Senior Backend Engineer (Java)

Placements24; East London; Hybrid; ZAR 1,921,000 - 2,881,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation

Fully remote

Health/dental/vision insurance

Professional development budget

Collaborative culture

Job summary

Placements24 is seeking a Senior Backend Engineer with a strong Java focus to join a fully remote engineering team. You will design, develop, and maintain scalable backend systems and APIs that power core products.

You will work with Spring Boot, RESTful services, and microservices, optimizing performance, reliability, and data access. Collaboration with cross-functional teams and mentoring junior developers are part of the role.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
• Minimum of 5 years of professional backend experience.
• Strong proficiency in Java with Spring/Spring Boot.
• Experience with relational DBs (PostgreSQL/MySQL) and ORMs.
• Experience with RESTful API design, microservices, and messaging (Kafka/RabbitMQ).
• Familiarity with cloud platforms (AWS/Azure/GCP) and containers (Docker/Kubernetes) is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and implement backend services and APIs using Java and Spring Boot.
• Write clean, well-documented, thoroughly tested code with high quality standards.
• Collaborate with frontend, product managers, and stakeholders to deliver features.
• Optimize performance and database queries for scalability and reliability.
• Participate in code reviews, mentor junior engineers, and promote engineering best practices.
• Troubleshoot production issues and implement robust fixes.

Skills

Java

Spring Boot

REST API

Microservices

PostgreSQL

MySQL

Kafka

RabbitMQ

AWS

Docker

Kubernetes

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field

Job description

About the Role

Our client is seeking a highly skilled and motivated Senior Backend Engineer with a strong focus on Java development to join their fully remote engineering team. This role is integral to designing, developing, and maintaining scalable, high-performance backend systems and APIs that power their core products. You will work in a collaborative environment, contributing to architectural decisions, code quality, and the overall success of their technology platform. This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced Java engineer to drive innovation and impact within a flexible, remote-first setting.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and implement robust, scalable, and efficient backend services and APIs using Java and related frameworks (e.g., Spring Boot).
• Write clean, maintainable, well-documented, and thoroughly tested code, adhering to high-quality standards.
• Collaborate with frontend developers, product managers, and other stakeholders to define and deliver new features.
• Optimize application performance, database queries, and system architecture for scalability and reliability.
• Participate actively in code reviews, mentor junior engineers, and contribute to establishing engineering best practices.
• Troubleshoot production issues, identify root causes, and implement effective solutions.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
• Minimum of 5 years of professional experience in backend software development.
• Strong proficiency in Java and experience with modern Java frameworks such as Spring, Spring Boot.
• Solid understanding of relational databases (e.g., PostgreSQL, MySQL) and experience with ORM frameworks.
• Experience with RESTful API design and development, microservices architecture, and message queues (e.g., Kafka, RabbitMQ).
• Familiarity with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and containerization technologies (Docker, Kubernetes) is a plus.

Benefits

• Competitive salary and performance-based bonus opportunities.
• Fully remote work arrangement, offering ultimate flexibility.
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance coverage.
• Generous budget for professional development, training, and conference attendance.
• A collaborative and forward-thinking team culture focused on continuous improvement and innovation.