IT - Lead Java Developer

Apex Systems; Chicago, Northern (IL, KY); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 103,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical/dental/vision insurance

ESPP

401K with company match

Job summary

Everforth Apex in Chicago is seeking an IT Lead Java Developer to design, develop, test, and deploy enterprise-scale microservices on Azure using Java and Spring Boot. You will build event-driven solutions with Kafka, Solace, and Azure messaging, while maintaining RESTful APIs and backend services.

Partner with architects and stakeholders in an Agile environment to implement modern integration patterns, drive reliability, scale, and performance across distributed systems.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of enterprise Java development experience.
• Strong Spring Boot and microservices experience.
• Cloud-native applications in Azure with AKS familiarity.
• Experience with event-driven architectures and messaging systems.
• Proven ability to work in Agile, globally distributed teams.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, test, and deploy enterprise-scale microservices and cloud-native applications using Java, Spring Boot, and Azure.
• Build scalable event-driven solutions utilizing asynchronous processing and messaging technologies.
• Develop and maintain RESTful APIs, event-based integrations, and backend services.
• Collaborate with architects, technical leads, and business stakeholders to implement modern integration patterns.
• Troubleshoot production issues and contribute to continuous improvement of platforms.

Skills

Java (J2EE)

Spring Boot

Microservices Architecture

Distributed systems

Agile development

Event-driven design

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

Kafka

Solace PubSub+

IBM MQ

Azure Service Bus

Azure Event Hubs

Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)

