Lead Software Engineer

Ladders; United States; Remote; USD 114,000 - 165,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision, and life ins.

401(k) with company match

Tuition reimbursement up to $5,250 per

Casual attire (jeans allowed)

Generous paid time off and holidays

Job summary

Ladders is seeking a Lead Software Engineer to drive design and delivery of scalable software solutions for the Finance & Insurance space, with a focus on microservices, real-time streaming, and top-tier engineering practices.

You will mentor engineers, shape technical strategy across the full development lifecycle, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure secure, reliable software delivery. This remote US-based role offers a competitive compensation package and growth opportunities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree required.
• 7+ years of professional software development experience.
• 2+ years in a lead or mentorship role.
• Strong expertise in Java 17 or later.
• Solid hands-on experience with Spring, Spring Boot, and RESTful web services.
• Proven experience building real-time streaming applications with Apache Kafka.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and development of microservices-based architectures using Spring and Spring Boot.
• Architect and build real-time streaming applications using Apache Kafka.
• Define technical strategy and oversee the full software development lifecycle, from requirements through deployment.
• Mentor and guide engineers, conducting design and code reviews to maintain high standards.
• Champion TDD and BDD practices to support code quality and maintainability.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver secure, reliable, and scalable software.
• Drive adoption of best practices in system design, testing, DevOps, and CI/CD pipelines.

Skills

Java 17

Spring / Spring Boot

RESTful web services

Real-time streaming

Mentorship / leadership

DevOps / CI/CD

TDD / BDD

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field

Tools

Apache Kafka

Job description

For our client, we are seeking a Lead Software Engineer to join the team of a leader in the Finance & Insurance space.

This role will drive the design and delivery of modern software solutions that support secure, reliable, and scalable business operations. You will lead technical strategy across the full development lifecycle, with a strong focus on microservices, real-time streaming, and high-quality engineering practices. The position also involves mentoring engineers and partnering closely with cross-functional stakeholders to translate requirements into production-ready solutions.

Location: Remote - US based candidates only, no visa sponsorship available

Compensation: $114,000 – $165,300 annually

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and development of microservices-based architectures using Spring and Spring Boot
• Architect and build real-time streaming applications using Apache Kafka
• Define technical strategy and oversee the full software development lifecycle, from requirements through deployment
• Mentor and guide engineers, conducting design and code reviews to maintain high standards
• Champion TDD and BDD practices to support code quality and maintainability
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver secure, reliable, and scalable software
• Drive adoption of best practices in system design, testing, DevOps, and CI/CD pipelines

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field
• 7+ years of professional software development experience, including 2+ years in a lead or mentorship role
• Strong expertise in Java 17 or later
• Solid hands-on experience with Spring, Spring Boot, and RESTful web services
• Proven experience building real-time streaming applications with Apache Kafka

Benefits

• Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance
• Retirement savings 401(k) plan with generous company matching contributions
• Tuition reimbursement up to $5,250 per year
• Business-casual environment with the option to wear jeans
• Generous paid time off upon hire, including 10 paid company holidays and 3 floating holidays each year

Our client is an equal opportunity employer. We encourage you to apply even if you don’t meet every qualification—your background could be exactly what this team needs.