Lead Java Developer - AI & Full Stack Solutions

Cliff Services Inc; Phoenix (AZ); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Cliff Services Inc. seeks a Lead Java Developer AI & Full Stack Solutions to architect and build AI-powered, enterprise-grade microservices and web applications. You will guide technical direction, ensure scalable delivery, and align with security and governance standards.

The role demands hands-on Java leadership, deep AI integration experience, and proficiency across frontend and backend stacks, with on-site or hybrid work in Phoenix, AZ.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of hands-on Java engineering experience (Java 17/21, Spring Boot, Spring Cloud, Microservices).
• 2+ years of practical AI/GenAI integration in enterprise apps.
• Frontend frameworks like React/Angular/Vue alongside backend APIs.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end design and architectural delivery of scalable Java microservices with AI capabilities.
• Design and implement RAG pipelines, MCP servers/tools, vector databases, and LLM orchestration frameworks.
• Oversee full-stack development connecting modern frontend frameworks with AI-enhanced APIs.
• Ensure enterprise security, data protection, and API governance for large-scale systems.
• Drive CI/CD, observability, testing, and performance tuning across cloud stacks (AWS/GCP/Azure).
• Mentor engineers and collaborate with Data Scientists, AI Engineers, PMs, and Solution Architects.

Skills

Java

Leadership

AI/GenAI

Full Stack

Cloud & DevOps

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in CS/SE

Tools

Spring Boot

Spring Cloud

Kafka/RabbitMQ

Docker

Kubernetes

LangChain4j

React/Angular/Vue

Job description

Job Title: Lead Java Developer AI & Full Stack Solutions

Location: Phoenix, AZ (Onsite / Hybrid)

Employment Type: Contract

Job Summary

We are looking for a highly skilled Lead Java Developer with expertise in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Generative AI (LLMs, RAG, MCP), and Full Stack Development to design and build next-generation enterprise applications. In this role, you will lead the architecture, engineering, and deployment of resilient, AI-powered enterprise microservices and customer-facing web applications.

The ideal candidate brings strong hands-on experience in Java core platform engineering, integration with modern AI architectures (Retrieval-Augmented Generation, Model Context Protocol, and Large Language Models), and modern frontend frameworks (React/Angular/Node.js).

Key Responsibilities

• Technical Leadership & Architecture: Lead the end-to-end design, development, and architectural delivery of scalable, secure Java-based backend microservices integrated with advanced AI/LLM capabilities.

• AI & LLM Integration: Design and implement RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) pipelines, integrate MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers/tools, vector databases, and enterprise LLM orchestration framework (e.g., Spring AI, LangChain4j, Semantic Kernel).

• Full Stack Execution: Oversee and contribute to full stack development-connecting modern frontend frameworks (React.js, Angular, or Vue.js) with AI-enhanced RESTful and GraphQL APIs.

• Enterprise Security & Governance: Implement enterprise-grade security, data protection, privacy controls, and API governance suitable for large-scale financial and payment systems.

• Engineering Best Practices: Drive code reviews, automated unit/integration testing, CI/CD pipeline automation, observability/monitoring, and performance tuning across the cloud stack (AWS/GCP/Azure).

• Mentorship & Collaboration: Guide and mentor software engineers, partner closely with Data Scientists, AI Engineers, Product Managers, and Solution Architects to translate business requirements into technical reality.

Required Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field.

• Core Java Leadership: 8+ years of hands-on Java engineering experience (Java 17/21, Spring Boot, Spring Cloud, Microservices, event-driven architecture with Kafka/RabbitMQ).

• AI / GenAI Expertise: 2+ years of practical experience integrating AI capabilities into enterprise applications:

  • Building RAG pipelines utilizing vector databases (e.g., Pinecone, Milvus, pgvector, Qdrant).

  • Hands-on familiarity with MCP (Model Context Protocol) standards, tools, and agentic workflows.

  • Integration with LLM APIs (OpenAI, Anthropic Claude, Llama, Bedrock, Vertex AI) using Spring AI or LangChain4j.

• Full Stack Development: Proficiency in frontend web technologies (React.js, Angular, TypeScript, HTML5/CSS3) and backend API integrations.

• Cloud & DevOps: Deep expertise in Cloud platforms (AWS/Azure/GCP), Docker, Kubernetes, CI/CD pipelines (Jenkins/GitHub Actions), and infrastructure-as-code.

• Location: Based in or willing to work onsite/hybrid in Phoenix, AZ.