Principal Software Engineer - Java/Cloud (Onsite Position)

We are looking for a Principal Engineer with deep expertise in building high-throughput, low-latency, and highly available distributed systems. In this role, you will lead the technical vision, architectural patterns, and execution for critical backend services using Java, Spring Boot, and Google Cloud Platform (GCP) or similar experience in other cloud platforms like Azure / AWS.

Beyond core architecture, you will serve as a technical beacon—hands-on with profiling and troubleshooting complex JVM/Kubernetes environments, driving resilience and security best practices, and mentoring engineering teams to foster a culture of technical excellence.

This position is based at our headquarters in Springfield, Missouri, and requires on-site work. Hybrid or remote work is not offered for this role

Key Responsibilities

Technical Architecture & Design

• Design and execute end-to-end distributed backend architectures using Microservices, Event-Driven Architecture (EDA), and orchestration/choreography patterns.
• Build resilient, fault-tolerant applications using resilience patterns (Circuit Breaker, Bulkhead, Retry, Rate Limiting).
• Architect systems optimized for high throughput and low latency, maintaining strict SLA/SLO requirements.
• Enforce robust security practices across API design, authentication/authorization (OAuth2/OIDC), zero-trust networking, and data encryption at rest and in transit.

Cloud Platform, Infrastructure & DevOps

• Design, build, and maintain containerized workloads running on (GKE)
• Manage API landscapes using Apigee API Management.
• Leverage cloud-native data and storage solutions including Google Cloud Spanner, Memory store (Valkey/Redis), and Google Cloud Storage (GCS).
• Drive Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) and deployment automation using Terraform,
• Helm, and modern CI/CD pipelines.
• Architect end-to-end Observability strategies (distributed tracing, structured logging, metrics dashboards, and alerting) across microservices.

Performance Tuning & Troubleshooting

• Lead complex debugging and diagnostic efforts across distributed microservice topologies.
• Deep-dive into JVM performance, garbage collection (GC) tuning, and runtime profiling (e.g., thread dumps, heap dumps, memory leak analysis).
• Troubleshoot Kubernetes runtime issues (ingress routing, pod lifecycles, network policies, resource contention).

Leadership & Mindset

• Champion a "can-learn, can-do” attitude—proactively adopting new technologies, proving out POCs, and tackling unsolved engineering challenges.
• Mentor, coach, and elevate junior and mid-level developers through code reviews, architectural design sessions, and technical workshops.
• Partner with product management, platform teams, and security teams

Required Qualifications & Skills

Technical Expertise

• Languages & Frameworks: Master-level proficiency in Java and the Spring / Spring Boot ecosystem (Spring Security, Spring Data, Spring Cloud).
• Distributed Systems & Microservices: Thorough understanding of microservices patterns (Saga, CQRS, Event-Driven, Orchestration vs. Choreography) and security protocols.
• Resilience Engineering: Experience configuring resilience frameworks (e.g., Resilience4j, Istio service mesh patterns).
• Google Cloud Platform (GCP): Strong hands-on experience with GKE, Apigee, Spanner, Memorystore (Valkey), and GCS.
• Kubernetes & Cloud Native: Deep practical knowledge of Kubernetes internals, architecture, networking, and cluster troubleshooting.
• Infrastructure & Automation: Skilled in Terraform, Helm, and CI/CD pipeline construction.
• Diagnostics: Proven ability to profile the JVM, read flame graphs/heap dumps, and analyze thread behavior under heavy load.

Soft Skills & Soft Assets

• Strong ownership mindset with a track record of driving projects from concept to production.
• Demonstrated history of mentoring engineers and setting high code quality standards.
• Excellent communication skills to articulate complex architectural decisions to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Nice to Have

• Experience with build automation tools like Gradle.
• GCP Professional Cloud Architect or Developer certifications.
• Hands-on experience with Service Mesh implementations (Istio/Anthos Service Mesh).

O’Reilly Auto Parts has a proven track record of growth and stability. O’Reilly is full of successful career stories and believes in a strong promote-from-within philosophy, encouraging you to grow your career along with the organization.

Total Compensation Package:

• Competitive Wages & Paid Time Off
• Stock Purchase Plan & 401k with Employer Contributions Starting Day One
• Medical, Dental, & Vision Insurance with Optional Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
• Team Member Health/Wellbeing Programs
• Tuition Educational Assistance Programs
• Opportunities for Career Growth

*O’Reilly Auto Parts is an equal opportunity employer.*The Company does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin or ancestry (including immigration status or citizenship), sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy (including childbirth, lactation, and related medical conditions,) age (40 and over), veteran status, uniformed service member status, physical or mental disability, genetic information (including testing or characteristics) or another protected status as defined by local, state, or federal law, as applicable.

Qualified individuals with a disability may be entitled to reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you require a reasonable accommodation during the application or employment process, please send an email to: [email protected] or call (800) 471-7431 option , and provide your requested accommodation, and position details.