JAVA Microservices Engineering Lead

Citibank (Switzerland) AG; Mississauga; Hybrid; Confidential; Full time

Job summary

Citi in Canada seeks an Engineering Lead for Java/Microservices to guide architecture, design, and hands-on development of scalable applications. You will align technical strategy with business goals, mentor engineers, and drive cloud-native practices across OpenShift, Kubernetes, and CI/CD pipelines.

The role demands strong collaboration with business stakeholders and a proven track record in backend systems and distributed architectures.

Qualifications

• 6+ years in software development focusing on backend systems and enterprise delivery.
• 1+ years in architecting complex backend applications.
• Excellence in Java, Spring, and cloud-native patterns.

Responsibilities

• Lead design and development of scalable Java backend and Angular frontend.
• Provide technical leadership aligned with enterprise architecture and business goals.
• Mentor engineers and advance CI/CD and DevOps practices.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to translate requirements into technical solutions.

Skills

Leadership

Java

Spring

Microservices

REST APIs

Distributed Systems

Cloud Platforms

CI/CD

Kubernetes

Git

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/Engineering

Master's degree preferred

Tools

OpenShift

Kubernetes

Jenkins

Tekton

Apigee

Dynatrace/AppDynamics

Job description

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.

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

Technical Leadership & Development

Lead the design, architecture, and hands‑on development of highly scalable, resilient, and performant full stack applications using Java (backend) and Angular (frontend). Provide technical leadership and strategic direction to development teams, ensuring alignment with overall enterprise architecture and business objectives. Drive best practices in 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 sessions with diverse stakeholder groups. Perform gap analysis between current state and desired future state, proposing innovative solutions and recommending optimal system designs. Evaluate technical feasibility and business impact of 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, including Spring Boot for rapid application development, Spring Cloud for building distributed systems (e.g., service discovery, configuration management, circuit breakers), and Spring Security for 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 with OpenShift/Kubernetes for 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‑solving abilities, 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

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.