Lead Software Engineer (Java/AWS)

Role:Lead Software Engineer (Java/AWS) Location: Chicago, IL (Hybrid – 3 days onsite per week)Duration: 12 Months (Start Date: July 6, 2026)Interview Process: 2 Rounds (Technical Screening + 2-Hour Technical Panel; onsite interview preferred for local candidates)Employment Type: Contract (C2C) Important NotesLocal Candidates Only: Must currently reside in the Chicago areaLeadership Requirement: Minimum 2 years of hands-on technical lead experienceEducation: Bachelor's Degree requiredRequired Technical Skills (10+ Years Each)Advanced Java and/or Kotlin development in enterprise production environmentsAWS cloud architecture and cloud-native application developmentSpring Boot for Microservices and REST API developmentMicroservices architecture and distributed systems designRESTful API design, development, and documentation (OpenAPI/Swagger)SQL and relational database design, optimization, and performance tuningNoSQL databases such as DynamoDB, MongoDB, or CassandraAdditional Required ExperienceCI/CD pipelines, build automation, and release managementEvent-driven architecture and asynchronous messaging platforms (Kafka preferred)Observability tools including logging, monitoring, metrics, tracing, and production supportInfrastructure-as-Code, resiliency, fault tolerance, and high-availability systemsPerformance tuning, incident management, and root cause analysisKey ResponsibilitiesProvide technical leadership in the design and implementation of cloud-native applications on AWS.Architect scalable, secure, and highly available distributed systems using Java/Kotlin and AWS services.Drive architectural decisions across microservices, event-driven systems, and asynchronous processing patterns.Design and develop RESTful APIs and event-based integrations.Define service boundaries, integration patterns, resiliency strategies, and technical standards.Lead the development of core backend services and distributed data management solutions.Guide adoption of AWS-native services for compute, storage, messaging, and databases.Identify and resolve architectural bottlenecks, performance issues, technical debt, and production incidents.Establish best practices for CI/CD, observability, monitoring, and troubleshooting.Conduct code reviews, mentor engineers, and lead technical design discussions.Collaborate with Product Owners, Engineering Managers, and cross-functional teams to deliver business-critical solutions.Participate in architecture reviews, sprint planning, backlog refinement, stand-ups, and retrospectives.Required Soft SkillsStrong technical communication and stakeholder management skillsProven ability to lead technical initiatives and influence architectural decisionsExcellent analytical, troubleshooting, and problem-solving abilitiesStrong collaboration skills across engineering and business teamsAbility to balance technical excellence with delivery commitments in an Agile environment