Senior Backend Engineer - Contractor (Outside of IR35)
Senior Software Engineer – Java (Contract - Outside of IR35)
Duration: 3 Months Plus
Start Date: ASAP
Day Rate: £400 - 500 per day
As a Senior Software Engineer (Java) – Contractor at Pulselive, you’ll be focused on delivering robust, high-performance backend services and APIs that power digital experiences for millions of sports fans globally. This role is ideal for an experienced, hands-on engineer with strong Java and Spring expertise who thrives in a collaborative and fast-paced delivery environment.
You’ll work closely with cross-functional teams to build, integrate, and optimize systems that handle real-time sports data, video, and live commentary. This position is project- and delivery-focused, with no line management or people-leadership responsibilities required.
Key Responsibilities:
Design and develop scalable backend systems using Java and Spring Boot
Deliver well-structured, maintainable, and testable code aligned with project requirements
Build and maintain RESTful APIs to support web and mobile applications
Integrate with third-party data providers (e.g. sports data, video, commentary)
Use Git to manage code versioning and contribute to shared repositories
Manage deployments across multiple environments (Dev, Test, Staging, Prod)
Ensure systems are performant, secure, and resilient
Identify and manage project-level technical dependencies
Participate in sprint planning and delivery-focused meetings with the wider team
Write and maintain clear technical documentation
Contribute to code reviews and uphold development best practices
Core Skills & Experience:
Expert-level knowledge of:
Java 11+
Spring Boot and Spring Framework (v5+)
JPA/Hibernate and ORM principles
Designing and building microservice architectures
Creating and consuming RESTful APIs
Git for version control and collaborative development
JSON and working with structured data
Unit testing with frameworks like JUnit
Task management tools like JIRA
Writing technical documentation for APIs and backend components
Proficient with:
SQL (PostgreSQL, MySQL, or similar)
Kafka or other messaging/event-driven platforms
Docker containerization
Kubernetes for orchestration
AWS services (e.g., S3, Lambda, EC2, etc.)
Maven for build and dependency management
CI/CD pipelines and deployment automation
Basic understanding of:
Python (scripts, tools, integrations)
Frontend technologies: HTML, CSS, JavaScript (for context when integrating with frontend)