Tech Lead/Staff Java Engineer

Bullfinch Recruitment are proud to be partnering with Patrianna, a high-growth social gaming business, delivering innovative, scalable products to a global player base, who are looking for a Tech Lead/Staff Java Engineer to join their team.

The Role

Lead technical excellence while architecting and delivering scalable Java solutions that power our next-generation gaming platform.

AI-Driven Engineering Culture:

We are actively building an AI-driven engineering organization with a clear and deliberate stance: artificial intelligence is a core part of how we build and deliver software - not an experiment, not a trend, and not an optional add-on.

AI is embedded into our engineering workflows, from system design and prototyping to refactoring, testing, and code review. We expect engineers to be fully comfortable working in AI-driven environments and to treat AI as a primary productivity multiplier. Strong engineering judgment, architectural ownership, and accountability remain essential-AI amplifies our engineers, it doesn’t replace responsibility for technical decisions

What you will be doing

• Design and implement complex, scalable system architectures while mentoring team members and driving technical excellence
• Lead code reviews and establish best practices to ensure high-quality deliverables across the engineering team
• Optimize database performance and design robust data solutions, particularly with PostgreSQL and query optimization
• Architect and maintain messaging systems using Kafka or similar technologies to handle high-volume data streams
• Troubleshoot and resolve complex production issues, taking full ownership of system reliability and performance
• Facilitate technical discussions and foster collaborative problem-solving across cross-functional teams

What we are looking for

• Extensive production experience with Java and deep understanding of JVM internals and ecosystem
• Strong system design capabilities with proven ability to document and implement complex architectures
• Advanced knowledge of relational database principles, PostgreSQL expertise, and performance tuning skills
• Solid grasp of messaging concepts, ideally with Kafka ecosystem experience
• Exceptional troubleshooting abilities and strong understanding of concurrency principles and security best practices
• Leadership experience with team mentoring and upper-intermediate English proficiency for stakeholder communication

Our Tech Stack

• Java 25
• Spring Boot 4
• Google Cloud Platform:
  • Kubernetes
  • Kafka
  • AlloyDB for PostgreSQL
  • Spanner
• Ebean ORM
• Flyway
• Redis
• Quartz
• Websockets
• Retool
• Test Containers
• Locust for perf testing
• Jenkins/ArgoCD
• ELK/Sentry/Grafana
• Jira/Confluence/Slack/Bitbucket

Why you will love it

You'll thrive in our high-pace, high-growth environment where continuous learning meets real impact. Take ownership of cutting-edge technology solutions while working in an ego-free, collaborative culture that values your input and recognizes your contributions. Every line of code you write directly shapes the gaming experience for millions of players worldwide, giving your work genuine purpose and meaning. Plus, you'll enjoy the flexibility to work in ways that suit you while being rewarded for the tangible results you deliver.

About Patrianna

Patrianna is a fast-scaling product development company headquartered in Gibraltar, with a dynamic, global team powering our growth. We operate at the intersection of technology and entertainment, building innovative solutions that shape the future of social gaming and deliver outstanding experiences to millions of players worldwide.

We're driven by speed, ambition, and bold ideas. At our core, we're product creators and problem-solvers who thrive in a high-performance environment. We're looking for exceptional talent-smart, adaptable, and motivated individuals eager to make an impact, scale business functions at pace, and continuously improve.

We hire based on skills, drive, and ideas-nothing else. Your background, gender, age, race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, religion, neurodiversity, or educational path will never be a barrier to joining us. We also welcome candidates from non-traditional career journeys and value diverse perspectives that challenge conventional thinking. Diversity fuels our innovation, collaboration, and growth, and we're committed to creating an environment where everyone can contribute their best work and thrive.