Java - Lead

Job Description

Key Responsibilities
•    Design and develop RESTful APIs and microservices using Java and Spring Boot
•    Build scalable, high-performance backend systems following clean architecture principles
•    Implement event-driven solutions using Apache Kafka – producers, consumers, stream processing
•    Design and optimize database schemas and queries in PostgreSQL
•    Write comprehensive tests at multiple levels:
•    Unit tests using JUnit 5, Mockito
•    Component/Integration tests using Spring Test, Testcontainers
•    Black box/Functional tests for end-to-end API validation
•    Ensure high code coverage and maintain testing best practices (TDD/BDD)
•    Optimize application performance, memory management, and concurrency handling
•    Implement CI/CD pipelines for automated build, test, and deployment
•    Troubleshoot and debug complex production issues
•    Collaborate with cross-functional teams including frontend developers, DevOps, and QA engineers
•    Document APIs using OpenAPI/Swagger specifications

Required Skills & Qualifications
•    9+ years of hands-on Java development experience (no management responsibilities required)
•    Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent practical experience
•    Expert-level Java – Core Java, Java 11/17+, Collections, Streams, Concurrency, Multithreading
•    Advanced Java concepts – JVM internals, garbage collection tuning, memory management, profiling
•    Strong Spring ecosystem experience – Spring Boot, Spring MVC, Spring Data JPA, Spring Security, Spring Cloud
•    Hands-on Apache Kafka experience – topic design, partitioning, consumer groups, Kafka Streams, exactly-once semantics
•    Strong PostgreSQL skills – schema design, indexing strategies, query optimization, stored procedures, database migrations (Flyway/Liquibase)
•    Comprehensive testing expertise:
•    Unit testing with JUnit 5, Mockito, AssertJ
•    Component/Integration testing with Spring Test, Testcontainers, WireMock
•    Black box/API testing with REST Assured, Postman, Cucumber
•    Experience with ORM frameworks – Hibernate, JPA
•    Proficiency in RESTful API design – best practices, versioning, error handling, HATEOAS
•    Strong understanding of design patterns, SOLID principles, and clean code practices
•    Experience with Git, branching strategies, code reviews, and pull request workflows
•    Familiarity with CI/CD tools – Jenkins, GitHub Actions, GitLab CI
•    Understanding of containerization with Docker
•    Exposure to cloud platforms – AWS (ECS, RDS, MSK)
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Nice to Have (Preferred)
•    Experience with Kubernetes for container orchestration
•    Familiarity with reactive programming – Spring WebFlux, Project Reactor
•    Exposure to cloud platforms – AWS (ECS, RDS, MSK) or Azure
•    Knowledge of GraphQL APIs
•    Experience with API Gateway patterns (Kong, AWS API Gateway)
•    Familiarity with monitoring and observability – Prometheus, Grafana, ELK Stack, Jaeger
•    Exposure to message queues beyond Kafka (RabbitMQ, ActiveMQ)
•    Experience with performance testing tools (JMeter, Gatling)
•    Background in financial services or regulated industries
•    Knowledge of security best practices – OAuth2, JWT, API security

Mandatory Competencies