Java Backend Engineer

Software Engineer III – Java Backend (Tech Lead) As a Software Engineer III – Java Backend (Tech Lead), you will serve as a hands-on technical leader responsible for end-to-end service architecture, delivery outcomes, and ensuring the reliability of backend systems. You will define and communicate technical direction, influence cross-functional teams, and drive modernization initiatives. This role requires expertise in cloud-native development, event-driven architectures, and leadership in engineering excellence within a remote environment. Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States without employer sponsorship, now or in the future. Responsibilities: Set and communicate technical direction, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and priorities. Lead the design and implementation of scalable, secure, and resilient backend services, including modernization from on-premises to cloud environments. Develop and evolve service-level architecture, including APIs, data models, messaging patterns, and error handling strategies. Promote build-it / run-it ownership practices, supporting services in production and participating in incident management. Drive system modernization efforts using domain-driven and evolutionary architecture principles. Lead adoption of AI- and agentic-first engineering practices, integrating automation and validation standards into development workflows. Establish architectural guardrails through patterns, reference implementations, and lightweight review processes to enable team autonomy. Define and enforce quality, observability, and reliability standards, including SLIs/SLOs, testing strategies, and proactive monitoring. Collaborate cross-functionally with product, security, and platform teams to ensure scalable and performant solutions. Mentor engineering team members through design/code reviews, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and technical excellence. Qualifications: 8–10+ years of professional experience in backend software engineering with demonstrated ownership of production systems. Proven technical leadership experience as a Tech Lead or senior individual contributor. Strong expertise in Java or JVM-based environments, designing and operating secure, scalable backend services. Hands-on experience with cloud platforms, particularly AWS, and familiarity with cloud-native architecture patterns. Deep understanding of event-driven architectures, including pub/sub patterns and failure handling strategies. Experience supporting services in production, including on-call responsibilities and incident resolution. Strong discipline in testing, CI/CD, code review practices, and operational excellence. Excellent communication skills, capable of documenting and explaining complex architectural decisions. Ability to collaborate effectively across diverse teams and manage stakeholder expectations. Familiarity with modernization of legacy systems, domain-driven design, containerization, Infrastructure-as-Code, and observability tools is a plus. Publishing Pay Range: $75.00 – $80.00 Hourly. This is a fully remote role and can be performed from any approved location within the United States. About GDH: At GDH, we believe in the power of people and the importance of caring. Our culture statement, "We care about people," isn't just a tagline – it's the core of everything we do. GDH is a premier staffing and talent solutions company dedicated to helping businesses find the best talent and assisting job seekers in finding their dream jobs. Who We Are: GDH, founded in 2001, has grown into a leader in providing staffing solutions across various industries. We specialize in IT across several sectors, connecting top talent with leading enterprises. As a Best of Staffing firm recognized for excellence in client, employee, talent, and women's services, we pride ourselves on our commitment to quality and service. GDH Benefits: GDH offers a range of employee benefits that are designed to promote well-being and help maintain a healthy work-life balance. These comprehensive benefits cover various aspects of an employee's life and aim to enhance their overall experience with the company. Our health benefits include three medical insurance options with access to KISx Card, Zero Card, and HealthJoy concierge services. Other plan offerings include dental, vision, life, disability, supplemental insurance, and pet insurance plans. Enjoy additional perks like holiday pay, 401(k) plan, direct deposit, an employee referral program, work-life balance benefits, a Wellbeats membership, a discounted gym membership program, and more! For more detailed information on benefits, please go to GDH's website under the tab for candidates. GDH provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, ancestry, protected veteran status, military or uniformed service member status, or any other status or characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, and local laws. Applicants with disabilities who require an accommodation or assistance in applying and/or for interviewing, please contact our HR Department. Please visit our notice of collection for California applicants. GDH