Java Tech Lead - Actuarial Squad

Toucanberry Tech is a boutique software consultancy specialising in the reinsurance sector. We build innovative products and services by organising cross-functional squads covering product, design, engineering, and data. We value autonomy, results, and cutting through bureaucracy.

The Role

We’re looking for an experienced Java Tech Lead to join our Actuarial Squad, providing hands-on technical leadership for backend development in a complex AWS-based environment.

You’ll guide the team in developing products that automate key elements of the actuarial lifecycle in Reinsurance, while ensuring solutions align with architectural standards, regulatory requirements, and modern engineering practices. You’ll act as a key point of technical authority within the squad, working closely with the Product Owner & the engineering teams.

Requirements

Key Responsibilities

• Act as the technical lead for the Actuarial Squad, overseeing backend development and ensuring technical excellence.
• Lead development within the client’s AWS environment, understanding what AWS can and can’t do to deliver efficient, secure, and cost-effective solutions.
• Review and understand existing infrastructure-as-code (Terraform, Helm, etc.) to ensure seamless integration between infrastructure and application layers.
• Provide input to architecture review boards and help shape long-term technical direction.
• Serve as the Java SME – performing code reviews, offering troubleshooting guidance, and mentoring developers.
• Scope and size work, refine backlog items, and support the Product Owner in roadmap planning.
• Champion Toucanberry Tech’s best practices for coding, design, testing, and delivery.
• Partner with business and technical stakeholders to align technical direction with business vision.
• Support discovery and proof-of-concept work to validate technical approaches.
  

Required Skills & Experience

• Expert-level Java (SME) – deep, hands-on experience designing and building production systems.
• Strong understanding of AWS services, their capabilities, limitations, and how to apply them effectively in enterprise settings.
• Experience reading and working with infrastructure code (e.g., Terraform, Helm, Flux).
• Prior experience working in large, regulated, or secure corporate environments, navigating legacy systems and structured governance processes.
• Confidence to contribute to and support architectural reviews and design discussions.
• Proven experience leading technical teams and mentoring engineers.
  

Bonus Skills (Nice to Have)

• Familiarity with Python, Go, or TypeScript.
• Broader infrastructure knowledge – Kubernetes, Helm, Terraform, Flux.
• AWS certifications
  

Behaviours & Characteristics

• Strong collaborator who builds trust with business and technical stakeholders alike.
• Excellent communication skills, able to translate complex technical issues into actionable insight.
• Comfortable working with Product Owners and Business Analysts in agile delivery teams.
• Pragmatic and delivery-focused, with a mindset suited to enterprise environments that balance innovation with compliance.
• Growth potential to evolve into a long-term technical leadership role within the actuarial domain.

Benefits

• Fully Remote
• Outside IR35
• Long term contract