Engineering Manager (Java Backend Architecture)

Engineering manager (Java Backend Architecture)

Location: Jersey City, NJ – Hybrid (3 days/week onsite)

Employment Type: Long Term

Position Summary

We are seeking a Lead Java Backend Architect with strong hands-on Java development expertise and proven experience leading backend engineering teams. The ideal candidate will combine architect-level technical knowledge with hands-on development and team leadership .

This role will be responsible for defining backend architecture, providing technical direction to the development team, driving scalable solutions, and ensuring high standards for code quality, performance, and maintainability.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor a team of backend Java developers.
• Design scalable, secure, and maintainable enterprise backend architectures.
• Remain hands-on with Java, Spring, Spring Boot, Hibernate/JPA , and related backend technologies.
• Define technical standards, design patterns, coding practices, and architectural guidelines.
• Lead technical design and architecture discussions.
• Conduct code reviews and drive improvements in code quality and maintainability.
• Analyze complex technical challenges and implement effective solutions.
• Identify and resolve application performance and scalability issues.
• Design and develop REST APIs, microservices, and distributed backend systems .
• Collaborate with product, architecture, QA, DevOps, and other technical teams.
• Proactively identify technical risks, dependencies, and potential issues.
• Mentor engineers and provide technical guidance throughout the development lifecycle.
• Maintain technical documentation and contribute to knowledge-sharing initiatives.
• Participate in Agile/Scrum ceremonies and support end-to-end delivery.

Required Qualifications

• 10+ years of software development experience with strong Java backend expertise.
• Deep knowledge of Core Java, Java/J2EE, Spring, Spring Boot, Hibernate/JPA .
• Proven experience designing enterprise-level backend architectures .
• Previous experience as a Software Architect, Java Architect, Technical Lead, or Lead Backend Engineer .
• Demonstrated experience leading and mentoring backend development teams.
• Strong understanding of microservices, REST APIs, distributed systems, and scalable application design .
• Strong knowledge of object-oriented programming and software design patterns.
• Experience with application performance tuning and optimization.
• Strong code review and technical leadership experience.
• Experience working in Agile/Scrum environments.
• Excellent communication, leadership, and problem-solving skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with AWS, Azure, or other cloud platforms .
• Experience with CI/CD and DevOps practices.
• Experience with relational and NoSQL databases.
• Experience building highly available and large-scale enterprise applications.
• Financial services or other regulated-industry experience is a plus.

Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate is an architect-level Java backend professional who has led backend engineering teams while remaining hands-on technically . Candidates should demonstrate strong ownership of backend architecture, technical decision-making, development standards, performance, and engineering delivery.