A major Belgian public sector programme maintains several line-of-business applications used by internal and external users, and this role exists to define and evolve their application architecture. You will work across front-end Angular 21 code and Java/Jakarta EE back ends, applying hexagonal architecture and Spring Boot patterns to deliver REST APIs and Kafka-based integration. Familiarity with Agile Scrum and Jira is expected as part of the delivery process.
The mission
The programme runs a portfolio of transactional applications backed by PostgreSQL and other RDBMS stores, with responsibilities including API design, data model evolution and event-driven integration using Kafka. The work matters because these applications support business processes subject to regulatory constraints, and architectural decisions affect maintainability and security across the portfolio.
On a day-to-day basis you will define solution-level architecture, produce design artefacts and lead implementation decisions that developers follow. You will split your time between hands-on architecture (Java, jakarta-ee, Spring Boot, REST APIs), reviewing and improving existing modules with hexagonal architecture refactors, and guiding Angular 21 front-end teams on API contracts and UI integration.
Your responsibilities
- Lead architecture decisions that reduce technical debt and increase modularity across services, measured by fewer hotfixes and clearer service boundaries
- Define and document REST API contracts, data models and integration patterns for event-driven flows using Kafka and PostgreSQL
- Mentor and coordinate developers, organise code reviews and ensure delivery quality through Jira-driven Agile Scrum practices
- Design and validate non-functional requirements, including security (OAuth), performance and operability for production services
- Drive refactors towards hexagonal architecture for at least one major application module and validate the migration plan with stakeholders
- Collaborate with product owners and QA to translate business needs into an executable architectural vision and sprint backlog items
Your profile
Essential skills
- Proven senior experience designing Java EE / jakarta-ee back ends, minimum 10 years of Java-related development experience
- Strong SQL and RDBMS skills, with significant PostgreSQL experience and JPA knowledge, around 10 years of practice
- Solid track record building REST APIs, 8+ years of hands-on experience
- Front-end integration experience with Angular, specifically Angular 21, approximately 5 years
- Practical experience with Spring Boot and event-driven integration using Kafka, 5+ years desirable for Spring
- Comfortable working in Agile Scrum with Jira to manage workstreams and code review processes
- Ability to abstract complex business requirements into coherent architectural designs and to communicate them to mixed teams
- Must hold Belgian nationality due to project legal requirements
Languages
- French C1 or Dutch C1, plus the other national language at minimum B2