Lead Java Developer

IT - Lead Java Developer Location: Chicago, IL (Remote flexibility) | Job Type: C2C

About the Role

Join a high-impact, collaborative technology team as a Lead Java Developer, driving the development of enterprise-scale microservices and cloud-native solutions on Microsoft Azure. As a technical leader, you will architect, build, and optimize event-driven distributed systems powering mission-critical business services. This is a prime opportunity for skilled engineers seeking complex technical challenges, modern architectures, and leadership growth in a fast-paced Agile environment. Responsibilities - Architect, design, develop, and deploy scalable microservices and cloud-native applications using Java, Spring Boot, and Azure cloud services - Build and maintain RESTful APIs, event-based integrations, and backend services for enterprise-scale systems - Implement robust event-driven architectures utilizing Apache Kafka, Solace PubSub+, IBM MQ, Azure Service Bus, and Azure Event Hubs - Lead the design and management of messaging topics, schemas, event contracts, reliable messaging patterns (Publish/Subscribe, Event Sourcing, CQRS, Saga), and recovery strategies - Collaborate closely with architects, technical leads, and business stakeholders to deliver resilient, high-performance solutions - Partner with DevOps teams to enable CI/CD pipelines, Infrastructure as Code (Terraform), and automated testing using GitHub Actions and Jenkins - Support application performance monitoring, troubleshooting, release deployments, and continuous improvement initiatives - Document architecture, event flows, integration patterns, and operational procedures for team knowledge sharing Required Skills and Experience - 8+ years of hands-on Java (J2EE) enterprise application development - Deep expertise in Spring Boot and Microservices Architecture - Proven experience with distributed systems, concurrency, asynchronous processing, and Agile teams - Advanced knowledge of Apache Kafka (producers/consumers, topics, partitions, Kafka Streams, schema registry, event versioning, tuning, delivery guarantees) - Strong experience with enterprise messaging systems: Kafka, Solace PubSub+, IBM MQ, Azure Service Bus, Azure Event Hubs - History of implementing Event-Driven Architecture, Publish/Subscribe models, Event Sourcing, CQRS, Saga, Dead Letter Queues, and reliability strategies - Strong REST API, SOAP, and event-based integration skills with OAuth 2.0/JWT security best practices - Hands-on with Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), Azure Container Apps, Azure Functions, Azure Service Bus, Event Hubs, Storage, and cloud-native patterns - Solid CI/CD, IaC (Terraform), GitHub Actions, Jenkins pipeline experience - Experience with Azure SQL, PostgreSQL, Cosmos DB, and distributed data patterns - Backend development experience in Python, Node.js Preferred Skills - Confluent Platform ecosystem - Solace Event Mesh solutions - Domain-Driven Design (DDD) - GraphQL API development - Dynatrace, Azure Monitor, or Azure Log Analytics - Linux administration, shell scripting, TDD/BDD, mainframe integration patterns Benefits - Leadership growth in a highly technical, collaborative, and innovative environment - Direct impact on mission-critical cloud architectures and modern platform strategy - Exposure to cutting-edge cloud, event streaming, and DevOps technologies - Fast-paced Agile culture with opportunities for continuous learning and advancement

How to Apply

Ready to take your career to the next level as an enterprise Lead Java Developer? Apply today by submitting your updated resume and a brief summary of your event-driven architecture, messaging, and Azure cloud experience.