Senior Java Software Engineer

About the role

You will join the Continuous Delivery team to manage the platform that supports thousands of daily deployments across Wise. This role focuses on adapting our delivery infrastructure to handle the increased volume of code generated by AI tools while maintaining high reliability and safety standards. In this position, you will be responsible for ensuring that the platform can scale efficiently without compromising on the quality or security of the deployments. You will work closely with cross-functional partners to understand their needs and translate them into robust technical solutions. The role requires a proactive mindset to identify potential risks before they impact production. You will play a key part in fostering a culture of automation and continuous improvement within the engineering organization.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Design, implement, and maintain features for the internal Continuous Delivery platform, ensuring they align with long-term strategic goals.
• Manage and customize the open source tool Spinnaker, including contributing improvements to the upstream project to benefit the wider community.
• Create automated safety guardrails to facilitate secure deployments with minimal manual intervention, reducing the risk of human error.
• Collaborate with other Platform Engineering groups to enhance shared infrastructure foundations and eliminate redundant efforts.
• Analyze telemetry data and developer feedback to identify and resolve platform friction points, improving the overall developer experience.
• Support engineering teams during the adoption of new deployment patterns and tools, ensuring a smooth transition and minimal disruption.
• Participate in code reviews, technical design sessions, and documentation efforts while mentoring peers to elevate the overall team capability.
• Drive the standardization of deployment pipelines, ensuring consistency and compliance across all engineering projects.
• Investigate and resolve complex issues in the delivery pipeline, applying root cause analysis to prevent future occurrences.
• Explore and prototype new technologies that can enhance the efficiency and reliability of the continuous delivery process.
• Work with product managers to define the roadmap for the platform, balancing innovation with operational stability.
• Ensure that all changes are delivered in a controlled manner, adhering to the defined release management practices.
• Act as a technical leader for the delivery platform, guiding decisions on architecture and best practices.
• Contribute to the open source projects that Wise depends on, giving back to the community and improving the ecosystem.

Requirements

• Proven experience building and running production systems using Java, demonstrating a strong grasp of the language and its ecosystem.
• Background in designing distributed services and APIs, including monitoring, testing, and error handling to ensure system resilience.
• Practical knowledge of cloud platforms like AWS or GCP, understanding the core services and their implications for deployment.
• Experience with containerization and orchestration tools such as Kubernetes, managing the lifecycle of containerized applications.
• History of automating operational tasks and creating reusable tooling to improve efficiency and reduce manual effort.
• Experience managing mission-critical or shared infrastructure, ensuring high availability and performance.
• Ability to translate complex technical requirements into maintainable, clear solutions that are easy for others to understand and use.
• Openness to questioning current methods and sharing knowledge with the team to foster a culture of learning and improvement.
• Strong understanding of software development lifecycle, including version control, continuous integration, and continuous deployment.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a distributed team, managing your time and priorities effectively.
• Willingness to adhere to the coding standards and practices established by the platform team.
• Commitment to writing clean, testable, and efficient code that meets the needs of the business.
• Excellent problem-solving skills, with the ability to debug complex issues in a production environment.
• Effective communication skills, both written and verbal, to collaborate with technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Nice to have

• Experience with Spinnaker or other large-scale CI/CD systems, understanding their architecture and workflows.
• Familiarity with SRE practices like error budgets, service-level objectives, and automated incident prevention to maintain system reliability.
• Proficiency with observability tools such as Grafana, Prometheus, Elastic, or distributed tracing to monitor and analyze system behavior.
• Understanding of cloud security and networking, ensuring that deployments are secure and compliant with best practices.
• Experience with PCI DSS or other regulated environments, ensuring that the platform meets the necessary compliance requirements.
• Background in load testing, performance testing, or capacity planning to ensure the platform can handle peak loads.
• Skill in creating architecture diagrams and technical documentation to communicate designs and decisions effectively.

Practical notes

• Starting

salary: £87,500 - £111,000 GBP plus RSUs.

• Benefits include a flexible working environment and company events.
• Candidates are encouraged to review the Wise Engineering blog and career map for further context on the company culture and technical environment.
• The role is based in London, requiring the candidate to be available for work in that location.
• Full-time engagement is expected, with the standard working hours applying.
• Visa sponsorship may be available for eligible candidates, subject to business needs.
• The successful candidate will be required to pass any necessary background checks as part of the hiring process.
• The position is open until filled, and early application is encouraged to be considered for the role.