Lead Java Engineer

Job Title: Lead Java Engineer (Contract-to-Hire)
Location: Chicago, IL Hybrid (Minimum 2 days/week in office)

Role Overview
We are looking for a Lead Java Engineer to support development of scalable data and analytics platforms. This role requires strong technical leadership, stakeholder communication, and coordination across onshore/offshore teams. The ideal candidate will have hands-on expertise in Java, Spark, and Google Cloud Platform, with experience working with large financial datasets and distributed databases such as Spanner. Full-stack exposure is a plus.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and develop scalable backend services and data processing solutions using Java.
• Build and optimize Spark-based large-scale data pipelines.
• Develop and maintain data schemas and models supporting analytics workloads.
• Collaborate with business stakeholders, product teams, and architects to translate requirements into technical solutions.
• Coordinate development activities across onshore and offshore teams.
• Optimize application performance and tune queries and data processing jobs.
• Work with Google Cloud Platform services and distributed databases (e.g., Spanner).
• Support QA activities, including validation, defect triage, and release readiness.

Required Skills

• 8+ years of experience in Java backend development.
• Strong experience with Apache Spark and large-scale data processing.
• Hands-on experience with Google Cloud Platform services and cloud-native architectures.
• Experience with data modeling, schema design, and performance optimization.
• Familiarity with Spanner or other distributed databases.
• Experience working with financial services or fintech data platforms.

Good to Have

• Full-stack development experience, including exposure to Vue.js or modern UI frameworks.
• Experience with PostgreSQL and relational database design.
• Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines and DevOps practices.

Soft Skills

• Strong communication and stakeholder engagement.
• Experience leading or coordinating distributed engineering teams.
• Ability to work closely with business, QA, and architecture teams.