Lead Backend Architect - £150,000 - Financial ServicesOverviewI am currently looking for a Lead Backend Architect to join my client who are a global financial services organisation and social network for investors. You will lead the design and evolution of our client''s Back End systems, development processes, and infrastructure strategy. This is a key leadership role focused on delivering scalable, resilient, and high-performing solutions while fostering strong collaboration across engineering, DevOps, and monitoring teams.Key ResponsibilitiesDefine and oversee the end-to-end software development life cycle (SDLC)Establish and refine engineering standards, including coding, reviewing, and testing practicesLead efforts to implement robust automated testing (unit, integration, E2E)Collaborate with DevOps to optimize CI/CD workflows and release pipelinesDesign high-load, fault-tolerant, and highly available systemsApply modern architectural patterns such as microservices and event-driven architectureEnsure scalability, maintainability, and performance of Back End servicesDevelop and maintain comprehensive architectural documentationConduct architecture reviews, technical audits, and drive adoption of best practicesPartner with infrastructure teams to ensure system reliability and operational efficiencyIntegrate monitoring and logging solutions (eg, Prometheus, Grafana, ELK)Define strategies for disaster recovery, scaling, and infrastructure resilienceImprove observability by en