Staff Software Engineer - Java
FINRA
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Benefits offered by this job
Job summary
FINRA seeks an experienced backend engineer in Rockville, MD to design, build, and scale high‑quality server-side services. You will craft RESTful APIs, implement microservices, and implement event‑driven workflows using AWS.
The role emphasizes reliable cloud deployments, robust data persistence, and strong collaboration within a growth‑oriented team. The ideal candidate has a CS degree and 5+ years of experience in cloud technologies, DevOps, and performance tuning, with a focus on secure,
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in Computer Science or related field.
Responsibilities
- Writes code that captures the essential nature of the solution and is appropriately flexible, reusable, efficient, and adaptable to changing requirements.
- Ensures completion of tasks and quality of work; supports peers to ensure the team delivers consistently.
- Receives general instruction on work and exercises judgement within defined procedures and practices to determine appropriate action.
- Influences others within one’s specific area of responsibility.
- Solid understanding in computer science fundamentals - Algorithm design, Problem solving, Complexity analysis and data structures.
- Design, develop, and maintain scalable backend services using Java and Spring Boot, building well-structured RESTful APIs that power business-critical applications.
- Implement microservices following established architectural patterns, collaborating with senior engineers on service boundaries, data contracts, and integration approaches.
- Build and maintain event-driven workflows using AWS services, ensuring reliable, decoupled communication between services.
- Develop and deploy cloud-native solutions leveraging AWS services including ECS, Lambda, Step Functions, and RDS, following team standards for reliability and performance.
- Participate in building and improving CI/CD pipelines to support automated testing and smooth, repeatable deployments.
- Design and implement data persistence across relational and NoSQL databases applying sound data modeling and query optimization practices.
- Analyzes the system to determine the properties and functions of each piece of work.
- Builds tools and produce technical documentation to improve developer efficiency and drive alignment within my team.
- Ensures actions and problem solving align with team level goals.
- Adapts to business change and seeks out new learning opportunities.
- Recommends viable alternatives when faced with shifting priorities.
- Build productive internal and/or external working relationships to resolve mutual problems.
- Shares with teammates within own area of knowledge/expertise, presenting relevant information in a logical and timely manner.
- Proactively acknowledges the importance of perspectives and supports appropriately.
- Identifies and connects with others who can help them succeed.
- Demonstration of FINRA’s values
- Collaboration, both in-person and virtually, in furtherance of FINRA’s mission of investor protection and market integrity
Skills
Education
Tools
Job description
- Writes code that captures the essential nature of the solution and is appropriately flexible, reusable, efficient, and adaptable to changing requirements
- Ensures completion of tasks and quality of work; supports peers to ensure the team delivers consistently
- Receives general instruction on work and exercises judgement within defined procedures and practices to determine appropriate action
- Influences others within one’s specific area of responsibility
- Solid understanding in computer science fundamentals - Algorithm design, Problem solving, Complexity analysis and data structures
- Design, develop, and maintain scalable backend services using Java and Spring Boot, building well-structured RESTful APIs that power business-critical applications
- Implement microservices following established architectural patterns, collaborating with senior engineers on service boundaries, data contracts, and integration approaches
- Build and maintain event-driven workflows using AWS services, ensuring reliable, decoupled communication between services
- Develop and deploy cloud-native solutions leveraging AWS services including ECS, Lambda, Step Functions, and RDS, following team standards for reliability and performance
- Participate in building and improving CI/CD pipelines to support automated testing and smooth, repeatable deployments
- Design and implement data persistence across relational and NoSQL databases applying sound data modeling and query optimization practices
- Analyzes the system to determine the properties and functions of each piece of work
- Builds tools and produce technical documentation to improve developer efficiency and drive alignment within my team
- Ensures actions and problem solving align with team level goals
- Adapts to business change and seeks out new learning opportunities
- Recommends viable alternatives when faced with shifting priorities
- Build productive internal and/or external working relationships to resolve mutual problems
- Shares with teammates within own area of knowledge/expertise, presenting relevant information in a logical and timely manner
- Proactively acknowledges the importance of perspectives and supports appropriately
- Identifies and connects with others who can help them succeed
- Demonstration of FINRA’s values
- Collaboration, both in-person and virtually, in furtherance of FINRA’s mission of investor protection and market integrity
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems or related discipline with at least 5 years of related experience, or equivalent training and/or work experience.
- System design experience
- Strong experience in object-oriented development
- Strong experience with cloud technologies
- Strong experience in data storage technologies
- Experience in performance tuning and optimization
- Experience in DevOps and CI\\CD technologies
- Experience test automation and unit testing
- Experience software security
- Hybrid work environment, with defined in-person presence requirements.
- Occasional travel and extended hours may be required.
