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)
________________________________________
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