Senior Software Engineer (Backend Java)

*Position Overview* Hands-on technical leader responsible for designing, developing, and supporting scalable, cloud-native Java microservices and enterprise-grade distributed systems in production environments. Drives architecture, mentors junior engineers, ensures production reliability, and collaborates across Agile teams to deliver secure, high-performing applications. *Key Responsibilities* * *Software Development & Architecture:* Design, build, test, and maintain clean, scalable Java applications, reusable libraries, and RESTful/event-driven services; drive architectural decisions and long-term technical strategy. * *Microservices & Cloud:* Build resilient microservices using Java/Spring Boot and Kafka messaging; optimize containerized cloud applications for low latency, high throughput, and high availability. * *Production Support & Reliability:* Provide tier-3/production incident support, execute root-cause analysis, troubleshoot distributed environments, manage technical debt, and proactively optimize system health and stability. * *System Integration:* Develop RESTful APIs, Kafka event pipelines, and integrations across relational and NoSQL databases for seamless enterprise system communication. * *DevOps & Automation:* Support CI/CD pipelines (GitHub Actions, Azure DevOps), version control (Git), infrastructure automation, and software delivery workflows. * *Quality & Security:* Conduct code reviews, static code analysis (SonarQube), and automated testing (unit, integration, functional); enforce secure coding practices, evaluate technical risks, and meet compliance standards. * *Leadership & Collaboration:* Partner with architects, product managers, QA, DevOps, and business stakeholders; mentor junior developers; participate in Agile/Scrum ceremonies and drive continuous engineering improvement. *Required Qualifications & Skills* * *Education & Experience:* Bachelor’s degree in CS, IT, Software Engineering, or related field (or equivalent); 7+ years of enterprise software design, Java production development, microservices, and production support experience in Agile environments. * *Primary Core Tech:* Java, Spring Boot Microservices, Kafka, and Production Support. * *Programming Languages:* Java (Required), Python, C#, JavaScript / TypeScript. * *Frameworks & Architectures:* Spring, Spring Boot, FastAPI, Microservices, REST APIs, GraphQL, Event-Driven Architecture. * *Cloud & Infrastructure:* Kubernetes, Docker, AWS or Azure. * *Databases:* PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Redis. * *DevOps & CI/CD:* Git, GitHub, GitHub Actions, Azure DevOps, Maven. * *Testing & Quality Tools:* JUnit, TestNG, WireMock/Mockito/Moq, Postman, SonarQube, Selenium, Cypress, Playwright, Cucumber, PyTest. *Preferred Qualifications* * Master’s degree in Computer Science or related technical discipline. * Proven track record in designing highly available distributed systems and cloud-native architectures. * Hands-on expertise in application performance tuning, system scalability, mentoring engineers, and leading technical initiatives. *Top Priority Skills Matrix* * *Must-Have:* Java | Spring Boot Microservices | Kafka | Production Support * *Nice-to-Have:* PostgreSQL | Kubernetes | Redis | Git | GitHub Actions | Maven | JUnit | Agile/Scrum Pay: $50.00 - $52.00 per hour Expected hours: 40.0 per week Application Question(s): * Java, Spring Boot & Microservices Production Architecture : Can you describe a high-throughput microservices application you built using Java and Spring Boot? How did you structure the service architecture, handle REST API design, and optimize performance/latency for high-volume transactions? * Kafka & Event-Driven Systems : How have you implemented Kafka in an enterprise setting? Specifically, walk me through how you handle message serialization, partition strategies, consumer group scaling, and dead-letter queues (DLQ) to ensure zero data loss during failure scenarios. * Production Support & Root Cause Analysis : This role requires tier-3 production support. Can you share a recent example of a critical production incident in a distributed system that you led the troubleshooting for? What tools (e.g., APM, logging, metrics) did you use, how did you identify the root cause, and what long-term preventive fixes did you deploy? * Are you legally authorized to work in the United States directly on our W2 without requiring current or future visa sponsorship? Please note that this position is strictly W2-only (no C2C, 1099, or sub-vendors permitted). * This role is structured as an hourly W2 contract with a pay rate range of $50.00 – $52.00 per hour (W2). Does this rate align with your target compensation requirements? Work Location: Hybrid remote in Dallas-Fort Worth, TX