Lead Java Developer

Spectraforce Technologies; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 130,000 - 185,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

Job summary

Spectraforce Technologies is seeking a Lead Java Developer to drive design and implementation of event-driven microservices and messaging solutions in a hybrid Chicago environment. You will work with cross-functional Agile teams to build scalable, secure, and resilient systems leveraging Kafka, Solace, IBM MQ, and Azure messaging services.

The role emphasizes hands-on Java, Spring Boot, cloud-native patterns on Azure, and deep expertise in distributed systems, EDA, and CQRS.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of hands-on Java (J2EE) and Spring Boot development experience.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement event-driven microservices and messaging solutions.

Skills

Java

Spring Boot

Event-Driven

Azure

Kafka

Tools

Kafka

Solace

IBM MQ

Azure Service Bus

Azure Event Hubs

AKS

Terraform

Job description

Job Title: Lead Java Developer

Location: Chicago, IL - Hybrid

Duration: 12+ months

We are seeking a Senior Java Developer specializing in Event-Driven Architecture and Enterprise Messaging to design, develop, test, and deploy scalable cloud-native applications on Azure. The ideal candidate will have deep expertise in asynchronous processing, event streaming, distributed systems, and enterprise messaging platforms, enabling highly resilient and scalable solutions.

Role:

You will be responsible for designing and implementing event-driven microservices, messaging solutions, and cloud-native applications using Java, Spring Boot, and Azure services. You will collaborate with cross-functional Agile teams to build highly scalable, secure, and resilient systems leveraging Kafka, Solace, IBM MQ, and Azure messaging technologies.

Required Qualifications

Core Development

• 8+ years of hands‑on experience with Java (J2EE), Spring Boot, and Microservices
• Proven experience developing and supporting cloud-native applications on Microsoft Azure
• Strong expertise in distributed systems, event‑driven architectures, and asynchronous processing
• Experience working in Agile and onsite/offshore delivery models

Event Streaming & Messaging (Must Have)

• Extensive hands‑on experience with Apache Kafka, including:
• Kafka Producers, Consumers, Topics, Partitions, and Consumer Groups
• Kafka Streams and Event Processing
• Message Ordering, Delivery Guarantees, and Scaling Strategies
• Schema Registry and Event Versioning
• Strong experience with enterprise messaging platforms such as:
• Kafka
• Solace PubSub+
• IBM MQ
• Azure Service Bus
• Event Hubs
• Deep understanding of:
• Event-Driven Architecture (EDA)
• Publish/Subscribe Patterns
• Event Sourcing
• CQRS
• Saga Pattern
• Message Reliability and Error Handling
• Dead Letter Queues (DLQ)
• Event Replay and Recovery Strategies
• Experience designing and implementing high-throughput, low-latency messaging systems

API & Integration

• Strong hands‑on experience with REST APIs, SOAP Services, and Event-Based Integrations
• Strong understanding of API lifecycle management and service integrations
• Mandatory experience with API security, including:
• OAuth 2.0
• JWT Validation
• Secure Service-to-Service Communication

Azure Cloud

• Hands‑on experience with Microsoft Azure, including:
• Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)
• Azure Container Apps
• Azure Service Bus
• Azure Event Hubs
• Azure Functions
• Azure Storage
• Strong understanding of Azure networking and cloud-native architecture patterns

DevOps & Automation

• Experience with CI/CD pipelines using:
• GitHub Actions
• Jenkins
• Terraform
• Strong experience integrating automated testing, security scanning, and deployment automation
• Experience provisioning Azure infrastructure using Infrastructure as Code (Terraform)

Databases

• Experience with Azure SQL, Cosmos DB, PostgreSQL, or other Azure-hosted databases
• Understanding of data consistency models and transactional patterns in distributed systems

Additional Programming Experience

• Backend development experience with:
• Python
• Node.js

Nice to Have

• Experience with Confluent Platform
• Experience implementing Event Mesh architecture using Solace
• Knowledge of Domain-Driven Design (DDD)
• Experience with GraphQL
• Experience with observability and monitoring tools (Dynatrace, Azure Monitor, Log Analytics)
• Linux and Shell Scripting
• Understanding of TDD and BDD practices
• Experience with Control-M, SFTP, and Mainframe integration patterns

Key Responsibilities

• Design and develop scalable event-driven microservices and messaging solutions.
• Build, enhance, and support enterprise-grade applications utilizing Kafka, Solace, IBM MQ, and Azure messaging services.
• Design event schemas, topics, queues, and integration patterns for highly distributed systems.
• Ensure reliability, scalability, observability, and security of messaging platforms and integrations.
• Develop and execute unit, integration, and performance testing for messaging-based solutions.
• Collaborate with architects and technical leads on event-driven solution design and implementation.
• Document architecture, event flows, message contracts, and operational procedures.
• Support production deployments and troubleshooting of messaging infrastructure and applications.
• Ensure non-functional requirements including security, performance, scalability, resiliency, and maintainability are incorporated into all solutions.
• Proactively identify risks, bottlenecks, and dependencies impacting project deliverables.