Java Competence Lead

• Important:

This position is
only for candidates legally residing in Poland
and operating under a registered sole proprietorship (JDG).

As part of onboarding, we kindly invite new joiners to our Warsaw office on the first day for a short introduction and identity verification.

Please note that applications from outside Poland cannot be considered.

Location:
Warsaw, Poland

Employment type:
B2B contract

Work model:
100% remote

Business travel:
Occasional, up to 6 times per year (e.g. for team onboarding or workshops)

About Us
Sanoma Learning is the leading European learning company, serving over 20 million students in 11 countries. We offer printed and digital learning materials as well as digital learning and teaching platforms for primary, secondary, and vocational education. The development of our methodologies is based on deep teacher and student insight and really understanding their needs. By combining our educational technologies and pedagogical expertise, we create learning products and services with the highest learning impact. In our Technology organization, you will join the largest cross-cultural community of Sanoma Learning and contribute to the digital transformation and future of education in Europe.

Project Description
As a Competence Lead, you'll split your time between hands-on software development, leading technical excellence, and guiding the professional growth of Java developers across multiple projects and product teams.

Role Responsibilities
Technical Leadership & Development

• Guide teams in the design and development of scalable, secure, and high-quality applications using Java and complementary technologies
• Lead code reviews, facilitate technical knowledge-sharing sessions, and drive adoption of continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD) practices

Competence Lead Duties

• Team Growth & Development: Conduct regular 1:1s, provide coaching and performance feedback, support career path planning, and run improvement programs when needed
• Operational Excellence: Implement and monitor adherence to standards, work methods, and development best practices in coordination with the Competence Owner
• Resource Planning & Allocation: Assign engineers to the right projects and support effective rotations between domains and products
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Act as the technical liaison between Competence Centers and Domain/Product teams to ensure aligned delivery and knowledge sharing
• Culture & Engagement: Foster an inclusive and collaborative team culture. Promote adaptability, support change initiatives, and ensure compliance with organizational and regulatory standards

Education
Must-have requirements

• Bachelor's or Master's Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field

Must-Have Technical Skills

• 6+ years of proven experience in Java development, including technical leadership and mentoring of development teams (ideally 10 or more members)
• Strong experience with Spring Boot
• Experience with quality and version control tools: Git, Bitbucket, SonarQube
• CI/CD knowledge: Maven, Jenkins, Bitbucket Pipelines, Nexus
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills
• Very good command of English
• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills
• Passion for code quality and test automation
• Working experience in Agile teams using Scrum or Kanban

Expertise And Behavior

• Recognized expert within their technical domain
• Experience in developing methods for better performance
• Proven track record in managing staff, including hiring, interviewing, and assessing
• Skilled in coaching team members and leaders in standards, performance, and work methodologies
• Experience in developing and promoting professional standards across teams and domains
• Confident in solving complex technical challenges with autonomy over implementation decisions
• Excellent communication skills to convey complex topics clearly
• Skilled in mediation and conflict resolution to maintain healthy team dynamics
• Ability to build and maintain high-performing, engaged teams
• Strategic mindset focused on continuous innovation and improvement
• Passionate about the competence area; proactive in organizing and participating in related events and initiatives
• Actively fosters a culture of trust, psychological safety, and continuous feedback across teams
• Open to new ideas and committed to learning and shared development
• Promotes a sense of ownership and growth mindset within the competence group

What We Offer
B2B contract for an indefinite period;

Work-life balance and great atmosphere;

Opportunities for professional development through interesting tasks.

As an employer, Sanoma offers a working environment where you are able and encouraged to show your best self. The working environment is result-oriented as well as flexible with a focus on collaboration. We offer you a key position with interesting and challenging tasks and excellent opportunities for professional growth. You will be part of a highly professional and experienced international team in an open and informal setting, where initiative is expected and rewarded.