VP, Full-Stack Software Engineer (Java)

About this role Within the Aladdin Product Group – Private Markets, we are hiring a Senior Software Engineer to work on our Private Markets application suite. The position is based with our London team and operates as part of a broader team distributed across several countries worldwide. This team works with other London based agile teams to build BlackRock's strategic Private Markets platform, including data collection and validation tools. It is built on a modern, cloud-native architecture leveraging Java as the core language. The role is a hands-on senior individual contributor. It requires deep understanding of the technical aspects of a web-based software deployed in the cloud, strong software architecture knowledge, and advanced understanding of the Product Delivery Life Cycle. AI is at the heart of this role — both as embedded capabilities within the client facing product and as a core methodology in how we design, build, and ship software (AI-augmented development, AI-driven code generation, and AI-assisted quality assurance). About You You are an experienced software engineer who is comfortable working on large, greenfield, long-lived systems where correctness, traceability, and operational stability matter as much as delivery speed. You enjoy understanding how data flows through systems, how workflows interact across services, and how design decisions affect our clients. You can work autonomously in complex codebases, while collaborating closely with peers across engineering, product, and QA. You embrace AI as a force multiplier - both in the product you build and in how you build it. You are not afraid to work on large codebases, leveraging AI-powered tools and copilots to understand, enhance, fix, and develop new product features at pace. You actively seek ways to integrate AI capabilities into product workflows and development processes, viewing AI as a first-class engineering discipline. As a senior engineer, you contribute through hands-on development, sound technical judgement, and constructive collaboration, rather than through formal authority. You take ownership of the quality of your work and understand the impact it has on business-critical workflows used by investment analysts and data stewards managing billions in private market assets. Technologies You Will Work With (Hands-On): Java 21 and associated Frameworks (SpringBoot, Hibernate etc), Kubernetes, Azure Cloud, and associated PaaS services, SQL Server, React/Typescript, OAuth. What You Will Be Doing Designing and implementing features within the Private Markets platform, focusing on enhancing the platform's data collection and management workflows. Building client facing web applications to enable these workflows, including building and integrating new back-end services to support them. Leveraging AI in your development workflow - using AI-powered IDEs, copilots, and code generation tools as standard practice to maximize productivity, accelerate code comprehension, and deliver quality features on time Working across the full software lifecycle, including development, testing, deployment, monitoring, and incident investigation Contributing to the evolution of core platform architecture - modular monolith patterns, micro-frontend orchestration, gRPC API design, and cross-service event-driven workflows Writing clear, maintainable code and contributing to automated testing and CI/CD pipelines with quality gates Diagnosing issues in existing systems, including integrations with internal platform APIs and downstream reporting and analytics systems, and improving them incrementally and safely Participating actively in code reviews and technical discussions, championing best practices in both traditional engineering and AI-augmented development Collaborating closely with engineers, architects, product partners, and QA across locations Ideally you should have.. A bachelor’s degree in computer science, engineering, or a related field. 7+ years of professional experience in Java development, with a focus on building client‑facing APIs or platforms Strong written and verbal communication skills, with experience managing and mentoring diverse teams. Familiarity with AI‑driven development practices and tools for code generation and testing (Claude, Devin, Copilot etc.) Knowledge of building applications using AI tooling and frameworks (e.g. LLM integration, prompt engineering, agents, skills). Strong proficiency in Java and related frameworks (e.g. Spring Boot, Hibernate). Some experience in React or similar, and modern JavaScript/TypeScript an advantage. Solid experience with object‑oriented design and applying standard design patterns. Experience designing, building, and deploying scalable microservices using API‑first principles with REST and/or gRPC. A strong appreciation for best practices, attention to detail, and building secure and stable systems. A collaborative mindset, with a drive to build high‑quality software efficiently. Experience with API authentication and authorisation mechanisms (e.g. OAuth, JWT). Hands‑on experience with engineering tools such as Git, Maven, unit and integration testing frameworks, and mocking libraries. Excellent problem‑solving skills and attention to detail. Exposure to Docker, Kubernetes, and cloud services in an enterprise environment is beneficial. Experience with message brokers such as Kafka a plus. A friendly, positive, and can‑do attitude. Strong ability to independently navigate and understand complex, existing codebases — including with the aid of AI tools Solid analytical and problem-solving skills, particularly in data-centric and workflow-driven systems Experience working on systems where data quality, auditability, and operational reliability are critical Our benefits To help you stay energized, engaged and inspired, we offer a wide range of employee benefits including: retirement investment and tools designed to help you in building a sound financial future; access to education reimbursement; comprehensive resources to support your physical health and emotional well-being; family support programs; and Flexible Time Off (FTO) so you can relax, recharge and be there for the people you care about. Our hybrid work model BlackRock’s hybrid work model is designed to enable a culture of collaboration and apprenticeship that enriches the experience of our employees, while supporting flexibility for all. Employees are currently required to work at least 4 days in the office per week, with the flexibility to work from home 1 day a week. Some business groups may require more time in the office due to their roles and responsibilities. We remain focused on increasing the impactful moments that arise when we work together in person – aligned with our commitment to performance and innovation. As a new joiner, you can count on this hybrid model to accelerate your learning and onboarding experience here at BlackRock. Guidance on AI use for candidates At BlackRock, AI has long been part of how we work – enhancing decision-making, improving operations, and helping us deliver better outcomes for clients. We encourage candidates to use AI thoughtfully to learn, prepare, and work more effectively; but during our interview process, we want to focus on getting to know you through your own experiences, thinking, and judgment. To support you, we’ve provided guidance on when and how to use AI during our hiring process so you can approach each step with confidence and showcase your best self. About BlackRock At BlackRock, we are all connected by one mission: to help more and more people experience financial well-being. Our clients, and the people they serve, are saving for retirement, paying for their children’s educations, buying homes and starting businesses. Their investments also help to strengthen the global economy: support businesses small and large; finance infrastructure projects that connect and power cities; and facilitate innovations that dri