Senior Back-end Java Developer

WestJet Group; Calgary; On-site; CAD 100,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

WestJet Group seeks a senior back-end software developer to lead and mentor the development team in Calgary. You will design and build Java-based microservices, leverage Spring Boot, and drive cloud-native architectures in an agile setting, closely collaborating with business stakeholders.

You will guide technical decisions, estimate effort, and ensure code quality with automated tests while supporting ongoing sustenance and capital projects. Strong leadership and communication are essential.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Diploma in a technical, business, or science field.
• 7+ years on software development teams with enterprise exposure.
• 2+ years in airline industry experience (Sabre, Amadeus, etc).
• Strong experience with Java 21/17, Spring Boot, and modern cloud-native patterns.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to the development team and external consultants.
• Lead design, estimation, and delivery of features and capital projects.
• Develop automated unit and integration tests for backend services.
• Collaborate with business stakeholders to define specifications and ensure quality and release readiness.

Skills

Java

Spring Boot

Microservices

Kubernetes

OpenShift

AKS

Cloud-native

REST/JSON/XML

Azure

AWS

CI/CD

DevOps

JUnit/Mockito

Gradle

GIT

IntelliJ

CI/CD Pipelines

Education

Diploma or Bachelor’s degree (Technical/Business/Science)

Tools

IntelliJ

Gradle

Azure DevOps

AKS

GIT

JUnit/Mockito

Job description

Overview of role:

WestJet is seeking a senior back-end Software Developer reporting to our Digital Technology office. This individual can demonstrate a high standard of excellence, enjoy challenges, and drive results. The incumbent must be highly motivated and demonstrate the ability to work in an agile environment.

This new member will provide technical expertise and will support/ lead the development team in creating high-quality software solutions by designing and developing web-based Java applications and lead the development team and business stakeholders to develop appropriate object-oriented software systems that meet WestJet’s business, technical and quality requirements. Moreover, the senior software developer will embrace coaching and mentoring colleagues.

Key deliverables include:

• Provide technical expertise for WestJet’s product features and environments
• Actively participate and provide technical expertise for the creation, implementation and ongoing evolution of WestJet’s design and development methodologies, coding standards and style guidelines
• Actively participate and provide technical expertise for the evaluation and selection of new software development tools and frameworks
• Actively participate and share technical expertise through workshops, presentations, and training that provide skill and knowledge development for the entire team
• Provide technical expertise and coaching to developers and external consultants
• Plan, lead and track the technical aspects of software development sustainment streams and capital projects
• Lead the development team in working with business stakeholders to define and prepare functional and design specifications of new features/products
• Provide accurate estimates for development effort, complexity and risk for software development sustainment streams and capital projects
• Design and develop automated unit and integration tests for front end code that define and validate feature/product requirements
• Design and develop robust, extensible, high-quality code that meet business, technical and quality requirements
• Lead the development team in working with quality assurance partners to assess the impact of code changes, to ensure the validation of requirements and to provide timely troubleshooting and fixes to software defects
• Lead the development team in working with operational partners to ensure the supportability of new features/products and to provide timely technical support and fixes to production applications
• Provide technical expertise and approval for the review and analysis of front-end and back-end code as well as all automated tests
• Provide technical expertise in how to manage code and resolve conflicts with other development initiatives
• Document system components, related interfaces and ensure complete and accurate release notes

Experience and qualifications:

• Recognized diploma or bachelor’s degree (Technical/Business/Science)
• Minimum of 7+ years of experience on software development teams
• Minimum of 2+ years in an airline industry role (Sabre, Amadeus, etc)
• 5+ years enterprise environment experience is an asset.
• Java 21 experience, Spring Boot 3.x, microservices, Kubernetes/OpenShift/AKS, cloud-native architecture or Java 17 experience with a demonstrated ability to modernize applications.
• Exposure to Java 25 and newer JVM features is an asset.

Knowledge and expertise in the following disciplines preferred:

• AI development experience or open-minded to embrace
• Application development using Java 17 or 21 or 25
• Java frameworks such as Spring Boot
• SOAP and RESTful web services using JSON and XML
• Cloud environments such as Azure, AWS
• Object-oriented software design, design patterns, security awareness and development best practices
• DevOps and agile development methods such as Lean, Scrum, Kanban and XP
• Development on Windows, Linux and/or MacOS (MacOS preferred)
• IDE software such as IntelliJ
• GIT version control systems
• Unit testing framework such as Junit and Mockito
• Building automation tool like Gradle
• Web development using CSS, HTML and JavaScript
• JavaScript libraries such as VueJS, React, Angular and NodeJS
• Knowledge of Azure DevOps tools and services for CI/CD pipelines
• Familiarity with Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) and containerization technologies
• Excellent interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills
• Excellent planning and organizational skills
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills
• Strong communication skills with the ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams
• Analytical mindset and ability to approach complex problems systematically
• Ability to adapt to changing priorities and work in a fast-paced environment
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to delivering high-quality solutions