Job Description

Java Lead Developer -- Hands-on Coding (Remote -- Canada)

Location:

Remote (Canada-only -- candidate must be authorized to work in Canada)

Employment type:

Full-time

Seniority:

Lead / Senior Individual Contributor (hands-on)

Role summary

We are seeking a technically strong, hands-on

Java Lead Developer

to own design and delivery of mission-critical backend systems. This is a coding-first lead role -- you will write production code daily, mentor engineers, drive architectural decisions, and ensure high quality and on-time delivery across microservices, APIs, and integrations.

Key responsibilities

Lead design, development, testing and deployment of Java-based services and APIs. Deliver production-quality code hands-on (feature work, bug fixes, performance tuning). Architect and evolve microservices, event-driven systems, and integrations. Review code, set coding standards, and drive CI/CD best practices. Mentor and coach developers -- run design/code reviews and pair-program when needed. Troubleshoot production incidents and implement robust monitoring/observability. Collaborate closely with product owners, QA, DevOps and stakeholders to translate requirements into technical solutions. Own technical decisions, documentation, and delivery timelines for assigned projects.
Must-have (required)

6+ years professional experience in Java development, with at least 2+ years in a lead/tech-lead role. Strong expertise in

Java 8+

and frameworks such as

Spring Boot / Spring Cloud

. Hands-on experience building and operating

microservices

and RESTful APIs. Solid knowledge of relational databases (PostgreSQL, MySQL) and at least one NoSQL store (Redis, MongoDB, Cassandra). Production experience with CI/CD pipelines (Jenkins, GitHub Actions, GitLab CI) and containerization (Docker). Experience with one or more cloud platforms (AWS / Azure / GCP) -- deploying services, using managed databases, and cloud-native patterns. Strong testing discipline: unit, integration and contract testing; experience with test frameworks (JUnit, Mockito). Proven ability to debug, profile and optimize Java applications for performance and scalability. Excellent communication skills and experience leading technical discussions. Must be eligible to work in Canada (Citizenship, PR, or valid work authorization).
Nice-to-have

Experience with event/message systems (Kafka, RabbitMQ). Experience with observability stacks (Prometheus, Grafana, ELK). Knowledge of API gateways (Kong, Apigee) and service mesh (Istio). Experience with domain-driven design (DDD), CQRS, or event sourcing. Familiarity with agile practices and experience working in cross-functional teams.
Technical stack (example)

Java, Spring Boot, Spring Cloud, REST API, Maven/Gradle, Docker, Kubernetes (optional), PostgreSQL/MySQL, Redis, Kafka, AWS/Azure/GCP, Git, Jenkins/GitHub Actions, JUnit/Mockito.

Qualifications & education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering or equivalent experience (reasonable substitutes accepted). Demonstrated track record of delivering backend services in production at scale.
What we offer

Fully remote role for Canadian-based candidates. Opportunity to shape architecture and mentor a growing engineering team. Competitive compensation and benefits (details to be discussed with shortlisted candidates). Flexible work hours and emphasis on work-life balance.
Job Types: Full-time, Permanent, Fixed term contract
Contract length: 12 months

Pay: $60.00-$70.00 per hour

Experience:

HTML: 6 years (required) Test automation: 1 year (required) CI/CD: 1 year (required) Java: 6 years (required)
Language:

* English (required)