Java Developer(State Project Experience required) in Perth Amboy, NJ

State Project Experience Must

Duration: Long Term Contract

Local Candidates
Work Arrangement: Hybrid

Job description: We are seeking a strong and forward-thinking Java/J2EE Developer with experience in modernizing enterprise applications from on-prem environments to cloud-native architectures. The ideal candidate will have deep expertise in Java, Spring Framework, microservices, and experience working with AWS services including Beanstalk, RDS, DynamoDB, ECS/EKS, and Lambda. Familiarity with containerization (Docker, Kubernetes) is expected as part of a transitional strategy, with the long-term goal of moving to a serverless, event-driven architecture. Knowledge of Node.js is a plus.

Education: Bachelor s degree in computer science or a related field, or equivalent technical experience

Position Summary: The successful candidate will playa key role in a strategic application modernization initiative to migrate legacy Java applications from an on-prem to the cloud (AWS), leveraging modern technologies such as Spring Boot, containerization, AWS managed services, and eventually serverless architectures. This position requires strong full-stack development capabilities, with emphasis on cloud readiness, microservices, and integration with AWS services. Candidates should also be comfortable supporting legacy systems in the short term, while driving long-term modernization efforts.

Key Responsibilities
Modernize and migrate legacy WebSphere Java applications to AWS using Spring Boot and cloud-native best practices
Design, develop, and maintain scalable, modular Java microservices leveraging Java and Spring Boot
Build and integrate RESTful APIs using Spring, API Gateway, and AWS Lambda
Maintain and enhance existing SOAP services, supporting a phased deprecation strategy
Support and optimize legacy data access using JPA, Hibernate, MyBatis while transitioning to AWS RDS (Aurora) and DynamoDB
Utilize AWS services such as Beanstalk, Lambda, RDS, S3, DynamoDB, CloudWatch
Apply containerization using Docker, with short-term orchestration using Kubernetes or ECS
Collaborate on infrastructure-as-code (IaC) with tools such as CloudFormation or Terraform
Work closely with DevOps to ensure seamless CI/CD pipelines using GitHub, Maven/Gradle, Jenkins, etc.
Collaborate with UI developers on React-based front ends
Write unit and integration tests using JUnit, Mockito, TestNG
Maintain and troubleshoot existing applications with JSF front ends
Provide documentation and architecture diagrams for modernization roadmap

Required Qualifications &Technical Skills
7+ years of experience in Java/J2EE development, with emphasis on Java 17+, Spring Boot, REST APIs
Experience modernizing Java apps from legacy environments (e.g., WebSphere)
Proficiency in Spring Framework (Spring Boot, Spring Cloud, Spring Security, etc.)
Experience building scalable microservices and integrating with AWS RDS, Aurora, DynamoDB
Hands-on experience with AWS services: Beanstalk, Lambda, EC2, S3, API Gateway
Familiarity with containerization using Docker, short-term Kubernetes support
Experience developing and consuming SOAP and REST web services
Strong SQL and NoSQL data modeling experience
Proficient in Git, Maven/Gradle, CI/CD workflows
Familiarity with Node.js and server-side JavaScript (optional but a plus)
Experience with Agile development methodologies

Ideal Candidate Will Be Able To
Lead modernization efforts and translate architectural direction into scalable, maintainable code
Support legacy systems while contributing to new serverless and microservices-based solutions
Write clean, testable, and well-documented code
Mentor junior developers and work collaboratively in cross-functional teams
Stay up to date with trends in cloud-native development, serverless architectures, and DevOps
Communicate clearly with both technical and non-technical stakeholders

Preferred Certifications (Nice to Have)
AWS Certified Developer Associate or AWS Certified Solutions Architect