Senior Java Backend Engineer
Description
Company Overview
Lean Tech is a dynamic and growing organization headquartered in Medellín, Colombia, specializing in software development and IT services across the entertainment, financial, and logistics sectors. The company partners with engineering teams across Latin America and the United States to deliver scalable, secure, and high-impact technology solutions. Lean Tech fosters a culture of ownership, collaboration, and continuous improvement, where engineers are accountable for the entire software lifecycle and are supported through mentorship programs and clear career paths. As an equal opportunity employer, Lean Tech is committed to diversity and to creating an inclusive environment for all team members.
Position Title: Senior Java Backend Engineer
Location: Remote – LATAM
What you will be doing
The Senior Java Backend Engineer will architect, develop, and maintain high-throughput, distributed microservices that power a core commerce platform supporting consumer-facing applications. This role entails full ownership of the software lifecycle, from system design and implementation through deployment and on-call production support.
The position focuses on building testable, fault-tolerant, and highly performant backend systems using Java 17 and Spring Boot within a cloud-native AWS environment. The engineer will work extensively with NoSQL databases, particularly Cassandra, and will contribute to architectural modernization efforts while mentoring other engineers and promoting engineering best practices.
Key responsibilities include:
- Architect, design, and develop fault-tolerant, testable, and high-throughput microservices using Java 17 and Spring Boot
- Own the full software lifecycle, including implementation, automated and performance testing, deployment to AWS environments, and participation in on-call production support
- Analyze existing platform domains to identify architectural improvements and contribute to the technical backlog for enhancements and technical debt reduction
- Uphold high standards of code quality, security, and scalability through peer code reviews and adherence to best practices
- Mentor junior and mid-level engineers, supporting their growth in distributed systems and cloud infrastructure best practices
- Collaborate with product managers and cross-functional engineering teams to define requirements, plan deliverables, and enhance platform functionality
Requirements & Qualifications
To excel in this role, you should possess:
- Bachelor’s degree in a science, programming, or engineering-related field
- 5+ years of professional experience building highly scalable, consumer-facing applications
- Expert-level proficiency in Java, specifically Java 17, and Spring Boot (v2.7.x)
- Advanced experience architecting and developing highly available, testable, and fault-tolerant distributed systems and microservices
- Strong command of core computer science concepts, including data structures and algorithms
- Hands-on experience with AWS cloud infrastructure, including services such as EC2, S3, SNS/SQS, and Kinesis Firehose
- Proficiency with containerization technologies, specifically Docker
- Non-negotiable expertise in automated testing frameworks (JUnit, Mockito) and performance testing tools (JMeter, Gatling.io)
- Proficiency with NoSQL databases, with direct experience using Cassandra (DynamoDB experience may also be applicable)
- Experience working with messaging systems such as Apache Kafka and CI/CD tools including Gradle, Jenkins, or Spinnaker
- Experience implementing observability through monitoring tools (e.g., Datadog) and logging platforms (e.g., Splunk)
- Proven ability to lead as a senior individual contributor with strong self-management, prioritization, and cross-team collaboration skills
Nice to Have Skills
- Experience with relational databases
- Experience in eCommerce, retail, or logistics domains
- Familiarity with container orchestration using Kubernetes, particularly for local development environments
- Working knowledge of dependency injection frameworks such as Google Guice
Soft Skills
- Ownership and Accountability: Takes full responsibility for the software lifecycle, including development, deployment, maintenance, and monitoring
- Mentorship and Technical Leadership: Actively guides and develops other engineers through code reviews, knowledge sharing, and promotion of best practices
- Proactive Communication and Collaboration: Works effectively with product managers and cross-functional teams to clarify requirements and drive projects to completion
- Problem-Solving and Initiative: Demonstrates a proactive approach to solving complex technical challenges and contributing to platform evolution
- Self-Management and Results Orientation: Exhibits strong time management and autonomy to consistently deliver results
- Customer-Centric Mindset: Designs resilient and highly available systems with a strong focus on customer experience and service reliability
Why you will love Lean Tech
- Join a powerful tech workforce and help change the world through technology
- Professional development opportunities with international customers
- Collaborative and inclusive work environment
- Clear career paths supported by mentorship programs