Engineering Leader – Java Applications

Key Responsibilities:Job Summary:We are seeking an experienced Onsite Engineering Leader to own and run end-to-end delivery engagements for customers with Java-based enterprise applications. This role is accountable for customer satisfaction, engineering excellence, delivery governance, and commercial health of the account.The ideal candidate is a hands-on engineering leader who can partner with customer stakeholders, guide distributed offshore teams, and ensure predictable, high-quality outcomes while continuously improving productivity, quality, and operational maturity.Key ResponsibilitiesCustomer & Engagement Leadership· Act as the primary onsite engineering and delivery leader for the customer’s Java application portfolio· Build strong, trusted relationships with customer executives, product owners, architects, and operations leaders· Translate customer business goals into clear delivery plans, engineering roadmaps, and execution priorities· Lead regular governance forums (status, architecture reviews, risk mitigation, roadmap discussions)· Proactively identify risks, issues, and dependencies and drive early resolution and escalationEngineering & Technical Leadership· Provide technical leadership across Java, Spring Boot, microservices, REST APIs, databases, and cloud-native architectures· Guide teams on engineering best practices, including design patterns, performance, security, resiliency, and scalability· Ensure adherence to SDLC standards, coding guidelines, architecture principles, and quality gates· Review critical designs, production issues, and complex solution approaches when required· Champion modern engineering practices such as CI/CD, DevOps, automation, observability, and cloud adoptionDelivery & Account Management· Own end-to-end delivery for onsite + offshore teams (Build, QA, Release, and Run/Support if applicable)· Ensure commitments on scope, timelines, quality, and SLAs are met consistently· Drive predictable delivery metrics (velocity, defect leakage, change failure rate, availability)· Manage staffing, skill mix, and ramp-up/ramp-down in line with engagement needs and commercials· Actively manage account health, including margin awareness, productivity improvement, and cost optimizationProductivity, Quality & Continuous Improvement· Drive engineering productivity improvements through tooling, automation, and AI-assisted development where applicable· Ensure quality guardrails to prevent regressions (test automation, code reviews, CI checks, production readiness)· Lead root-cause analysis for incidents and ensure sustainable corrective actions· Promote a culture of continuous improvement, learning, and engineering ownership across teamsPeople & Stakeholder Leadership· Mentor and coach technical leads, architects, and senior engineers· Enable collaboration between onsite, offshore, and client teams· Foster an accountable, outcome-driven engineering culture aligned to customer expectations· Support talent development, performance feedback, and succession planning within the accountRequired Skills & QualificationsCore Technical Skills· Strong experience with Java / J2EE, Spring / Spring Boot, RESTful services, and microservices architecture· Solid understanding of databases, integration patterns, and cloud platforms (AWS/Azure/GCP preferred)· Experience with DevOps pipelines, CI/CD tools, and modern SDLC practices· Ability to review architecture and guide teams on non-functional requirements (performance, security, scalability)Leadership & Delivery Experience· 10+ years of overall IT experience with significant onsite/customer-facing leadership exposure· Proven experience leading large or mid-scale Java application engagements with offshore delivery teams· Strong background in program/delivery management, release governance, and stakeholder communication· Ability to manage complex, multi-workstream accounts effectivelyClient & Commercial Acumen· Demonstrated capability to run accounts onsite, including customer satisfaction, governance, and escalation management· Comfort working in client environments, influencing decisions, and managing expectations· Understanding of commercial constructs such as rate cards, productivity, cost optimization, and value realizationSoft Skills· Excellent communication, executive presence, and relationship-building skills· Strong problem-solving mindset and decision-making ability· Ability to balance technical depth with business outcomes· High ownership, accountability, and customer-first mindsetSuccess Measures· High customer satisfaction and stakeholder confidence· Predictable delivery with improved quality and reduced incidents· Sustained productivity improvements without quality regression· Strong team stability, capability uplift, and leadership bench· Healthy commercial performance and long-term account growth