For work that is performed in CO, CT, IL, PA, MA, MD, VA, WA, DC, NY, NJ, WA please refer to the chart below for the salary range for the corresponding location. FINRA complies with all state and local pay transparency laws and regulations requiring the disclosure of salary ranges for the position. In addition to location, actual compensation is based on various factors, including but not limited to, the candidate’s skill set, level of experience, education, and market considerations.
- Boston, MA: $96,600.00 - $172,800.00
- Chicago, IL: $92,400.00 - $165,300.00
- Denver, CO: $83,900.00 - $150,300.00
- Jericho, NY: $96,600.00 - $ 180,400.00
- Jersey City, NJ: $96,600.00 - $180,400.00
- Philadelphia, PA: $92,400.00 - $165,300.00
- New York, NY: $96,600.00 - $180,400.00
- Rockville, MD: $96,600.00 - $172,800.00
- Tysons, VA: $96,600.00 - $172,800.00
- Washington, DC: $96,600.00 - $ 172,800.00
- Woodbridge, NJ: $96,600.00 - $180,400.00
- Connecticut State: $83,900.00 - $180,400.00
- Washington State: $83,900.00 - $180,400.00
Employees may be eligible for a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay. Non-exempt employees are also eligible for overtime pay in accordance with federal, state, or local law. As part of its dedication to employee wellness, FINRA provides comprehensive health, dental and vision insurance. Additional insurance includes basic life, accidental death and dismemberment, supplemental life, spouse/domestic partner and dependent life, and spouse/domestic partner and dependent accidental death and dismemberment, short- and long-term disability, long-term care, business travel accident, disability and legal. FINRA offers immediate participation and vesting in a 401(k) plan with company match and eligibility for participation in an additional FINRA-funded retirement contribution, tuition reimbursement, commuter benefits, and other benefits that support employee wellness, such as adoption assistance, backup family care, surrogacy benefits, employee assistance, and wellness programs.
FINRA encourages its employees to focus on their health and wellness in many ways, including through a generous time-off program starting at 15 days of paid time off (increasing with years of service, up to 25 days), 5 personal days, and 9 sick days, unless otherwise required by law (all pro-rated in the first year). Additionally, we are proud to support our communities by providing two volunteer service days (based on full-time schedule). Other paid leave includes military leave, jury duty leave, bereavement leave, voting and election official leave for federal, state or local primary and general elections, care of a family member leave (available after 90 days of employment); and childbirth and parental leave (available after 90 days of employment). Full-time employees receive nine paid holidays.
- Based on full-time schedule
FINRA’s Code of Conduct imposes restrictions on employees’ investments and requires financial disclosures that are uniquely related to our role as a securities regulator. FINRA employees are required to disclose to FINRA all brokerage accounts that they maintain, and those in which they control trading or have a financial interest (including any trust account of which they are a trustee or beneficiary and all accounts of a spouse, domestic partner or minor child who lives with the employee) and to authorize their broker-dealers to provide FINRA with duplicate statements for all of those accounts. All of those accounts are subject to the Code’s investment and securities account restrictions, and new employees must comply with those investment restrictions—including disposing of any security issued by a company on FINRA’s Prohibited Company List or obtaining a written waiver from their Executive Vice President—by the date they begin employment with FINRA. Employees may only maintain securities accounts that must be disclosed to FINRA at one or more securities firms that provide an electronic feed (e-feed) of data to FINRA, and must move securities accounts from other securities firms to a firm that provides an e-feed within three months of beginning employment.
You can read more about these restrictions here.
As standard practice, employees must also execute FINRA’s Employee Confidentiality and Invention Assignment Agreement without qualification or modification and comply with the company’s policy on nepotism.
for required notice(s).
Please be advised that FINRA is not seeking assistance or accepting unsolicited resumes from search firms for this employment opportunity. Regardless of past practice, a valid written agreement and task order must be in place before any resumes are submitted to FINRA. All resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at FINRA without a valid written agreement and task order in place will be deemed the sole property of FINRA and no fee will be paid in the event that person is hired by FINRA.
All qualified applicants receive consideration for employment without regard to any legally protected category, including race, color, age, national origin, ethnicity, religion, disability, genetic information, military or veteran status, sex, or any other status or classification protected by state or local law.
FINRA strives to make our career site accessible to all users. If you need a disability-related accommodation for completing the application process, please contact FINRA’s Employee Relations team at 240-386-4865 or by email at EmployeeRelations@FINRA.org. Please note that this process is exclusively for inquiries regarding accommodations in the application process.
FINRA abides by the requirements of 41 CFR 60-741.5(a). This regulation prohibits discrimination against qualified individuals on the basis of disability and requires affirmative action by covered prime contractors and subcontractors to employ and advance in employment qualified individuals with disabilities.
FINRA abides by the requirements of 41 CFR 60-300.5(a). This regulation prohibits discrimination against qualified protected veterans and requires affirmative action by covered prime contractors and subcontractors to employ and advance in employment qualified protected veterans.
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