Java Backend Tech Lead

Life in Pittsburgh; Pittsburgh (Allegheny County); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Pittsburgh Tomorrow is seeking an experienced Tech Lead – Java Backend to guide the design, development, and delivery of scalable backend applications. This hands-on leader will mentor engineers, shape the technical architecture, and establish engineering best practices across enterprise-scale systems.

You will work with architects, product managers, and cross-functional teams to translate business needs into robust technical solutions, implement RESTful APIs and event-driven services with

Qualifications

• 12+ years of software development experience with Java backend systems.
• Proven track record leading technical teams on enterprise-scale projects.
• Strong Java, Spring Boot, microservices and multithreading expertise.

Responsibilities

• Lead design, architecture, development, and implementation of scalable Java backend applications.
• Set coding standards and engineering best practices across teams.
• Design and develop RESTful APIs and distributed services with Kafka.
• Improve performance, scalability, availability, and reliability of applications.
• Review code and mentor developers to ensure high-quality delivery.
• Collaborate with architects, product managers, and stakeholders to translate requirements into designs.
• Design and optimize SQL and NoSQL database integrations.
• Lead troubleshooting and root-cause analysis of production issues.
• Work with DevOps to improve CI/CD pipelines and cloud deployment.
• Drive containerization and orchestration with Docker and Kubernetes.
• Ensure security, performance, quality, and reliability standards.
• Participate in Agile ceremonies and plan sprints.
• Identify opportunities for modernization and automation.

Skills

Leadership

Mentoring

Architectural design

Stakeholder management

Problem solving

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

CI/CD

Apache Kafka

SQL/NoSQL databases

REST APIs

Job description

Java Backend Tech Lead

Location: Pittsburgh, PA / Dallas, TX (Hybrid)

Position: Full-Time

We are looking for an experienced Tech Lead – Java Backend to lead the design, development, and delivery of scalable, high-performance backend applications. This role requires a strong hands-on technical leader with deep expertise in Java, Spring Boot, Microservices, and Apache Kafka, along with the ability to drive technical architecture, mentor developers, and establish engineering best practices.

You will work closely with architects, product managers, business stakeholders, and cross-functional engineering teams to translate business requirements into robust technical solutions, ensure delivery excellence, and drive continuous improvement across enterprise-scale applications.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

• Lead the technical design, architecture, development, and implementation of scalable backend applications using Java, Spring Boot, and Microservices.
• Drive technical decisions and establish coding standards, design patterns, development guidelines, and engineering best practices.
• Design and develop RESTful APIs, distributed services, and event-driven applications using Apache Kafka.
• Lead the implementation of multithreaded applications and optimize application performance, scalability, availability, and reliability.
• Review code, provide technical guidance, and mentor developers to ensure high-quality, maintainable, and secure software delivery.
• Collaborate with solution architects, product owners, business stakeholders, and engineering teams to translate functional and non-functional requirements into technical designs.
• Design and optimize SQL and NoSQL database integrations, ensuring data consistency, performance, and scalability.
• Lead technical troubleshooting, root-cause analysis, and resolution of complex application and production issues.
• Work with DevOps and platform teams to improve CI/CD pipelines, automated testing, deployment processes, and cloud infrastructure integration.
• Drive containerization and orchestration practices using Docker and Kubernetes.
• Ensure adherence to application security, performance, quality, and reliability standards.
• Participate in Agile ceremonies, sprint planning, estimation, technical discussions, and delivery planning.
• Identify opportunities for technical modernization, automation, and continuous improvement across the engineering lifecycle.

WHAT YOU BRING

Must Haves

• 12+ years of overall experience in software development, with strong hands-on expertise in Java backend engineering.
• Proven experience leading technical teams or serving as a Tech Lead on enterprise-scale application development projects.
• Strong proficiency in Java, Spring Boot, Microservices architecture, object-oriented programming, and multithreading.
• Extensive experience designing, developing, and integrating RESTful APIs and distributed backend services.
• Strong hands-on experience with Apache Kafka, event-driven architecture, and asynchronous messaging.
• Solid understanding of system design, design patterns, distributed systems, scalability, and application performance optimization.
• Experience with SQL and NoSQL databases such as MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, or similar technologies.
• Experience with cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud Platform.
• Hands-on knowledge of Docker, Kubernetes, CI/CD pipelines, and modern DevOps practices.
• Experience conducting code reviews, mentoring developers, resolving complex technical issues, and driving engineering standards.
• Ability to collaborate with architects, product managers, and business stakeholders to define technical solutions and delivery approaches.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, communication, and stakeholder management skills.

Good to Have

• Experience designing and implementing cloud-native, highly available, and fault-tolerant applications.
• Knowledge of security best practices, authentication, authorization, and secure API development.
• Experience with automated testing frameworks, code quality tools, and application monitoring solutions.
• Exposure to infrastructure as code and cloud deployment automation.
• Familiarity with front-end technologies and full-stack application architecture.
• Experience working in Agile/Scrum environments and managing technical delivery across distributed teams.