Our client is looking for a highly skilled backend developer to join a multidisciplinary team modernizing critical systems for higher education administration. You are someone who thrives in Agile environments, has extensive experience in backend development, and understands the deeper principles of scalable, testable, and maintainable software design.

You will step into a pivotal technical leadership role, continuing the architectural and modernization work initiated earlier this year. If you enjoy working in forward-thinking teams that experiment, challenge each other, and strive to improve continuously, this could be the right fit for you.

About the Role

You will be working within a team responsible for the registration and processing of higher education participant data, including enrollment and academic outcomes. The team oversees several front- and back-end applications that have recently been migrated to a private cloud environment. As part of an ongoing modernization program, you'll help reduce external system dependencies, improve testability, and resolve existing technical debt.

You’ll be taking over from a departing technical lead and will be expected to guide architectural decisions, mentor colleagues, and drive forward the redesign strategy in collaboration with the team.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Contribute to and lead the redesign of legacy backend systems.
• Work with microservice architectures and design solutions optimized for cloud-native environments.
• Promote a culture of immutability, modularity, and clean code practices.
• Advocate for and apply testing strategies early in the development cycle (shift-left testing).
• Ensure that systems are designed to be independently tested and deployed (isolation and hands-off deployment).
• Engage in collaborative Agile ceremonies and drive continuous improvement in development workflows.
• Mentor developers and help grow their skill sets across disciplines (we value T-shaped team members).
• Help foster a culture of experimentation, innovation, and shared ownership.

Your Skills & Background

Must-Have

• Bachelor's-level education or equivalent experience in software development.
• 5+ years of experience in backend development using Java EE or similar enterprise platforms.
• At least 5 years working within Agile/Scrum development teams.
• Solid knowledge of frontend development using Angular (3+ years).
• Deep understanding of integration patterns and systems interoperability.
• Ability to articulate and implement design patterns.
• Familiarity with cloud-based solution architecture and transaction management in microservices.

Bonus Skills

• Experience with Spring and Hibernate frameworks.
• Familiarity with API design using REST and SOAP.
• Previous experience working in educational or governmental IT environments is advantageous.
• Insight into surrounding systems within the DUO ecosystem (such as Portals, GGI, SSD) is considered a plus.

Team Culture & What they Offer

You’ll join a passionate team that values continuous learning, diverse perspectives, and open discussion. Our work culture emphasizes autonomy, curiosity, and thoughtful experimentation. We’re not looking for “yes-people,” but individuals who challenge ideas constructively and want to help us get better—technically and organizationally.

You’ll have the freedom to propose improvements and influence team practices. Your contributions will directly impact how students and institutions interact with digital systems at a national level.

Working Conditions

• Flexible work hours with the possibility for hybrid/remote work.
• Fixed working hours typically between 8 AM and 6 PM, with one hour for lunch.
• Office located in the province of Groningen; however, most collaboration happens remotely.

Please note: This job posting is just a preview of the full scope of the position. A comprehensive job description is shared by a member of our team.