Backend Engineer

Key Responsibilities • Design, develop and maintain secure, high-performance backend services and APIs for the Portal using Java and related frameworks (e.g. Spring Boot). • Build and optimise data access layers, ensuring the accuracy and integrity of tax submission data across relational databases. • Integrate the portal with internal systems and whole-of-government services through well-defined, secure interfaces. • Implement validation, audit and reconciliation logic to support compliance and regulatory requirements. • Write clean, well-tested and maintainable code, with appropriate unit, integration and automated tests. • Participate in code reviews, technical design discussions and architecture decisions. • Troubleshoot, debug and resolve production issues, supporting the platform through its full operational lifecycle. • Collaborate with product owners, business analysts, security teams and operations to deliver features that meet user and policy needs. Requirements • Solid hands-on experience building backend services in Java or Typescript. Strong experience in another modern object-oriented or JVM language will also be considered, with a clear willingness to work primarily in Java. • Good understanding of object-oriented design, data structures and software engineering fundamentals. • Experience designing and consuming RESTful APIs. • Working knowledge of relational databases (e.g. PostgreSQL, Oracle or MySQL) and SQL. • Familiarity with version control (Git) and collaborative development workflows. • Sound appreciation of application security, data protection and secure coding practices, as the role involves handling sensitive tax and personal data. • Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to communicate technical concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders. Good to Have • Experience with the Spring / Spring Boot ecosystem. • Experience with microservices, message queues or event-driven architectures. • Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines, containerisation (Docker), and cloud or on-premise government platforms. • Exposure to automated testing frameworks (e.g. JUnit, Mockito). • Prior experience delivering systems in the public sector, financial services or another regulated environment.