Contract Java Microservices Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

As a Java Tech Lead, you will make an impact by designing and guiding high-performance Spring Boot microservices and commerce-focused full stack Java solutions for enterprise digital platforms. You will be a valued member of the Architecture and Engineering team and work collaboratively with product owners, business stakeholders, platform teams, quality engineering teams, and operations teams to deliver scalable, secure, and reliable commerce experiences that improve customer satisfaction and business agility.
In this role, you will:
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• Design scalable and resilient application architectures leveraging Spring Boot microservices and Java-based full stack commerce solutions to support complex enterprise digital initiatives.
• Guide end-to-end solution design across backend services and frontend integrations to ensure seamless commerce flows that meet performance, reliability, and usability objectives.
• Define standards for microservice decomposition, service contracts, and data flows that enable modular development, maintainability, and future platform expansion.
• Review application designs and code implementations to ensure alignment with architectural best practices, security guidelines, and enterprise technology strategy.
• Collaborate with product owners and business stakeholders to translate commerce requirements into technical architectures that optimize transaction throughput and customer experience.
• Drive adoption of effective coding patterns, testing strategies, and observability practices for Spring Boot microservices to improve system reliability and incident resolution.
• Partner with infrastructure and platform teams to optimize deployment pipelines, environment configurations, and resource utilization.
• Evaluate emerging tools, frameworks, and architectural patterns within the Java ecosystem and recommend pragmatic improvements that enhance developer productivity and reduce technology risk.
• Provide technical leadership, architectural guidance, and reference implementations that enable engineering teams to deliver robust APIs, secure integrations, and maintainable commerce capabilities.
• Analyze system performance and reliability metrics to identify architectural bottlenecks and support continuous optimization of critical business services.
• Document architectural decisions, integration patterns, and non-functional requirements to ensure consistency across distributed teams.
• Partner with quality engineering and operations teams to align testing automation, monitoring, and observability strategies with architecture goals.
• Support incident analysis and root cause investigations to improve the resilience and stability of business-critical commerce solutions.

Work model
We strive to provide flexibility wherever possible. Based on this role's business requirements, this is a remote position open to qualified applicants in the United States. Regardless of your working arrangement, we are here to support a healthy work-life balance through our various wellbeing programs.
What you need to have to be considered
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• Advanced expertise in designing and implementing Spring Boot microservices architectures supporting high-volume transactions and complex business requirements in enterprise environments.
• Strong proficiency in Java-based full stack engineering for commerce platforms, including backend services, integration patterns, and modern web application technologies.
• Extensive experience with API design, RESTful services, and data modeling for highly scalable distributed systems.
• Hands-on experience with testing frameworks, build tools, CI/CD practices, and version control systems to support reliable software delivery.
• Strong knowledge of performance tuning, caching strategies, asynchronous processing, and application scalability techniques.
• Solid understanding of security best practices, authentication and authorization mechanisms, and data protection strategies for customer-facing applications.
• Experience with containerized deployments and cloud-ready architectures supporting enterprise-scale applications.

These will help you stand out
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• Experience defining enterprise architecture standards and governance across large-scale digital commerce ecosystems.
• Proven ability to lead technical teams and influence architectural decisions across multiple product and engineering groups.
• Experience implementing observability, monitoring, and operational excellence practices within microservices environments.
• Strong background translating complex business requirements into scalable and maintainable architectural solutions.
• Knowledge of modern Java ecosystem advancements and experience evaluating emerging frameworks, tools, and architectural patterns.

We're excited to meet people who share our mission and can make an impact in a variety of ways. Don't hesitate to apply, even if you only meet the minimum requirements listed. Think about your transferable experiences and unique skills that make you stand out as someone who can bring new and exciting things to this role.
Applications will be accepted until: 8/30/2026
Please note, this role is not able to offer visa transfer or sponsorship now or in the future.
Salary and Other Compensation
The annual salary for this position is between $85,000p.a - $130,000p.a depending on experience and other qualifications of the successful candidate.This position is also eligible for Cognizant's discretionary annual incentive program, based on performance and subject to the terms of Cognizant's applicable plans.Cognizant offers the following benefits for this position, subject to applicable eligibility requirements:
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• Medical/Dental/Vision/Life Insurance
• Paid holidays plus Paid Time Off
• 401(k) plan and contributions
• Long-term/Short-term Disability
• Paid Parental Leave
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Disclaimer: The salary, other compensation, and benefits information is accurate as of the date of this posting. Cognizant reserves the right to modify this information at any time, subject to applicable law.
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About Cognizant:
Cognizant (Nasdaq: CTSH) is an AI Builder and technology services provider, bridging the gap between AI investment and enterprise value by building full-stack AI solutions for our clients. Our deep industry, process and engineering expertise enables us to build an organization's unique context into technology systems that amplify human potential, drive tangible outcomes and keep global enterprises ahead in a fast-changing world. See how at cognizant.ai or @cognizant.
Additional employment information
Compensation information is accurate as of the date of this posting. Cognizant reserves the right to modify this information at any time, subject to applicable law.
Applicants may be required to attend interviews in person or by video conference. In addition, candidates may be required to present their current state or government issued ID during each interview.
Cognizant is an equal opportunity employer. Your application and candidacy will not be considered based on race, color, sex, religion, creed, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, veteran status or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.
If you have a disability that requires reasonable accommodation to search for a job opening or submit an application, please email [email protected] for roles based in the Americas or [email protected] for roles based in India.