Lead Software Engineer – Java / AWS / Spring Boot / Microservices

Position Overview

We are seeking an experienced Lead Software Engineer with 12+ years of hands-on experience in enterprise Java development, AWS cloud, Spring Boot, and microservices. This is a backend-focused role requiring strong technical leadership, architecture, implementation, and development experience.

The ideal candidate will have proven experience designing and delivering highly scalable cloud applications using Java 17/21, Spring Boot, AWS, Microservices, OpenSearch/Elasticsearch, Kafka, and CI/CD technologies.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the design, development, and implementation of enterprise-scale backend applications.
• Provide technical direction and hands-on leadership to teams of 6–10+ engineers.
• Develop scalable microservices using Java 17/21 and Spring Boot 3.x.
• Design and implement high-throughput AWS workloads using ECS/Fargate, ALB, RDS, and Secrets Manager.
• Build and maintain enterprise search and indexing solutions using OpenSearch or Elasticsearch.
• Develop event-driven architectures using Kafka, AWS SQS/SNS, and distributed messaging patterns.
• Design and optimize REST APIs for high performance and scalability.
• Implement Infrastructure-as-Code using Terraform or CloudFormation.
• Establish and maintain automated CI/CD pipelines using GitHub Actions.
• Implement application monitoring, logging, and observability using CloudWatch, OpenTelemetry, and related tools.
• Participate in architecture decisions, code reviews, troubleshooting, and production support.
• Apply AI-assisted engineering tools and modern software development practices where appropriate.

Required Skills

• 12+ years of enterprise Java software engineering experience.
• Strong hands-on experience with Java 17/21.
• Expert-level Spring Boot 3.x experience.
• Strong experience developing Microservices and distributed systems.
• Extensive AWS experience, particularly:
  • ECS / Fargate
  • ALB
  • RDS
  • Secrets Manager
• Strong OpenSearch or Elasticsearch experience.
• Experience with Kafka and/or AWS SQS/SNS.
• Experience with Terraform and/or CloudFormation.
• Strong REST API development and performance optimization experience.
• Experience with GitHub Actions and CI/CD.
• Experience with CloudWatch and/or OpenTelemetry.
• 5+ years of technical leadership and delivery ownership for engineering teams.
• Strong communication, architecture, troubleshooting, and problem-solving skills.

Preferred Skills

• Master’s degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related field.
• Experience with high-volume/high-throughput enterprise applications.
• Experience with AI-assisted software engineering workflows.
• Experience working in large-scale distributed cloud environments.

Candidate Preference

• Local candidates to Chicago, IL are strongly preferred.
• Relocation candidates may be considered.
• Candidates must have a genuine, verifiable LinkedIn profile matching their resume.
• Strong preference for genuine consultants with stable employment and project history.