Role:Java Backend Software Engineer (Hybrid)
Experience: 10+ years
Location: Chicago, IL - Local Candidates Only
Work Arrangement: Hybrid - 2 days onsite (Monday & Wednesday)
Duration: 12 months, with potential for extension
Estimated Start Date: September 7, 2026
Position OverviewWe are seeking a highly experienced
Java Backend Software Engineer / Lead Software Engineer with
10+ years of professional software development experience to join a Scrum-based engineering team.
The ideal candidate must have strong, hands-on expertise in
Java 21, Spring Boot, REST APIs, AWS, microservices, SQL/NoSQL databases, CI/CD, and application security. This is a
backend-focused, hands-on coding and technical leadership role, not an architecture-only position.
Strong communication skills are critical.Required Education & Experience- Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and experience.
- 10+ years of professional software engineering experience.
- Strong hands-on backend development experience.
- Candidates with 8+ years of development experience may be considered if they meet the technical requirements.
- Candidates must be comfortable working in a Scrum/Agile environment.
Must-Have Skills - Non-Negotiable- Java 21+ with strong Spring Boot experience.
- AWS: API Gateway, Fargate, Lambda, and hands-on experience working in an AWS environment.
- RESTful API development and enterprise-scale microservices.
- Databases: Strong experience with both relational/SQL and NoSQL databases.
- CI/CD: GitHub and Jenkins.
- Security: OAuth 2.0, JWT, and secure service-to-service authentication/authorization.
- API Development: Apigee API Gateway, OpenAPI/Swagger, API-first design.
- Strong experience with solution design and technical leadership.
- Ability to collaborate with engineering leaders, architects, product owners, UI teams, and partner teams.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Strong troubleshooting, debugging, and production support experience.
Key Responsibilities- Lead the design and development of enterprise-scale REST APIs and microservices using Java 21+, Spring Boot, Apigee, and AWS.
- Design API-first solutions, including service contracts, payload schemas, and OpenAPI/Swagger specifications.
- Break down business requirements into technical designs, user stories, and implementation tasks.
- Develop and guide secure service-to-service integrations using OAuth 2.0, JWT, and entitlement-based authorization.
- Serve as a technical lead for complex initiatives, driving design decisions, design reviews, and code reviews.
- Collaborate with product owners, UI teams, architects, engineering leaders, and partner teams to deliver high-quality solutions.
- Establish best practices for scalability, reliability, observability, security, maintainability, and performance.
- Drive automated testing, performance testing, load testing, and production-readiness activities.
- Troubleshoot and resolve complex production issues.
- Create and maintain technical documentation, operational runbooks, and engineering standards.
- Own solutions end-to-end from design and development through deployment, monitoring, production support, and continuous improvement.
Strict Location Requirement- Chicago, IL local candidates only.
- Candidates must currently be local to the Chicago area.
- No relocation candidates.
- Third-party or non-local submissions will not be considered.
- The final interview will be conducted onsite to validate the local requirement.
Disqualifiers / Red Flags- UI-focused developers or candidates whose experience is primarily frontend.
- Primarily Full Stack Developers without strong, recent backend expertise.
- Architecture-only candidates who are no longer hands-on with development.
- Candidates lacking strong Java/Spring Boot experience.
- Candidates without hands-on AWS experience.
- Candidates without both SQL and NoSQL database experience.
- Candidates with frequent short-term engagements or an unstable employment history.
- Candidates who are not currently local to Chicago.
- Previously submitted/rejected candidates.
- Resumes that are excessively long or do not clearly demonstrate the required skills.
Interview Process- 3 rounds total
- Round 1: Virtual
- Round 2: Virtual
- Round 3: Onsite/In-person
Nice-to-Have- Generative AI / GenAI experience is a plus.
- Experience with modern AI-enabled software engineering practices is preferred.
