Software Engineer 3 – Core Senior Engineer

Vertage Inc.; Dearborn (MI); Hybrid; USD 96,000 - 152,000; Full time

Job summary

Vertage Inc. in Dearborn, MI is seeking a senior engineering contractor to design, build and test back-end Java and Spring Boot services, including APIs and microservices.

The role emphasizes quality engineering with load/performance scripting, Playwright automation, and secure, scalable architectures. You will collaborate with product owners, designers and architects to translate use cases into robust solutions, define test strategies, and tune performance.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in IT, including 8+ years in software development.
• Senior-level engineer: advanced proficiency in one coding language, or practical proficiency in two.
• Hands-on load and performance scripting.
• Hands-on QA automation with Playwright.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain back-end applications, APIs, and microservices in Java and Spring Boot.
• Work with customers and internal stakeholders to understand use cases and pain points, and turn them into user-focused solutions.
• Choose the right tech stack, integration approach, and deployment strategy for each application or service.
• Create high-level architecture designs covering components and interfaces.
• Define and carry out test strategy, guidelines, and processes, including performance and automated testing.
• Tune application performance and adopt new technologies that improve development efficiency.
• Apply TDD, CI, and CD practices, and support data security practices such as encryption and anonymization.
• Collaborate with cross-functional partners and build user-friendly interfaces where needed.

Skills

Java

Spring Boot

GCP Cloud Run

Load testing

Performance scripting

QA automation with Playwright

Automated scripting

CI/CD

Tools

Playwright

CI/CD tools

Job description

Location: Dearborn, MI

Work model: Hybrid, 4 days onsite per week

Duration: 254 days (about 8.5 months).

Clearance / work authorization: Not specified in requisition

W2 hourly pay

Role Overview

This is a senior engineering contract on a core software team in Dearborn. The engineer designs, builds, and tests back-end Java and Spring Boot services, including APIs and microservices, and works with product owners, designers, and architects. The requisition leans heavily toward quality engineering: load and performance scripting, QA automation with Playwright, and automated scripting are all called out. The role also involves shaping architecture and test strategy and tuning application performance. Hard-to-find skills: a senior Java/Spring developer who also has real load/performance scripting and Playwright automation, plus GCP Cloud Run.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain back-end applications, APIs, and microservices in Java and Spring Boot.
• Work with customers and internal stakeholders to understand use cases and pain points, and turn them into user-focused solutions.
• Choose the right tech stack, integration approach, and deployment strategy for each application or service.
• Create high-level architecture designs covering components and interfaces.
• Define and carry out test strategy, guidelines, and processes, including performance and automated testing.
• Tune application performance and adopt new technologies that improve development efficiency.
• Apply TDD, CI, and CD practices, and support data security practices such as encryption and anonymization.
• Collaborate with cross-functional partners and build user-friendly interfaces where needed.

Required Qualifications

Experience:

• 10+ years in IT, including 8+ years in software development
• Senior-level engineer: advanced proficiency in one coding language, or practical proficiency in two
• Hands-on load and performance scripting
• Hands-on QA automation with Playwright

Technical Skills:

• Java
• Spring Boot
• GCP Cloud Run (hard to find)
• Performance testing
• Load and performance scripting (hard to find)
• Automated scripting
• QA automation with Playwright (hard to find in combination with senior Java)

Preferred Qualifications

• React (front-end exposure for the user-interface duties)
• Testing tools (general)
• Experience with industry collaboration or evaluating emerging technologies (adjacent)
• CI/CD pipeline experience (adjacent)
• Other cloud-native services on GCP, such as Pub/Sub (adjacent)

Ideal Candidate Profile

A seasoned engineer (10+ years in IT) who has spent most of their career writing production Java and Spring services, and who also owns quality: they build load tests, automate end-to-end tests, and care about performance. They are comfortable on GCP Cloud Run and can move between design, coding, and test strategy. They work well with product and design partners, communicate clearly, and are comfortable being onsite four days a week in Dearborn. Likely backgrounds include automotive, manufacturing, or enterprise IT, though the requisition does not restrict industry.