Java Application Architect

Java Software Architect

3-5 Month contract - Inside IR35 - up to £620 per day

London based - hybrid working - 1 day a week onsite

Insurance sector

Role Overview

We are seeking a hands-on Java Software Architect to lead the assessment, modernisation, and migration of enterprise Java applications. This role requires a strong technical leader who can define and execute modernisation strategies, address platform compatibility challenges, and leverage AI-assisted engineering practices to accelerate application assessment, code remediation, testing, and delivery.

The role involves providing technical leadership, guiding development teams, managing technical risks, and supporting project planning and implementation from both architectural and engineering perspectives.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead architecture assessment, modernisation planning, and migration of enterprise Java applications.
• Define and drive the technical architecture and implementation approach for complex Java-based enterprise applications.
• Assess application dependencies, frameworks, integrations, infrastructure components, and security controls to identify migration impacts and remediation requirements.
• Design scalable, resilient, secure, and high-performing systems using Java and modern architectural patterns.

Required Experience & Skills

• Strong experience in Java/J2EE enterprise application architecture and software development.
• Proven experience migrating or modernising enterprise applications hosted on JBoss EAP/ Red Hat application platforms, including EAP version upgrades and platform transformations.
• Experience assessing and remediating applications for Java/Jakarta EE compatibility and modernisation requirements.
• Strong knowledge of modern Java enterprise frameworks, application servers, APIs, persistence frameworks, databases, security frameworks, and integration technologies.
• Experience with application modernisation, technology upgrades, migration, re-platforming, and technical debt reduction initiatives.
• Good understanding of cloud-native architectures, DevOps, CI/CD, application security, and modern engineering practices.

Preferred Skills

• Experience with JBoss EAP 7.x and EAP 8.x environments.
• Prior hands-on software development experience building, enhancing, and supporting large-scale Java enterprise applications.
• Ability to perform code-level assessments, identify modernisation opportunities, and provide practical remediation guidance to engineering teams.
• Experience working directly with legacy application codebases and driving modernisation initiatives from assessment through implementation.
• Experience implementing AI-driven SDLC practices using AWS Kiro.
• Experience with Migration Toolkit for Applications (MTA), or equivalent migration assessment and modernisation tools.