Job#: 3024583 Job Description: Position Title: Senior Backend Developer/Java Application LeadLocation: Hybrid in DurhamDuration: 12-month Contract-HireTeam: Histology Pod - Connect Program (Corporate IT)About the Program- The Connect program is a multi-year modernization initiative migrating legacy COBOL-based LIMS systems to a modern Java + Spring Boot + Angular + AWS stack. The system spans 35 medical disciplines, with Histology and Cytology as key modules. This role joins the Histology pod, supporting both a backfill and new feature expansion as additional lab workflows come online.
- You'll build in a brownfield environment: extending and evolving a complex, high-dependency system where disciplined sequencing and architecture choices matter.
Role Overview- This is a blended role with ~70% hands-on development and ~30% architectural/design ownership. The team values lead-level behaviors-technical decision-making, mentoring, and cross-functional influence-more than prior "lead" titles. You'll have support to grow into full ownership as you learn the domain and system.
What You'll Do- Design, build, and deploy RESTful microservices with Spring Boot on AWS, following enterprise standards and secure-by-default practices.
- Provide technical leadership: guide design reviews, solution patterns, and tradeoff decisions in a brownfield system.
- Collaborate directly with business stakeholders via the liaison team to understand lab workflows and translate them into scalable, reliable services.
- Promote engineering excellence: code quality, testing discipline, observability, secure coding, and CI/CD best practices.
- Mentor engineers on design choices, code reviews, and modern Java practices.
- Champion AI-augmented development (e.g., Cursor, CodeWhisperer, Cloud Code) to improve productivity and delivery speed.
- Participate in Agile ceremonies (daily standups, sprint planning/reviews) and contribute to continuous improvement.
Must-Have Qualifications- 10-12+ years backend engineering experience building enterprise-grade systems.
- Strong Java (11-21) fundamentals; modern Java features and idioms preferred.
- Spring Boot and REST API development experience (required).
- AWS (critical must-have): 3+ years hands-on experience (prefer 5+) with services such as Lambda, S3, SQS/SNS, API Gateway, ECS/EKS/EC2, IAM. AWS depth matters more than generic "cloud."
- Brownfield systems experience: evolving existing platforms, respecting constraints, and sequencing changes to avoid system-level dependency conflicts.
- Solid understanding of application security (e.g., Spring Security, OAuth 2.0, OIDC) and secure design.
- Proficiency with datastores: SQL (e.g., Postgres/Oracle) and at least familiarity with NoSQL (e.g., DynamoDB).
- CI/CD with Git-based workflows and build tools (Jenkins/GitHub Actions, Maven/Gradle, SonarQube).
- Strong communication skills and the ability to work directly with business stakeholders on requirements and workflows.
- Openness to AI tooling in day-to-day development; able to discuss what you've tried and how you use it responsibly and effectively.
Nice-to-Have- Messaging/eventing: Kafka, RabbitMQ, SQS/SNS (used in the environment; not a deal-breaker).
- Containerization & platforms: Docker, Kubernetes/OpenShift.
- Observability: AppDynamics/Dynatrace/Datadog; logs via Splunk or ELK/OpenSearch.
- Testing discipline: TDD with JUnit 5, Mockito; strong coverage habits.
- Infrastructure as Code: Terraform/CloudFormation.
- Experience in healthcare/LIMS domain.
- Familiarity with agentic coding practices, prompt engineering, and LLM concepts.
Team & Ways of Working- Team: 7 onshore devs + 5 offshore, with plans to grow by 2-3 later this year.
- Highly collaborative; engineers partner closely with business through a liaison team.
- Expectation to participate in daily standups, sprint ceremonies, and requirements discussions.
Interview Process- Round 1 - Virtual (45 min): Conversation with hiring manager focused on architecture instincts, AWS/Java depth, brownfield problem-solving, and AI tooling usage.
- Round 2 - Onsite (panel): Scenario-based and architectural reasoning; discussion of prior experiences. Light or no coding-the emphasis is on design, tradeoffs, and how you work with AI tools.
Education- Bachelor's degree in computer science or equivalent practical experience.
Why This Role- Help modernize mission-critical lab systems that directly impact patient outcomes.
- Work in a modern stack on AWS with meaningful ownership and growth into broader lead responsibilities.
- Join a collaborative team that values pragmatic architecture, craftsmanship, and AI-augmented productivity.
Apex Systems is a world-class IT services company that serves thousands of clients across the globe. When you join Apex, you become part of a team that values innovation, collaboration, and continuous learning. We offer quality career resources, training, certifications, development opportunities, and a comprehensive benefits package. Our commitment to excellence is reflected in many awards, including ClearlyRated's Best of Staffing in Talent Satisfaction in the United States and Great Place to Work in the United Kingdom and Mexico. Apex uses a virtual recruiter as part of the application process. Click for more details.
Apex Benefits Overview: Apex offers a range of supplemental benefits, including medical, dental, vision, life, disability, and other insurance plans that offer an optional layer of financial protection. We offer an ESPP (employee stock purchase program) and a 401K program which allows you to contribute typically within 30 days of starting, with a company match after 12 months of tenure. Apex also offers a HSA (Health Savings Account on the HDHP plan), a SupportLinc Employee Assistance Program (EAP) with up to 8 free counseling sessions, a corporate discount savings program and other discounts. In terms of professional development, Apex hosts an on-demand training program, provides access to certification prep and a library of technical and leadership courses/books/seminars once you have 6+ months of tenure, and certification discounts and other perks to associations that include CompTIA and IIBA. Apex has a dedicated customer service team for our Consultants that can address questions around benefits and other resources, as well as a certified Career Coach. You can access a full list of our benefits, programs, support teams and resources within our 'Welcome Packet' as well, which an Apex team member can provide.
Never miss an opportunity! Create an alert based on the job you applied for.