Terraform

GitHub Actions

Jenkins

Job description

# IT - Lead Java DeveloperApply**Job#: 3052072****Job Description:**Key ResponsibilitiesApplication Development* Design, develop, test, and deploy enterprise-scale microservices and cloud-native applications using Java, Spring Boot, and Azure.* Build scalable event-driven solutions utilizing asynchronous processing and messaging technologies.* Develop and maintain RESTful APIs, event-based integrations, and backend services.* Collaborate with architects, technical leads, and business stakeholders to implement modern integration and messaging patterns.Event Streaming & Messaging* Design and implement event-driven architectures using Kafka and enterprise messaging platforms.* Develop and support messaging solutions utilizing: + Apache Kafka + Solace PubSub+ + IBM MQ + Azure Service Bus + Azure Event Hubs* Create and maintain messaging topics, queues, schemas, and event contracts.* Implement reliable messaging patterns including: + Publish/Subscribe + Event Sourcing + CQRS + Saga Pattern + Dead Letter Queues (DLQ) + Event Replay and Recovery Strategies* Optimize messaging systems for high throughput, low latency, scalability, and reliability.Cloud & Platform Engineering* Design and support cloud-native solutions within Microsoft Azure environments.* Build and deploy applications utilizing: + Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) + Azure Container Apps + Azure Functions + Azure Service Bus + Azure Event Hubs + Azure Storage Services* Partner with DevOps teams to build scalable and maintainable cloud infrastructure.DevOps & Automation* Support CI/CD pipelines and deployment automation processes.* Utilize tools including: + GitHub Actions + Jenkins + Terraform* Implement Infrastructure as Code (IaC) practices for Azure resource provisioning.* Integrate automated testing, deployment, and security scanning into delivery pipelines.Production Support & Continuous Improvement* Troubleshoot and resolve application, integration, and messaging platform issues.* Monitor application performance and system health.* Participate in release support and production deployments.* Identify risks, bottlenecks, and improvement opportunities across platforms and services.* Document architecture designs, event flows, integration patterns, and operational procedures.Required QualificationsCore Development* 8+ years of experience developing enterprise applications using Java (J2EE).* Strong experience with Spring Boot and Microservices Architecture.* Extensive experience building and supporting cloud-native applications.* Strong understanding of distributed systems, concurrency, and asynchronous processing.* Experience working within Agile development environments and globally distributed teams.Event Streaming & Messaging (Required)* Deep hands-on experience with Apache Kafka, including: + Producers and Consumers + Topics and Partitions + Consumer Groups + Kafka Streams + Event Processing + Schema Registry + Event Versioning + Message Ordering and Delivery Guarantees + Performance Tuning and Scaling* Strong experience supporting enterprise messaging technologies, including: + Kafka + Solace PubSub+ + IBM MQ + Azure Service Bus + Azure Event Hubs* Proven experience implementing: + Event-Driven Architecture (EDA) + Publish/Subscribe Models + Event Sourcing + CQRS + Saga Patterns + Message Reliability Strategies + Dead Letter Queue Management + Event Recovery and ReplayAPI & Integration Development* Strong experience building and consuming: + REST APIs + SOAP Services + Event-Based Integrations* Experience with API security including: + OAuth 2.0 + JWT Authentication and Validation + Secure Service-to-Service CommunicationAzure Cloud* Hands-on experience with Microsoft Azure services including: + Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) + Azure Container Apps + Azure Service Bus + Azure Event Hubs + Azure Functions + Azure Storage* Strong understanding of cloud-native design patterns and Azure networking concepts.DevOps & Automation* Experience building and maintaining CI/CD pipelines.* Hands-on experience with: + GitHub Actions + Jenkins + Terraform* Experience implementing Infrastructure as Code (IaC) solutions.Databases* Experience working with: + Azure SQL + PostgreSQL + Cosmos DB + Other cloud-hosted relational or NoSQL databases* Understanding of: + Transaction management + Data consistency models + Distributed data patternsAdditional Development Experience* Experience developing backend solutions using: + Python + Node.jsPreferred Qualifications* Experience with Confluent Platform.* Experience implementing Solace Event Mesh solutions.* Understanding of Domain-Driven Design (DDD).* Experience with GraphQL APIs.* Experience with observability and monitoring platforms such as: + Dynatrace + Azure Monitor + Azure Log Analytics* Linux administration and Shell scripting experience.* Familiarity with Test-Driven Development (TDD) and Behavior-Driven Development (BDD).* Experience with: + Control-M + SFTP Integrations + Mainframe Integration PatternsEducation* Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or related field.* Equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience will also be considered.Ideal CandidateThe ideal candidate is a highly technical Java engineer who has built and supported **event-driven distributed systems at enterprise scale**. They have deep expertise across **Kafka, messaging platforms, microservices, Azure cloud technologies, and modern integration patterns**, and can confidently design resilient architectures while supporting mission-critical production environments. This individual thrives in collaborative Agile teams and enjoys solving complex technical challenges involving scalability, performance, reliability, and system integration. *Everforth Apex is a world-class IT services company that serves thousands of clients across the globe. When you join Everforth Apex, you become part of a team that values innovation, collaboration, and continuous learning. We offer quality career resources, training, certifications, development opportunities, and a comprehensive benefits package. Our commitment to excellence is reflected in many awards, including ClearlyRateds Best of Staffing in Talent Satisfaction in the United States and Great Place to Work in the United Kingdom and Mexico.**Everforth Apex uses a virtual recruiter as part of the application process. Click here for more details. By applying for this job, you agree to receive calls, AI-generated calls, text messages, or emails from Everforth Apex and its affiliates, and contracted partners. Frequency varies for text messages. Message and data rates may apply. Carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages. You can reply STOP to cancel and HELP for help. You can access our privacy policy at https://www.apexsystems.com/privacy-policy**Everforth Apex Benefits Overview: Everforth Apex offers a range of supplemental benefits, including medical, dental, vision, life, disability, and other insurance plans that offer an optional layer of financial protection. We offer an ESPP (employee stock purchase program) and a 401K program which allows you to contribute typically within 30 days of starting, with a company match after 12 months of tenure. Everforth Apex also offers a HSA (Health Savings Account on the HDHP plan), a SupportLinc Employee Assistance Program (EAP) with up to 8 free counseling sessions, a corporate discount savings program and other discounts. In terms of professional development, Everforth Apex hosts an on-demand training program, provides access to certification prep and a library of technical and leadership courses/books/seminars once you have 6+ months of tenure, and certification discounts and other perks to associations that include CompTIA and IIBA. Everforth Apex has a dedicated customer service team for our Consultants that can address questions around benefits and other resources, as well as a certified Career Coach. You can access a full list of our benefits, programs, support teams and resources within our ‘Welcome Packet’ as well, which an Everforth Apex team member can provide.**Everforth Apex Systems is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate or allow discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions), age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, genetic information, registered domestic partner status, marital status, disability, status as a crime victim, protected veteran status, political affiliation, union membership, or any other characteristic protected by law. Everforth Apex will consider qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable law.**If you require an accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act to participate in an interview with a virtual recruiter or to use our website for a search or application, please contact our Benefits Department at [e-mail] or 804-523-8228. Please note that this contact information is strictly to be used for medical ADA accommodations and that no other inquiries will be answered.**UnitedHealthcare creates and publishes the Transparency in Coverage Machine-Readable Files on behalf of Everforth Apex Systems.***Employee Type:** Contract**Location:** Chicago, IL, US**Job Type:****Date Posted:** September 15, 2026**Pay Range:** $65 - $75 per hour