Senior Java Lead Developer McLean, VA - Onsite Contract

Job Title: Senior Java Lead (15+ Years Experience) Location: McLean, VA - Onsite (Local Candidates Only) 6-12+ Months Contract Contract (W2/C2C) Interview Mode: Face-to-Face (F2F) - No Remote Interviews Job Description: We are seeking a highly experienced and hands-on Java Lead with 15+ years of software development experience, strong leadership skills, and the ability to guide and mentor a technical team. This role is onsite at McLean, VA, and requires local candidates only due to mandatory in-person interviews and ongoing team collaboration. The ideal candidate must be an expert in Java/Spring Boot, microservices architecture, and modern DevOps practices, with the ability to both lead and contribute directly to design and development efforts. Key Responsibilities:Lead the design, development, and deployment of high-performance, scalable, and secure enterprise applications.Provide hands-on coding and architecture contributions - this is not a pure management role.Collaborate with business analysts, product owners, and QA teams to deliver high-quality software.Mentor junior developers and provide code reviews, design guidance, and architectural best practices.Drive Agile ceremonies and sprint planning, while managing technical risks and dependencies.Ensure adherence to SDLC standards, coding best practices, and enterprise architecture guidelines. Must-Have Skills:15+ years of experience in enterprise application development.Strong expertise in Java 8/11/17, Spring Boot, REST APIs, and Microservices architecture.Experience with Relational Databases (PostgreSQL, Oracle, or MySQL) and NoSQL databases (MongoDB, Cassandra).Hands-on experience with CI/CD pipelines, Git, Jenkins, Docker, and Kubernetes.Excellent problem-solving, debugging, and performance optimization skills.Deep understanding of software engineering principles, design patterns, and secure coding practices.Strong communication and team leadership skills. Preferred Skills:Experience with AWS Cloud Services (EC2, S3, Lambda, ECS, etc.).Familiarity with front-end technologies such as Angular or React (bonus).Prior experience in banking, financial services, or federal government projects is a plus.