17-21
• Maven
• Spring, Spring Boot
• Adobe AEM

General

• Experience using REST APIs
• HTML and CSS
• XML
• JSON
• OAuth
• REDIS
• Docker
• AWS Infrastructure
• Terraform
• Git (GitLab)
• Groovy Scripting

Testing

• TDD
• Unit testing with JUnit, Hamcrest & Mockito
• JMeter
• Bruno

Supporting Tools

• IntelliJ IDEs
• JIRA
• Confluence
• GitLab pipelines
• Lucid Charts
• Agentic AI assistance from Claude Code

Day-to-Day Responsibilities

• Work closely with account directors, creative, and the client directly to ensure projects are delivered on time
• Help define and execute the development strategy
• Mentor and develop other members of the team
• Implement and improve working practices
• Identify and research emerging market trends to ensure you are always on top of your game
• Working in an Agile team to allow development of small, incremental releases and rapid iteration
• Use of Claude Code to accelerate delivery of high quality software with supporting tests and documentation; but also supporting the team by continuously improving our AI tools, skills and workflows
• Participation in sprint ceremonies such as planning, standups, and demonstrations
• Conduct code reviews to ensure quality standards are upheld
• Estimation of tasks for a wide range of projects
• Lead Developers also act as Line managers for developers on the team, and should have experience of managing and mentoring employees

Key Requirements

This role is all about working with others to solve technical challenges. As such the candidate must have exceptional communication skills, both written and oral, and should demonstrate experience of writing technical documentation - including the ability to craft clear, unambiguous prompts for AI tools.