Senior Backend Developer

ATS Client; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 900,000 - 1,300,000; Full time

Job summary

ATS Client in Johannesburg is seeking a Senior Back-End Developer to architect and implement scalable microservices in a complex product environment. You will design robust APIs, ensure security, and drive performance.

You will mentor engineers, collaborate with product and DevOps teams, and contribute to shaping the platform's data workflows with Kafka, Airflow, and modern CI/CD practices.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Software Engineering, or a related field.
• 5+ years of software development experience within complex product environments.
• Strong expertise in Java, including concurrency, collections, streams, and design patterns.
• Proven experience with Spring Boot, Spring Data, Spring Security, and Hibernate/JPA.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and maintain scalable back-end services using Java and Spring Boot.
• Build and maintain RESTful APIs and integrate with messaging platforms such as Kafka and RabbitMQ.
• Work with relational and NoSQL databases, including Postgres and Cassandra.
• Develop and manage data workflows using Kafka and Apache Airflow.
• Implement automated testing using JUnit, Mockito, TestContainers, and BDD methodologies.
• Monitor system performance through logging, tracing, and observability tools.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver secure, scalable, and efficient solutions.
• Contribute to architectural decisions and promote engineering best practices.

Skills

Mentoring

Stakeholder management

Leadership

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

Java

Spring Boot

Spring Data

Spring Security

Hibernate/JPA

Kafka

RabbitMQ

Postgres

Cassandra

Docker

Kubernetes

CI/CD

Apache Airflow

JUnit

Mockito

TestContainers

GitLab CI/CD

Prometheus

Grafana

Job description

Join a forward-thinking technology team developing scalable, high-performance solutions within a complex product environment. This is an opportunity for a Senior Back-End Developer to play a key role in designing robust microservices, building data-driven applications, and contributing to the architecture of a next-generation platform.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and maintain scalable back-end services using Java and Spring Boot.
• Build and maintain RESTful APIs and integrate with messaging platforms such as Kafka and RabbitMQ.
• Work with relational and NoSQL databases, including Postgres and Cassandra.
• Develop and manage data workflows using Kafka and Apache Airflow.
• Implement automated testing using JUnit, Mockito, TestContainers, and BDD methodologies.
• Monitor system performance through logging, tracing, and observability tools.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver secure, scalable, and efficient solutions.
• Contribute to architectural decisions and promote engineering best practices.

Experience and Skills Required

• Relevant qualification in Computer Science, Information Technology, Software Engineering, or a related field.
• 5+ years of software development experience within complex product environments.
• Strong expertise in Java, including concurrency, collections, streams, and design patterns.
• Proven experience with Spring Boot, Spring Data, Spring Security, and Hibernate/JPA.
• Solid understanding of microservices architecture and distributed systems.
• Experience with Docker, Kubernetes, and CI/CD pipelines.
• Knowledge of message-driven architectures and event-based systems.
• Experience working with relational and NoSQL databases.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Proven ability to mentor developers and contribute to the growth of engineering teams.
• Experience operating as a Senior Developer, Technical Lead, or similar role.

Advantageous Experience

• Scala, Python, or reactive programming.
• Kafka Streams and Kafka Connect.
• Advanced distributed systems design.
• GitLab CI/CD.
• Apache Airflow.
• Prometheus and Grafana.