Senior Backend Engineer - Notifications Platform (Java / Azure / Kubernetes)

Location: Tempe, AZ 85281 (Hybrid Tues Thurs onsite)
Type: 6-month Contract (Potential for Extension or Conversion)

About the Role

We re partnering with a team building a high-scale, event-driven notifications platform running on Azure and Kubernetes. They re looking for a Senior Backend Engineer who can take full ownership of services from development through deployment and ongoing production support.

This is a great opportunity for someone who enjoys working at the intersection of backend engineering and platform/DevOps, with real impact on system reliability, scalability, and performance.

What You ll Do

• Build and enhance event-driven microservices using Java and Spring Boot
• Own services end-to-end, including deployment, monitoring, and production support
• Work within Azure Kubernetes environments to deploy and manage applications
• Monitor system performance, troubleshoot issues, and optimize for scalability and reliability
• Contribute to and maintain CI/CD pipelines and infrastructure as code
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver high-quality, scalable solutions
• Support and improve observability (logging, metrics, alerting)
• Participate in on-call rotation for production systems

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in backend software engineering
• Strong experience with Java and Spring Boot
• Hands-on experience building and supporting microservices in production
• Experience with Azure, Kubernetes, and containerized environments
• Experience working in event-driven architectures (Kafka or similar)
• Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines and DevOps practices
• Proven ability to troubleshoot and resolve production issues

Core Technical Skills

• Cloud & Containers: Azure, Kubernetes, Docker
• Backend Development: Java, Spring Boot, REST APIs
• Event Streaming: Apache Kafka
• Infrastructure as Code: Terraform
• CI/CD: GitHub Actions (or similar)
• Observability: Grafana, Dynatrace, logging/monitoring tools
• Scripting: Linux/Unix shell

What Sets You Apart

• Strong ownership mindset you build it, you run it
• Experience working in high-scale, distributed systems
• Passion for improving performance, reliability, and system health
• Comfortable working in a DevOps-oriented environment