Job Description

Technology Cape Town, South Africa Digitas Specialist Hybrid 5/22/2025 109658

Company description

Digitas Liquorice is the Connected Marketing agency, built on the principle that there are better ways for brands to connect with people. We leverage comprehensive data, technology, creative, media and strategy capabilities to deliver Media-Fueled Creativity via connected Solutions that include Connected Campaigns, Social Marketing, Brand Experience, CRM & Loyalty, and Marketing Transformation. Digitas Liquorice South Africa has Head Offices in JHB and CT with over 220 Unicorns delivering connected end-to-end solutions for our clients across SSA. Visit www.liquorice.co.za for more about us and what we do. We are also connected to 6 600 Digitas Unicorns across over 30 countries and 50 offices around the world.

Overview

Join our team of unicorns as a skilled and experienced Full Stack Java Developer!

Are you passionate about architecting innovative web applications and enterprise platforms using Java? Do you thrive in a dynamic, highly collaborative environment? If so, we have an exciting opportunity for you.

At our company, we are seeking an exceptional developer with deep expertise in core Java as well as hands-on experience with modern Java frameworks and technologies such as Spring Boot, Kotlin, Hibernate, Micronaut, and Quarkus.

The ideal candidate should be well-versed in building scalable, high-performance applications, with a strong understanding of RESTful API development, dependency injection, and microservices architecture.

This role is ideal for Java developers who engineer with the rigor of a software architect, but who also care deeply about user experience and design

Responsibilities

1. Platform & Application Development

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Architect, build, and maintain scalable full-stack applications using Java (Kotlin, Spring Boot, Spring Cloud, JPA/Hibernate) and modern JavaScript frameworks (React, Node.js, Next.js). Integrate and optimize enterprise and CMS solutions (WordPress & Contentful) and third-party SaaS platforms. Engineer responsive, accessible, and performant front-end experiences using React across devices and browsers.

2. Code Quality & Best Practices

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Write clean, reusable, and testable Java and JavaScript code, adhering to industry best practices and internal documentation protocols. Participate in structured peer code reviews, focusing on Java codebase excellence and shared learning. Implement performance optimizations including caching (Redis), efficient asset management, and lazy rendering. Ensure unit tests and integration tests are included for all features, with a minimum of 70% test coverage.

3. UX & Digital Craft

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Translate UX/UI designs into elegant, animated user experiences leveraging motion libraries (Framer Motion, GSAP). Support design consistency and thoughtful user interactions throughout the interface, using Storybook and atomic design patterns. Work closely with design teams to create visually compelling and interactive digital solutions.

4. Systems & Integration Engineering

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Develop and consume RESTful APIs and integrate with microservices architecture, primarily using Java and Spring Boot. Implement asynchronous data processing and queue management (e.g., RabbitMQ, Kafka, Horizon, etc.). Fulfill DevOps requirements to manage cloud deployments across AWS, Azure, or GCP, including CI/CD integration.

5. Innovation & Learning

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Explore new technologies and bring forward ideas to improve the Java development workflow and platform capabilities. Participate in technical spikes, PoCs, and company-wide learning initiatives. Contribute to internal Java libraries and shared engineering tooling.

6. Agile Collaboration

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Work in Agile squads alongside UX, strategy, data, and delivery teams. Actively participate in sprint planning, estimation, retrospectives, and daily stand-ups. Maintain strong communication and accountability within a remote-first team.

Qualifications

3-6 years of hands-on full stack development experience with a strong focus on Java in an agency or product environment. Advanced proficiency in Java (Spring Boot, Spring Cloud, JPA/Hibernate). Experienced in front-end development using React and strong skills with HTML, SCSS/CSS. Experienced with RESTful API design and implementation, and message queueing (Kafka, RabbitMQ, Horizon). Skilled in Git workflows, CI/CD pipelines, and cloud deployments on AWS, Azure, or GCP. Competent in caching strategies (e.g., Redis) and developing scalable, distributed applications. Experience with animation/motion libraries (Framer Motion, GSAP) is a plus. Strong understanding of Agile methodologies and collaborative team delivery. Excellent communication and problem-solving skills; able to articulate technical ideas clearly. Holds a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science (or equivalent practical experience). Proven track record of successful Java/Spring Boot/React projects, with a robust portfolio.

Extra Skills (Beneficial)

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SharePoint (for local and client intranet application) AWS CLI, Azure CLI, GCP CLI Terraform CloudFormation

Additional information

Passionate about delivering robust, user-centered digital solutions with Java as the backbone.

Proactive, accountable, and always seeking better ways to engineer software.

Interested in design thinking and the creative side of application development.

Enjoys working in a collaborative, multidisciplinary environment.

Embraces mentorship and continuous growth.

Maintains a learning mindset, proactively engages with team members, and acts as a client-trusted advisor.