Space Java Team Lead & API Architect

Your mission Planned Start: 01.07.2026 Your mission is to lead our Java Development team within the Software Engineering department, both technically and disciplinarily, and to further develop scalable, reliable, and maintainable software solutions together with the team for the end to end solutions of OKAPI:Orbits. You will support a team of currently five Java developers in designing, implementing, and sustainably operating modern services and APIs. In this role, you combine technical excellence with leadership skills. You create clarity in priorities, support the growth of your team members, and ensure that technical decisions are aligned with company goals and the needs of our customers. In doing so, you directly contribute to enabling satellite operators and space agencies to efficiently plan, monitor, and control their missions in an increasingly dynamic orbital environment. Studies show that women are less likely to apply for a role if they do not meet 100 percent of the requirements. Please know that we still strongly encourage you to apply if this applies to you, but you bring leadership potential, an interest in software development, and enthusiasm for space technology. OKAPI:Orbits already brings together a highly diverse team and is actively committed to further expanding this diversity, as studies show that diverse teams achieve better results and foster innovation. Your tasks and responsibilities Technical and disciplinary leadership of a Java team with currently five developers Supporting the team in planning, prioritizing, and successfully delivering development tasks Fostering the individual growth of team members through regular feedback, coaching, and mentoring Taking responsibility for the technical quality of the software developed by the team, especially in the areas of architecture, maintainability, testing, and operations Working closely with other teams, Product Management, and additional stakeholders to translate requirements into robust technical solutions Contributing hands on to the design, implementation, and further development of Java based services and APIs Guiding technical decisions, code reviews, and improvements of development processes and team workflows Ensuring a reliable and efficient development process, including meaningful standards, clear responsibilities, and strong collaboration within the team Supporting the further development of best practices around software engineering, deployment, monitoring, and operations Contributing to the strategic development of the Software Engineering department together with other leaders and technical experts Your profile Must have Several years of practical experience in software development with Java, ideally in the area of backend systems, services, or APIs Experience in a technical or disciplinary leadership role, for example as Team Lead, Tech Lead, or in a comparable position Strong understanding of modern software architecture, combined with high standards for code quality, maintainability, and reliability Experience in developing and evolving web services and RESTful APIs Confident working with software development practices such as code reviews, testing, Git workflows, and collaborative development Ability to communicate technical topics clearly and to lead and motivate teams in a dynamic environment Good English and German skills, both written and spoken, at a minimum of B2 level Structured, self reliant, and solution oriented way of working Nice to have Experience in building and developing high performing engineering teams Knowledge of cloud technologies, containerization, or modern deployment processes, for example with Docker or Kubernetes Experience with CI/CD pipelines and DevOps related ways of working Exposure to observability topics such as logging, metrics, or tracing Experience in a regulated, safety critical, or otherwise technically demanding environment Interest in or experience with the space or aerospace domain Why us? Flat hierarchies, small teams, and flexible working hours Onboarding in Braunschweig, afterwards on site in Braunschweig or hybrid Early responsibility and direct influence on both technical and organizational development Training budget for your personal and professional growth Corporate benefits such as BahnCard 25/50, bike leasing, and German courses Participation in space related events and conferences to help promote sustainable space operations Free drinks in the office, monthly company lunch, and regular after work events #J-18808-Ljbffr OKAPI: Orbits