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Java Software Engineering - Competency Lead

  • Hybrid
    • Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
  • Java

Job description

DVT is one of the top software development companies on the continent. Our software engineers are consulting on cutting-edge applications at top companies in South Africa, as well as consulting globally. You will have the opportunity to work alongside some of the most established developers in the country and globally with the latest technologies.

We are looking for a senior Java / JVM engineering leader to define, govern, and continuously evolve our Java engineering competency ensuring we consistently deliver high-quality, scalable backend solutions across all client engagements.

As the most senior JVM engineer in the organisation, you will set the technical direction for Java engineering, establish and enforce standards, and raise the bar across delivery teams. You will also provide technical oversight across the broader open-source backend strategy, including Node.js, Python, and Go.

This is not a delivery management role. You define what good Java engineering looks like and make it the norm.

Job requirements

What You'll Do

Competency Strategy & Evolution

  • Define and evolve the Java / JVM engineering strategy, including oversight of Node.js, Python, and Go streams

  • Establish and maintain engineering standards, tooling, and best practices

  • Build reusable reference architectures and accelerators, including a Java Modernisation accelerator for legacy estates

  • Drive adoption of AI-assisted development tools and modern engineering practices

Technical Authority & Quality

  • Act as the Java technical authority across all engagements and solution contexts

  • Define and govern coding standards, architectural patterns, and quality guardrails

  • Review and guide architecture decisions across engagements

  • Intervene in high-risk or technically complex delivery scenarios to protect quality

AI Enablement

  • Drive adoption of AI development tools across Java teams

  • Build a reference implementation for LLM integration in Java services using LangChain4j (RAG patterns, event-stream integration)

  • Identify modern Java approaches that improve delivery speed and reduce technical debt

Talent Development & Mentorship

  • Define Java technical competency standards at each career level (graduate to principal)

  • Provide structured assessments and development feedback for engineers

  • Identify and advocate for engineers with senior or principal potential

Hiring & Technical Quality Bar

  • Assess candidates on backend fundamentals (distributed systems, API design, database patterns) and Java-specific depth

  • Define and maintain technical assessment criteria and coding assessments

  • Provide clear hire / no-hire recommendations for shortlisted candidates

Community & Thought Leadership

  • Define the quarterly Java community of practice agenda

  • Champion knowledge sharing and sponsor engineers as session contributors

  • Contribute to external thought leadership in Java / JVM engineering

Client & Pre-sales Support

  • Serve as the Java technical subject matter expert on bids and proposals

  • Develop and maintain reusable Java technical assets for proposals

  • Attend client technical workshops when engineering expertise is needed

Innovation

  • Identify innovation opportunities within the Java stream

  • Own the development of Java / JVM accelerators, reference architectures, and reusable delivery assets

  • Contribute technical expertise to new service and product development initiatives

Technical Skills

  • Java / JVM Ecosystem: Spring Boot 3.x, Kotlin, Quarkus, GraalVM, Apache Kafka

  • API Design: REST, GraphQL, gRPC

  • Cloud & Infrastructure: Docker, Kubernetes, AWS / Azure / GCP

  • Engineering Standards: Defining and enforcing coding standards, architectural patterns, and quality guardrails across multiple teams

  • Adjacent Stacks: Working knowledge of Node.js / NestJS (BFF patterns), Python / FastAPI (AI service layers), or Go (cloud-native workloads)

  • AI & LLM Integration: Familiarity with AI-assisted development tools (Copilot, Cursor, Claude Code) and LLM integration using LangChain4j

Leadership Profile

This role requires someone who leads through influence rather than authority. You will shape engineering culture, mentor talent from graduate to principal level, and drive adoption of standards across autonomous teams.

  • Strategic Thinking: Define technical direction and align the Java competency to business strategy

  • Execution: Ensure standards are adopted, quality gates are active, and commitments are followed through

  • Influence: Drive adoption of engineering practices across teams without direct line authority

  • Collaboration: Build trust across engineering, delivery, and client-facing teams; enable effective mentorship

Experience & Qualifications

Education

  • BSc IT, BEng, or equivalent technical degree (beneficial)

  • Certifications in AWS or relevant cloud platforms

Experience

  • 8–12+ years in software engineering with a strong Java / JVM focus

  • Proven experience leading an engineering team or technical competency stream

How Success is Measured

  • Maturity and adoption of Java standards and practices across active engagements

  • Progression and retention of Java engineers through a defined competency framework

  • Quality of Java technical outcomes on client engagements

  • Availability of reusable Java proposal assets and technical input on all Java-relevant bids

  • Delivery of LangChain4j reference implementation and AI tooling adoption across teams

What This Role Is Not

To set expectations clearly: this role does not carry delivery accountability or day-to-day project execution. You will not have operational line management of consultants on engagements, nor will you own bid responses, you provide the technical input when called upon.


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