Java Microservices Developer - Assistant Vice President

Citigroup Inc.; Tampa (FL); On-site; USD 97,000 - 145,000; Full time

Job summary

Citi is seeking an AVP Java & Microservices Developer to lead the design and delivery of mission-critical backend systems for real-time payments. You will build high-throughput Java microservices with Spring Boot/Spring Cloud, Kafka, and AI-assisted development techniques, ensuring 99.999% availability and strict security.

You will work with product and architecture teams to translate complex requirements into robust, scalable solutions in a global, 24x7 environment, including containerized

Qualifications

• 8+ years hands-on Java software engineering experience.
• Experience designing, developing, and operating production-grade microservices with Spring Boot/Spring Cloud.
• Experience with Kafka or RabbitMQ for event streaming and messaging architectures.
• Proficient in microservices patterns: API Gateway, Saga, CQRS, Event Sourcing, Transactional Outbox, Circuit Breaker, Service Discovery.
• Experience integrating AI-assisted developer tools (GitHub Copilot, Devin) into delivery workflows.
• Proficiency in Docker and Kubernetes/OpenShift in high-availability environments.

Responsibilities

• Build high-throughput, low-latency Java microservices for 24x7 real-time transaction processing.
• Develop event-driven streaming architectures using Apache Kafka.
• Champion AI-assisted PDLC practices across squads to accelerate delivery while maintaining security and governance.
• Create resilient cloud-native services with Spring Boot/Spring Cloud, central configuration, service discovery, tracing, and mTLS.
• Implement ISO 20022 and real-time payment protocols with strong data security controls.
• Optimize data access/persistence across distributed SQL and in-memory caches for sub-millisecond response times.
• Apply deep Java concurrency, Virtual Threads, memory management, and JVM tuning expertise for performant backends.
• Collaborate with SRE to establish observability standards and lead profiling, chaos testing, and volume stress testing.
• Lead technical and code reviews, mentoring engineers and guiding architectural direction.
• Guide containerized workloads on Docker/Kubernetes/OpenShift with CI/CD and zero-downtime deployments.

Skills

Java

Java 17/21

Concurrency

Virtual Threads

JVM tuning

Spring Boot

Spring Cloud

Reactive programming

Kafka

RabbitMQ

API Gateway

Saga

CQRS

Event Sourcing

Transactional Outbox

Circuit Breaker

Service Discovery

AI tools (GitHub Copilot/Devin)

Docker

Kubernetes/OpenShift

OpenShift

Git

CI/CD

Agile (Scrum/Kanban)

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree preferred

Tools

Apache Kafka

Docker

Kubernetes

OpenShift

Git

Job description

Citi is looking for a Java & Microservices Developer – AVP to build mission-critical, distributed backend systems that power financial transactions on a global, 24x7 scale. In this role, you will provide technical leadership for high-throughput, low-latency platforms that support real-time Payments processing. You will drive cloud-native Java microservices using Spring Boot, Kafka, and modern AI-accelerated engineering practices (AI-PDLC, GitHub Copilot, Devin), directly shaping the reliability, performance, and 99.999% availability of critical platforms. You will partner with product managers, enterprise architects, and cross-functional engineering squads to translate complex business and regulatory requirements into robust, production-ready solutions.

Responsibilities

• Build high-throughput, low-latency Java microservices for 24x7 real-time transaction processing, applying core patterns to ensure zero data loss and uninterrupted availability.
• Build event-driven streaming and messaging architectures using Apache Kafka
• Champion and institutionalize the AI-Assisted Product Development Lifecycle (AI-PDLC) across engineering squads, leveraging generative AI developer tools and autonomous agents (such as GitHub Copilot, Devin, and AI-driven automated testing/code review tools) to accelerate delivery velocity while enforcing firmwide security and governance standards.
• Construct resilient cloud-native services utilizing Spring Boot and Spring Cloud components, establishing centralized configuration management, service discovery, distributed tracing, and mTLS security for financial service-to-service communication.
• Implement modern financial messaging standards and payment protocols, including ISO 20022 (pacs, pain, camt), real-time payment schemes, and industry-standard financial networks, ensuring strict alignment with data security standards and cryptographic controls.
• Optimize data access and persistence tiers across distributed SQL and in-memory caching solutions to maximize throughput and achieve sub-millisecond execution times.
• Apply deep expertise in core Java concurrency, Virtual Threads, memory management, and JVM garbage collection tuning to deliver ultra-performant, thread-safe backend architectures.
• Partner with Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) to establish observability standards (OpenTelemetry, Prometheus, Grafana, Splunk) and lead performance profiling, chaos engineering experiments, and volume stress testing across all transaction paths.
• Lead technical design reviews and code reviews, providing mentorship and architectural guidance that elevates engineering excellence, code quality, and security posture across multiple squads.
• Guide containerized workload deployment and management on Docker and Kubernetes / OpenShift, supporting modern CI/CD automation and zero-downtime deployment strategies.

Required qualifications & skills

• Hands-on Java software engineering experience of 8+ years, with deep proficiency in Java 17/21, concurrency utilities, Virtual Threads, memory management, and advanced JVM performance tuning.
• Demonstrable track record of designing, developing, and operating production-grade microservices using Spring Boot, Spring Cloud, and reactive programming paradigms.
• Deep expertise in event streaming and messaging architectures using Apache Kafka or RabbitMQ, with practical mastery of partitioning strategies, distributed transactions, and idempotency patterns.
• Practical mastery of microservices architecture patterns including API Gateway, SAGA, CQRS, Event Sourcing, Transactional Outbox, Circuit Breaker, and Service Discovery.
• Hands-on experience integrating AI-assisted developer tools (e.g., GitHub Copilot, Devin, AI code analysis tools) and AI-PDLC practices into team delivery workflows.
• Proficiency with containerization and orchestration platforms using Docker and Kubernetes / OpenShift in high-availability environments.
• Competency with Git-based version control workflows, automated CI/CD pipelines, and Agile delivery methodologies (Scrum/Kanban).
• Exceptional analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills, with the ability to influence cross-functional technical, product, and business leadership.

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree/University degree or equivalent experience
• Master's degree is preferred

This job description provides a high-level review of the types of work performed. Other job-related duties may be assigned as required.

Job Family Group:

Job Family:

Time Type:

Full time

Primary Location:

Tampa Florida United States

Primary Location Full Time Salary Range:

$96,960.00 - $145,440.00

In addition to salary, Citi’s offerings may also include, for eligible employees, discretionary and formulaic incentive and retention awards. Citi offers competitive employee benefits, including: medical, dental & vision coverage; 401(k); life, accident, and disability insurance; and wellness programs. Citi also offers paid time off packages, including planned time off (vacation), unplanned time off (sick leave), and paid holidays. For additional information regarding Citi employee benefits, please visit citibenefits.com. Available offerings may vary by jurisdiction, job level, and date of hire.

Most Relevant Skills

Please see the requirements listed above.

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.

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