Senior SRE (Java)
About the job
Senior SRE (Java)
The Opportunity: A Software-First Approach to Reliability
I am currently partnering with a major FTSE 100 FinTech company that is undergoing a massive modernisation and observability overhaul. They aren't looking for a traditional, infrastructure-heavy SRE; they need a Senior Java Developer who has recently transitioned into the SRE space.
My client operates high-performance trading platforms for over 340,000 global users. They need an engineer who can "get under the hood" of a Java codebase to build, debug, and instrument for high-scale reliability while defining the standards for their future cloud-native architecture.
Why This Role is Different
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True Engineering Ownership: You'll be helping the division from the ground up by defining SLOs/SLIs and implementing OpenTelemetry (Otel) and tracing across distributed systems.
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Modernisation at Scale: This is a "roll up your sleeves" environment moving heavily toward cloud-native services and containerised infrastructure.
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High Visibility: You will bridge the gap between code and infrastructure, working directly with internal departments and the UK leadership team to champion reliability patterns.
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Complex Challenges: You'll work with high-throughput, low-latency trading operations that demand zero downtime, focusing on JVM performance tuning and message-driven systems.
The Essentials
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The Foundation: 5+ years of Java development experience with a deep understanding of JVM internals.
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The SRE Pivot: Recent experience in a Site Reliability or Observability role, with hands-on knowledge of OpenTelemetry, Jaeger, or similar tracing tools.
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The Mindset: A strong philosophy on what makes a "good" SLO and a passion for eliminating toil through automation.
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Technical Breadth: Experience with message brokers (Kafka, ActiveMQ), containerization (Nomad/Docker), and troubleshooting distributed systems.
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Systems Thinking: A passion for both software development and reliability engineering, applying discipline to solve operational challenges at scale.
The Perks
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Flexible Benefits: A 12% flexible fund on top of your base salary to spend on what matters to you (medical, dental, etc.).
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Generous Time Off: 25 days holiday, plus your birthday off and 2 days for voluntary work (28 total).
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Health & Wellbeing: Private medical cover for you and your family, plus contributions to gym memberships.
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Growth: Unlimited access to LinkedIn Learning, tailored development programs, and mentoring with senior leaders.
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Inclusive Culture: Active employee-led networks (LGBTQ+, Women's, Black, and Parents & Carers) with dedicated budgets for events and projects.
Interested?
If you are a Java expert who has found your calling in Reliability and Observability, I would love to discuss the company, the role, and the compensation package with you.
Apply, or reach out directly:
