JAVA Microservices Engineering Lead

Citigroup Inc.; Mississauga; On-site; CAD 142,000 - 237,000; Full time

Job summary

Citigroup Inc. is seeking an Engineering Lead (Java / Microservices) to drive the technical direction of critical applications. The role combines deep technical leadership with strong business understanding to align solutions with objectives.

You will mentor engineers, lead architecture and hands-on development, and champion modern cloud-native practices across OpenShift, Kubernetes, AWS, and more.

Qualifications

• 6+ years of progressive software development experience with a backend focus.
• 1+ year of architectural leadership in complex backend applications.
• Proven ability to translate complex business requirements into technical designs and architectural blueprints.
• Expert-level Core Java proficiency including multi-threading, concurrency, and memory management.
• Strong Spring ecosystem expertise (Spring Boot, Spring Cloud, Spring Security).
• 5+ years design, development, and consumption of RESTful APIs and SOAP Web Services.
• Knowledge of distributed systems, microservices, event-driven architectures, and API-first design.
• Hands-on experience with OpenShift/Kubernetes in production environments.
• CI/CD proficiency with Jenkins/Tekton and strong DevOps mindset.
• Git expertise with advanced workflows (GitFlow, PR reviews).
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and leadership skills.
• Experience in the financial services domain is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design, architecture, and hands-on development of scalable full-stack applications using Java (backend) and Angular (frontend).
• Provide technical leadership and strategic direction to development teams, aligning with enterprise architecture and business goals.
• Drive best practices in coding, testing, security, performance, and maintainability across the SDLC.
• Champion modern technologies, architectural patterns (microservices, event-driven), and cloud-native solutions (OpenShift, Kubernetes, AWS, Azure, GCP).
• Mentor and develop senior engineers, fostering technical excellence and innovation.
• Lead complex troubleshooting, performance tuning, and root-cause analysis for critical production issues.
• Contribute to evolving CI/CD pipelines and DevOps practices.
• Act as SME and provide guidance across multiple projects.

Skills

Java Backend

Microservices

Spring Boot

Spring Cloud

Spring Security

REST APIs

OpenShift

Kubernetes

CI/CD

Git

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Master’s degree preferred

Tools

Jenkins

Tekton

Kafka

Redis

Dynatrace

Job description

The Engineering Lead (Java / Microservices) is a senior level position responsible for establishing and implementing new or revised application systems and programs in coordination with the Technology team. The overall objective of this role is to lead applications systems analysis and programming activities.

The Opportunity:

This pivotal role blends deep technical leadership with strong analytical and business understanding. You will be responsible for leading the technical direction of critical applications, while also engaging closely with business stakeholders to define requirements, analyze processes, and ensure technical solutions align perfectly with business objectives. This role demands a leader who can bridge the gap between technical execution and business strategy, driving both innovation and successful delivery.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the design, architecture, and hands-on developmentof highly scalable, resilient, and performant full stack applications using Java (backend) and Angular (frontend).

• Provide technical leadership and strategic directionto development teams, ensuring alignment with overall enterprise architecture and business objectives.

• Drive best practicesin software development, including code quality, testing, security, performance optimization, and maintainability across the full SDLC.

• Champion the adoption of modern technologies, architectural patterns (e.g., microservices, event-driven), and cloud-native solutions (OpenShift, Kubernetes, AWS, Azure, GCP).

• Mentor and develop senior engineers, fostering a culture of technical excellence, continuous learning, and innovation within the team.

• Lead complex troubleshooting, performance tuning, and root cause analysis for critical production issues.

• Contribute to the evolution of CI/CD pipelines and DevOps practices.

• Act as a subject matter expert and provide technical guidance across multiple projects.

Business Analysis & Strategic Alignment:

• Act as a primary liaison between technology teams and business stakeholders, translating complex business needs and strategic goals into clear, actionable technical requirements and user stories.

• Conduct in-depth business process analysis, identifying pain points, inefficiencies, and opportunities for technological improvement and automation.

• Define and document functional and non-functional requirements, use cases, and process flows, ensuring comprehensive understanding across development and business teams.

• Facilitate requirements gathering workshops, interviews, and brainstorming sessionswith diverse stakeholder groups.

• Perform gap analysisbetween current state and desired future state, proposing innovative solutions and recommending optimal system designs.

• Evaluate technical feasibility and business impactof proposed solutions, providing insights and recommendations to both technical and business leadership.

• Ensure that delivered solutions meet business expectations, provide measurable value, and adhere to regulatory and compliance standards.

Qualifications:

• Overall Experience:6+ years of progressive experience in software development, with a primary focus on backend systems and enterprise application delivery.

• Architectural Leadership:1+ years of demonstrated leadership in architecting, designing, and guiding the development of complex, scalable, and high-performance enterprise-level backend applications.

• Technical Analysis:Proven experience in translating complex business requirements into technical designs and architectural blueprints for backend services.

• Core Java Proficiency:Expert-level proficiency in Java, including advanced concepts such as multi-threading, concurrency, performance optimization, and memory management.

• Spring Ecosystem Expertise: Hands-on expertise with the Spring ecosystem, includingSpring Bootfor rapid application development,Spring Cloudfor building distributed systems (e.g., service discovery, configuration management, circuit breakers), andSpring Securityfor implementing robust authentication and authorization.

• API and Web Services:Extensive experience (5+ years) in designing, building, and consuming robust, secure, and high-throughput RESTful APIs and SOAP Web Services (JAX-RS/JAX-WS).

• System Architecture:Good understanding of distributed systems, microservices architecture, event-driven architecture, and API-first design principles.

• Containerization and Orchestration:Proven, hands-on experience withOpenShift/Kubernetesfor deploying, managing, and scaling containerized applications in production environments.

• DevOps and CI/CD:Proficiency with modern CI/CD tools (e.g., Jenkins, Tekton) and a strong commitment to DevOps practices, including automated testing, continuous integration, and continuous delivery.

• Version Control:Expert-level knowledge of Git, including advanced branching strategies (e.g., GitFlow), pull requests, and code review processes.

• Analytical and Problem-Solving Skills:Exceptional analytical and problem-solve abilitie, with a talent for debugging complex distributed systems and ensuring long-term architectural integrity.

• Communication and Leadership:Outstanding communication (written and verbal), interpersonal, and mentoring skills, with the ability to lead a development team, influence technical direction, and collaborate effectively with stakeholders.

• Strategic Mindset:Strong leadership capabilities combined with a strategic mindset to align technical solutions with long-term business goals.

• Domain Experience:Experience in the financial services industry is a significant advantage.

Nice-to-Have:

• Expertise in Messaging Systems (Kafka, RabbitMQ, IBM MQ, etc.)

• Deep understanding of the Linux Ecosystem.

• Experience with enterprise scheduling tools (e.g., Autosys).

• Experience with API Management platforms (e.g., Apigee, API Gateway).

• Proficiency with APM Tools (Dynatrace, AppDynamics) for monitoring and performance optimization.

• Experience with Caching Technologies (Hazelcast, Redis, Memcached) for high-performance systems.

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree/University degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field or equivalent experience

• Master’s degree preferred

Job Family Group:

Technology

Job Family:

Applications Development

Time Type:

Full time

Primary Location Full Time Salary Range:

$120,800.00 - $170,800.00

Most Relevant Skills

Please see the requirements listed above.

Automated Processing and AI

We use automated processing, including artificial intelligence, for our legitimate business interests (or our reasonable and appropriate business purposes) to identify and align the candidate's skills and abilities with a specific job opening. Additionally, if you so choose, or consent, we can match your skills and abilities to other suitable roles at Citi.

Importantly, all our hiring processes and decisions, including determining your suitability for a role, are conducted, checked, and decided by individuals. Our automated processing and AI do not involve relying on automatic or autonomous decision-making. Please refer to any Jurisdictional Considerations, with specific provisions for your country (where relevant) for further details.

This job opening is for an existing job vacancy.

Citi is an equal opportunity employer, and qualified candidates will receive consideration without regard to their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other characteristic protected by law.

If you are a person with a disability and need a reasonable accommodation to use our search tools and/or apply for a career opportunity review Accessibility at Citi.

View Citi’s EEO Policy Statement and the Know Your Rights poster.