Backend Engineer

Position Title: Backend Engineer
Location: Vienna, VA / Pensacola, FL (Hybrid)
Clearance Requirements: None
Position Status: Contract
Pay Rate: $60 - $65 per hour

Position Description:
We are seeking a talented Backend Engineer to join a digital engineering team responsible for building secure, scalable, and high-performing backend services that power modern mobile and online banking experiences.

In this role, you will design, develop, test, integrate, and maintain enterprise-grade backend applications, APIs, and distributed systems. You will work with Java, Spring Boot, RESTful APIs, cloud technologies, and modern engineering practices to deliver reliable digital solutions that support customers and business operations.

This opportunity is ideal for a mid-to-senior-level software engineer who enjoys solving complex technical challenges, takes ownership of their work, and collaborates effectively across engineering, QA, product, and business teams. You will have the opportunity to influence solution design, improve system reliability, mentor fellow engineers, and contribute to a culture of continuous improvement.

Key Responsibilities:
What You'll Do

• Design & Develop Backend Services: Build, enhance, integrate, and maintain secure backend services, RESTful APIs, and microservices supporting mobile, web, enterprise, and partner applications.
• Engineer for Performance & Reliability: Develop scalable, resilient, observable, and high-performing applications with a focus on availability, responsiveness, maintainability, and operational excellence.
• Collaborate Across Teams: Partner with business analysts, QA engineers, frontend developers, architects, and cross-functional stakeholders to define requirements and deliver sustainable technical solutions.
• Build Quality into Delivery: Develop and maintain unit, integration, and automated tests using frameworks such as JUnit and Mockito to ensure code quality and reliable releases.
• Apply Secure Engineering Practices: Implement secure coding principles, data protection practices, and established engineering standards across the software development lifecycle.
• Troubleshoot & Optimize: Investigate production defects, performance bottlenecks, integration challenges, and complex distributed system dependencies to improve application stability.
• Improve Code Quality: Conduct peer code reviews and refactor existing code to enhance security, readability, maintainability, and overall system performance.
• Contribute to Technical Design: Support solution architecture, technical documentation, proof-of-concepts (PoCs), and engineering decisions that align with business and technology objectives.
• Support the Full Development Lifecycle: Contribute to testing, deployment, production support, incident troubleshooting, and continuous operational improvements.
• Embrace Agile & Continuous Improvement: Participate in Agile ceremonies, contribute to adaptive planning, and promote automation, reusable components, and effective development practices.
• Mentor & Share Knowledge: Provide technical guidance to junior and less experienced engineers while contributing to a collaborative and inclusive engineering culture.

Required Skills/Education

Required Qualifications & Technical Skills

• Strong professional experience in Java backend development , with Java 17 or newer preferred.
• Proficiency in enterprise Java, Spring Framework, Spring Boot, web services, and RESTful API development.
• Hands-on experience with automated testing frameworks and practices, including JUnit, Mockito, and test-driven or test-focused development approaches.
• Experience with Git and CI/CD tools such as Maven, Docker, Jenkins, GitHub, or Azure DevOps.
• Strong understanding of relational databases, SQL, data integration patterns, and backend data access.
• Experience designing, developing, and troubleshooting scalable and resilient microservices or distributed applications.
• Exposure to cloud-native application development, with Microsoft Azure experience strongly preferred.
• Understanding of application performance, observability, service dependencies, reliability, and production troubleshooting.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and system design skills, with the ability to independently prioritize and execute complex engineering initiatives.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, including the ability to explain technical concepts to technical and non-technical audiences.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience developing software solutions within the banking, financial services, or credit union industry.
• Experience working in Agile/Scrum environments and collaborating with cross-functional engineering teams.
• Familiarity with event-driven architectures, messaging systems, and technologies such as Apache Kafka.
• Exposure to data engineering concepts, data management, data migration, high-volume data integrations, and performance optimization.
• Experience with cloud-native architecture and distributed systems design.
• Ability to use AI-assisted development tools responsibly and effectively to improve developer productivity, testing, and code quality.
• Awareness of sustainable coding practices and efficient system design principles.
• Demonstrated ability to mentor peers, contribute to technical discussions, and support continuous engineering improvement.

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Technology, or a related technical field is preferred.
• Equivalent professional experience in backend software engineering may be considered in place of formal education, depending on the hiring requirements.

About Seneca Resources
At Seneca Resources, we are more than just a staffing and consulting firm, we are a trusted career partner. With offices across the U.S. and clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to government organizations, we provide opportunities that help professionals grow their careers while making an impact.

When you work with Seneca, you're choosing a company that invests in your success, celebrates your achievements, and connects you to meaningful work with leading organizations nationwide. We take the time to understand your goals and match you with roles that align with your skills and career path. Our consultants and contractors enjoy competitive pay, comprehensive health, dental, and vision coverage, 401(k) retirement plans, and the support of a dedicated team who will advocate for you every step of the way.

Seneca Resources is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace where all qualified individuals are encouraged to apply.