Java EE Developer (AWS)

Sabenza IT & Recruitment; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 800,000 - 1,100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading tech recruitment agency in Johannesburg is seeking a highly skilled Senior Backend Java EE Developer. You will design and maintain enterprise-grade Java EE applications, optimize APIs, and work extensively with AWS cloud services. The ideal candidate has at least 8 years of backend development experience and strong expertise in microservices architecture. This role emphasizes collaboration and mentorship for junior developers.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of backend development experience with Java EE or Jakarta EE.
• Proven experience with microservices architecture.
• Strong expertise in AWS cloud services.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and maintain Java EE backend applications.
• Collaborate with front-end developers and QA teams.
• Mentor and guide junior developers.

Skills

Java EE

Microservices

RESTful APIs

AWS Cloud Services

Problem-solving skills

Database Design

Spring / Spring Boot

CI/CD

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science

Tools

AWS (EC2, ECS, Lambda, etc.)

GitLab CI

Docker

Jenkins

Kubernetes

JUnit

Job description

Overview

We are seeking a highly skilled Senior Backend Java EE Developer with proven expertise in designing, developing, and deploying enterprise-grade applications. The ideal candidate will have strong experience in Java EE, microservices, RESTful APIs, database design, and AWS cloud services. This role requires a detail-oriented engineer with strong problem-solving skills and the ability to design scalable, secure, and performant backend systems. As a senior team member, you will play a key role in architecting solutions, mentoring junior developers, and ensuring best practices in software development.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and maintain Java EE backend applications and microservices.
• Develop and optimize RESTful APIs and integrations with internal / external systems.
• Work with AWS services (EC2, ECS / EKS, Lambda, S3, API Gateway, RDS, DynamoDB, CloudFormation, etc.) to design scalable cloud-native solutions.
• Ensure systems are secure, high-performing, and resilient, following industry best practices.
• Collaborate with front-end developers, architects, business analysts, and QA teams to deliver end-to-end solutions.
• Write unit, integration, and performance tests to ensure code quality.
• Participate in code reviews, technical discussions, and architecture decisions.
• Implement CI / CD pipelines for efficient deployments (e.g., Jenkins, GitLab CI, AWS CodePipeline).
• Troubleshoot and resolve production issues in a timely manner.
• Mentor and guide junior and mid-level developers in coding standards and cloud practices.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related field (or equivalent experience).
• AWS certifications (e.g., AWS Certified Developer – Associate, AWS Solutions Architect – Associate / Professional) are an advantage.
• 8+ years of backend development experience with Java EE / Jakarta EE.
• Strong knowledge of Object-Oriented Programming (OOP), design patterns, and enterprise application development.
• Proven experience with Spring / Spring Boot and microservices architecture.
• Strong expertise in AWS cloud services (compute, storage, networking, security, and serverless).
• Proficiency in RESTful APIs, JSON, XML, and API security standards (OAuth2, JWT).
• Database expertise in SQL (PostgreSQL, MySQL, Oracle) and NoSQL (DynamoDB, MongoDB).
• Experience with containerization and orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes, ECS / EKS).
• Hands-on with CI / CD tools (Jenkins, GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, AWS CodePipeline).
• Experience with testing frameworks (JUnit, TestNG, Mockito).
• Strong knowledge of Linux / Unix environments.
• Familiarity with event-driven architectures, messaging queues (Kafka, RabbitMQ, SQS / SNS).
• Experience working with Agile / JAD methodologies.