Lead Java Software Engineer

Seeking a *Lead Principal Java Engineer* with strong hands-on expertise in *Java, Spring Boot, Microservices, Kafka, and AWS* to lead the architecture and development of high-scale cloud-native enterprise applications. The ideal candidate will provide technical leadership while remaining hands-on with engineering, architecture, DevSecOps, and cloud solutions. *Must-Have Skills* * *10+ years* of software engineering experience * *8+ years Java* and strong *Spring Boot* experience * Strong *Microservices & REST API* development * *3+ years Apache Kafka* and event-driven architecture * Hands-on *AWS* experience – Lambda, S3, EC2, API Gateway, SNS/SQS * Strong *SQL*, database design, and performance tuning * Experience with *Docker, Kubernetes/OpenShift, CI/CD* * Strong knowledge of *Domain-Driven Design (DDD)* and distributed systems * Technical leadership / Principal-level experience * *Angular* or modern frontend experience *Responsibilities* * Lead architecture and development of scalable *Java/Spring Boot microservices*. * Design and implement *Kafka-based event-driven solutions*. * Drive AWS cloud-native architecture and enterprise integrations. * Establish engineering, DevSecOps, security, and coding standards. * Mentor senior engineers and provide technical direction across teams. * Drive CI/CD, observability, performance, and production reliability. * Partner with architects, product owners, and business stakeholders on technical strategy. Pay: $65.00 - $70.00 per hour Application Question(s): * How many years of hands-on Java/Spring Boot experience do you have? * How many years of Apache Kafka experience do you have, and have you worked on Kafka platform administration? Experience: * AWS, Microservices: 3 years (Preferred) Work Location: Hybrid remote in Washington, DC 20265