Java Backend Engineer

Photon; Dallas (TX); On-site; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Photon is seeking a senior Backend Engineer to design, develop, and scale mission-critical backend services. The role emphasizes microservices, event-driven architecture with Kafka, REST APIs, and AWS-based deployment on EKS. Strong Java/Spring Boot expertise and CI/CD discipline are essential to deliver robust systems. The candidate will contribute to performance tuning and system integration within a scalable cloud framework.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of backend engineering experience.
• Experience with Java 11+ and Spring Boot ecosystems.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement scalable microservices.
• Develop RESTful APIs and data models.
• Work with Kafka for event-driven architectures.
• Deploy and manage services on AWS EKS.
• Ensure code quality with testing and reviews.

Skills

Java

Spring Boot

Kafka

REST APIs

AWS

Docker

Kubernetes

CI/CD

Tools

AWS EKS

EC2

S3

IAM

Job description

Note: F2F interview required and will be done in any of these locations: Dallas TX or Chicago, IL or New York or Durham NC.

We are seeking a highly skilled Backend Engineer with 10+ years experience to design, develop, and scale mission-critical backend services.

Key Responsibilities

• Microservices Development: Design and implement scalable, high-performance microservices using Java and the Spring Boot ecosystem.
• Event-Driven Architecture: Architect and maintain event-driven systems utilizing Apache Kafka for seamless asynchronous communication and real-time event processing.
• API Design: Develop and document secure, versioned RESTful APIs to support internal services and external integrations.
• Business Logic Implementation: Translate complex functional requirements into efficient business rules and logic within the application layer.
• Cloud Infrastructure: Deploy and manage containerized applications on AWS EKS (Elastic Kubernetes Service), ensuring optimal resource utilization and high availability.
• System Integration: Integrate backend components with various AWS services to enhance scalability, storage, and monitoring capabilities.
• Quality & Performance: Write clean, maintainable, and well-tested code while performing regular performance tuning and troubleshooting of distributed systems.

Required Technical Skills

• Core Languages: Proficiency in Java (JDK 11+).
• Frameworks: Extensive experience with Spring Boot (Spring Cloud, Spring Security, Spring Data).
• Messaging & Streaming: Hands-on experience with Apache Kafka, including producers, consumers, and Kafka Streams.
• Cloud & Orchestration: Proven experience with AWS services, specifically AWS EKS, EC2, S3, and IAM.
• Architecture: Strong understanding of Microservices architecture and Event-Driven Architecture (EDA).
• Web Services: Expert knowledge of REST API design principles and JSON/XML.
• Database & Logic: Experience managing event processing workflows and implementing complex business rules engines.
• DevOps Tools: Familiarity with Docker, Kubernetes, and CI/CD pipelines.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with SQL and NoSQL databases (e.g., PostgreSQL, MongoDB, or DynamoDB).
• Understanding of distributed tracing and monitoring tools (e.g., Prometheus, Grafana, or AWS CloudWatch).
• Knowledge of reactive programming or functional programming patterns in Java.
• Background in designing systems for financial services or high-frequency data environments.