Java Software Engineering - Competency Lead

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.

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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 Lang Chain4j

• 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

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