Our client is a well-established South African financial services technology company operating in the home finance space. Their platform runs on Spring Boot microservices on Java 21 and React applications on Kubernetes, with an API gateway, service mesh, secrets management, full observability and gated CI/CD, alongside core systems that are being progressively modernised while the business keeps running.
They are looking for a Senior Fullstack Developer for a 12 month contract to design, build and run backend services and user-facing applications across their core platforms. The work is a genuine mix of new product development on a modern stack, improving established systems, and integrating with banks, CRM platforms and external providers. AI-assisted development, using tools such as GitHub Copilot and Claude Code, is part of daily practice, not an experiment, and you will be expected to use these tools productively while applying the judgement to validate what they produce.
Tasks include
- Design and build backend services and REST APIs in Java 21 and Spring Boot.
- Build responsive React and TypeScript applications in a multi-brand Nx monorepo.
- Integrate with banks, CRM platforms and internal systems through a Kong API gateway, and build event-driven flows on RabbitMQ where they fit.
- Improve and modernise existing applications and legacy codebases.
- Work with Oracle and MySQL for data modelling, queries and performance.
- Ship through GitHub Actions pipelines to containerised Kubernetes deployments, and support what you release.
- Use observability tooling to keep applications healthy, and troubleshoot production issues across the full stack.
- Apply security, POPIA and financial-services data practices as standard.
Requirements
The "must-haves"
- 8+ years of professional software development experience.
- Strong Java and Spring Boot experience, ideally recent versions including Java 21, with solid REST API design.
- Strong React and TypeScript experience on production applications.
- Deep relational database skills (Oracle or MySQL): modelling, querying and performance.
- A track record of troubleshooting complex production issues across the stack.
- Comfort working in, and improving, established codebases you did not write.
- Fluency with Git, CI/CD pipelines and Docker.
- Productive use of AI development tools such as GitHub Copilot or Claude Code, or strong evidence you will get there quickly, paired with the judgement to validate what they produce.
Advantageous
- Kubernetes, Helm, Terraform or HashiCorp Vault.
- Kong or other API gateways; RabbitMQ or event-driven architecture.
- Nx or other monorepo tooling.
- Financial services or other regulated environments.
- Legacy modernisation involving Java EE, WebLogic or older Angular applications.
- Sound engineering judgement and ownership of outcomes.
- Clear communication with technical and business colleagues.
- Curiosity to keep adapting, particularly around modern engineering and AI-assisted development.
What's in it for you
- A modern stack: Java 21 and Spring Boot on Kubernetes, React 19 and TypeScript in an Nx monorepo.
- Genuine commercial weight: new product build, bank integrations and modernisation of business-critical systems.
- Real ownership: senior here means shaping decisions, not just closing tickets.
- 12 Month contract, hybrid working, Cape Town (Durbanville) based.