IT Software Engineer 5

Cullerton Group has a new opportunity for an IT Software Engineer 5 . The work will be done on a hybrid schedule in Chicago, IL (2 days per week onsite). This is a long-term 12-month position that can lead to permanent employment with our client. Compensation is up to $100.43/hr + full benefits (vision, dental, health insurance, 401k, and holiday pay).

Job Summary

Cullerton Group is seeking two highly experienced Senior Java Software Engineers to lead backend development efforts for a large-scale digital platform. These engineers will work independently on complex systems, drive the design and development of backend services, and act as technical leaders within geographically distributed teams. Responsibilities include solving advanced system problems, mentoring junior developers, enforcing best practices, and delivering high-value features in a high-performance environment. This role is ideal for backend specialists who excel in cloud-native development, distributed systems, and technical leadership.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead backend design and development using Java 17 , ensuring scalable, maintainable, and reliable solutions

• Provide technical leadership, guidance, and mentorship to distributed development teams

• Work independently on complex systems or infrastructure components used across multiple applications

• Develop RESTful services and cloud-enabled backend components

• Resolve complex technical issues, including occasional off-shift or weekend production support

• Conduct integration testing, customer acceptance testing, and quality validation

• Participate in technology evaluations and architecture discussions

• Drive continuous improvement, maintain coding best practices, and identify growth areas for the team

• Collaborate with internal customers to refine requirements, validate solutions, and support debugging

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field

• Minimum 10+ years of Java backend software development experience

• At least 3+ years leading geographically dispersed engineering teams

• Strong expertise with Java 17 , backend architecture, and RESTful API development

• Hands-on experience with AWS services including IAM, Kinesis, DynamoDB, SQS, SNS, API stack, KMS

• Strong SQL skills (Slick), DevOps familiarity, and experience designing high-availability systems

• Ability to work under pressure, manage multiple priorities, and maintain high performance standards

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with distributed systems, event-driven architectures, and cloud-native platforms

• Strong architectural thinking with experience designing enterprise-level backend solutions

• Ability to mentor, lead code reviews, and influence engineering best practices

Why This Role?

This position offers the opportunity to lead backend development for a major digital transformation initiative. You will work with modern cloud technologies, tackle complex architectural challenges, and influence technical direction across multiple teams. Cullerton Group provides a professional and growth-oriented environment where experienced engineers can expand their leadership, contribute to large-scale systems, and strengthen their backend engineering expertise.