Senior Java Software Engineer

About Cleverbit Software

At Cleverbit Software, we build technology that matters – for real clients, with real impact. Our remote-first, flexible culture supports curious minds, collaborative spirits, and people who care deeply about the work they do.

We believe the best results come from small, focused teams empowered to think independently, work flexibly, and grow continuously.

The Role

We're looking for a Senior Java Developer to join a client-focused delivery team, building and maintaining a full-stack platform using Java 21, Spring Boot, React and PostgreSQL.

You'll work on enhancements, one-off deliverables and some consultancy work, taking well-defined tasks from a prioritised backlog and delivering them end-to-end – from backend services and APIs through to the React front end and automated tests.

The platform is a high-usage, business-critical service, so this role suits someone who puts technical quality and maintainability first, while still delivering reliably against deadlines.

Employment / Contract Structure

• This is a freelance/contractor role on a part-time, non-exclusive basis.
• Working hours are flexible and will depend on project requirements.
• This is a fully remote role.
• The exact contract duration and expected weekly hours will be confirmed during the recruitment process.
• We are looking for someone who can start as soon as possible.

Key Responsibilities

• Build and maintain backend services and REST APIs using Java 21 and Spring Boot.
• Build and maintain the React-based web application, including UI features, routing, state management, forms and API integration.
• Implement data ingestion, validation and reporting/export workflows (PDF, Excel, JSON), and expose them through usable UI flows.
• Work with PostgreSQL, including schema changes, migrations, query optimisation and ORM tuning using JPA/Hibernate.
• Write and maintain automated tests across the stack (unit, integration and frontend testing where applicable).
• Improve operational quality, including logging, structured error handling, performance optimisation and security best practices.
• Work on development tasks from a prioritised backlog using tools such as Azure DevOps and/or Jira.
• Collaborate closely with Product, QA and DevOps to deliver features end-to-end.
• Participate actively in pull request reviews, architectural discussions and technical decision-making.
• Contribute meaningfully to agile ceremonies (stand-ups, refinements, retrospectives) and share knowledge to improve internal processes and skillsets.

Mandatory Requirements (What We're Looking For)

• BSc in Computer Science or equivalent practical experience.
• 5+ years of strong Java and Spring Boot experience, including API design, debugging and performance optimisation.
• 2+ years of strong React experience, including component design, hooks and state management.
• Strong proficiency in TypeScript/JavaScript, with experience using modern frontend tooling (Vite/Webpack, npm/yarn/pnpm).
• Solid experience with PostgreSQL and ORM frameworks (JPA/Hibernate), including handling database migrations.
• Testing experience across the stack – backend (JUnit, Mockito) and frontend (Jest, React Testing Library).
• Experience working in CI-enabled environments.
• Experience working in agile environments using Azure DevOps, Jira or similar tools.
• An analytical mindset with strong problem-solving skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English (C1/C2 level).
• Must be legally eligible to work remotely from within the European Union.

Nice to Have

• Familiarity with Microsoft Azure (app hosting, storage, identity/Key Vault concepts).
• Experience with CI/CD pipelines and containerisation (Docker, release automation).
• Experience with observability tooling (structured logs, metrics, tracing).
• Experience delivering data-heavy applications with reporting/export capabilities.

Behavioural / Ownership Expectations

This role will suit you if you:

• Enjoy taking well-defined tasks and owning them end-to-end, from implementation through testing and release.
• Put technical quality and maintainability first when making decisions.
• Are comfortable delivering against deadlines on a high-usage, business-critical service.
• Collaborate proactively with Product, QA and DevOps, and give constructive input in code reviews.
• Enjoy a varied mix of enhancements, one-off deliverables and occasional consultancy work.

This role may not be the right fit if you prefer:

• Low-pressure environments with flexible or undefined timelines.
• Working only on the backend or only on the frontend.
• Treating testing, logging or documentation as an afterthought.
• Exploratory or research-based work over structured delivery.

AI & Tooling Expectations

• We expect developers to build with AI agents as their default way of working, and to be comfortable in an agentic workflow where the job is setting clear intent and verifying what comes back.
• You should know the tools well enough to recognise where they fall down – invented APIs, code that looks right but isn't, tests that pass without testing anything, and changes that drift from what was asked.
• You should review agent output with the same care as any code going to production. Anything you merge is yours, whether you wrote it or an agent did.

Salary & Compensation

Exact package and contract structure will be discussed during the recruitment process.

Benefits

• Fully remote working model.
• Flexible working hours based on project requirements.

Location & Work Eligibility

This is a fully remote role, open only to candidates based within the European Union (including Malta).

Candidates must be legally eligible to work remotely for a Malta-registered company from their EU country of residence. No visa sponsorship or relocation support is available for this role.

Equal Opportunity Statement

At Cleverbit, we're committed to building an inclusive workplace where everyone feels respected and valued. We welcome candidates from all walks of life, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, religion, disability, or sexual orientation.