Senior Software Engineer - (Java / Spring / AWS)

Xdesign; United States; Remote; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Xdesign is seeking a Senior Backend Java Engineer to design, build, and lead the creation of scalable backend services. You will work across architectures, influence technical direction, and mentor engineers while embedding AI and automation into delivery for clients.

You will shape cloud-native systems in AWS, craft secure REST APIs, and uphold engineering excellence through tests, documentation and reviews. Edinburgh travel is a bonus in this US-based role.

Qualifications

• Experience with Java 8+ and Spring Boot.
• Proficient in designing scalable backend systems.
• Strong experience with AWS and cloud-native architectures.
• Proven ability to mentor engineers and influence technical direction.

Responsibilities

• Design, build and maintain scalable backend systems with Java and Spring Boot.
• Develop cloud-based solutions on AWS.
• Lead architectural discussions and ensure maintainability and performance.
• Develop RESTful APIs with security, versioning and reliability.
• Mentor engineers and promote best practices in code reviews and testing.
• Drive delivery across initiatives balancing speed, quality and value.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver outcomes for clients.

Skills

Java

Spring Boot

AWS

SQL

NoSQL

Docker

CI/CD

Git

Observability

Testing

Maven/Gradle

Concurrency

Tools

Jenkins

GitLab CI

Job description

Senior Backend Java Engineer

Build software that matters. Shape the future of engineering.

We're looking for an experienced Senior Backend Java Engineer who is passionate about building scalable, high-quality software and helping teams grow. This is more than a hands-on engineering role-you'll influence technical direction, mentor other engineers, drive architectural decisions, and help us embed AI and automation into the way we deliver value for our clients.

You'll thrive here if you enjoy solving complex problems, challenging assumptions, collaborating openly, and taking pride in delivering software that makes a real business impact.

What You'll Do

• Design, build and maintain scalable, secure and resilient backend systems using modern Java and the Spring ecosystem.
• Build and maintain cloud-based solutions within AWS environments.
• Lead technical design and architectural discussions, ensuring solutions are maintainable, performant and aligned with best practices.
• Develop and evolve RESTful APIs with a focus on security, versioning, performance and reliability.
• Champion engineering excellence through clean code, automated testing, documentation and code reviews.
• Drive delivery across multiple initiatives while balancing speed, quality and commercial value.
• Mentor engineers through coaching, pairing and constructive feedback, helping raise capability across the team.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to solve problems together and deliver outstanding outcomes for clients.
• Research and evaluate emerging technologies, frameworks and AI capabilities that improve how we build software.
• Promote automation wherever possible, removing repetitive work so teams can focus on solving meaningful problems.
• Contribute to a culture of continuous learning, innovation and technical excellence.

What You'll Bring

Technical Expertise

• Modern Java (Java 8+) including Streams, Lambdas and Optional
• Spring Boot and the wider Spring ecosystem
• AWS and building cloud-based applications
• Spring Data JPA / Hibernate
• Spring Security including OAuth2 and JWT
• REST API design and implementation
• Microservices and distributed system design
• SQL databases with strong query optimisation skills
• NoSQL databases
• Docker and containerised application development
• CI/CD pipelines using tools such as Jenkins or GitLab CI
• Git and modern software development workflows
• Observability tooling including logging, metrics and distributed tracing
• Comprehensive testing across unit, integration and functional layers
• Maven or Gradle
• Java concurrency and JVM performance fundamentals

• Datadog
• Messaging technologies such as Kafka
• Spring Cloud, WebFlux or reactive programming

The ability to travel to Edinburgh occasionally when required would also be beneficial.

What Success Looks Like

You'll demonstrate:

• Technical Excellence & Craft Mastery
  • Write clean, maintainable and highly optimised code.
  • Set high standards for quality, testing and documentation.
  • Coach others in engineering best practices and modern development techniques.
• Architectural Leadership
  • Design scalable, resilient and secure systems.
  • Make thoughtful architectural decisions that support long-term maintainability.
  • Evaluate new technologies and guide adoption where they add value.
• Commercial Delivery