Senior Lead Backend Java Developer Jobs in Illinois

Job Title: Senior Java Backend Lead

Location: Chicago, IL
Work Model: Hybrid (Currently 2 Days/Week Onsite; Subject to Increased Office Presence)
Employment Type: Contract (W2 Only)
Duration: 13 Months

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Position Overview

We are seeking a highly experienced Senior Java Backend Lead to design, develop, and support enterprise-grade software solutions. The ideal candidate will possess deep expertise in Java backend development, cloud technologies, distributed systems, and team leadership. This role requires hands-on development, architectural contribution, mentoring responsibilities, and production support ownership within a fast-paced enterprise environment.

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Required Education

• Bachelor''s degree or higher in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical field.

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Required Experience

• 10+ years of experience designing, developing, and maintaining enterprise software applications using Java.
• 3+ years of experience leading geographically distributed development teams.
• Proven experience delivering highly available, scalable, and reliable backend solutions.
• Experience participating in application architecture and technical design decisions.

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Required Technical SkillsBackend Development

• Strong expertise in Java 17.
• Extensive backend application development experience.
• Strong experience building and consuming RESTful Web Services.
• Experience designing scalable and maintainable microservices-based applications.

Cloud & AWS

Hands-on experience with AWS services including:

• IAM
• Kinesis
• DynamoDB
• API Gateway/API Stack
• SQS
• SNS
• KMS

Database Technologies

• PostgreSQL or other relational database platforms.
• Database design, optimization, and performance tuning experience.

DevOps & Reliability

• DevOps practices and CI/CD methodologies.
• Experience supporting highly available and fault-tolerant systems.
• Production deployment and operational support experience.
• Monitoring, troubleshooting, and incident management expertise.

Architecture

• Experience contributing to application architecture and solution design.
• Understanding of enterprise integration patterns and scalable system design.

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Preferred Skills

• Python development experience.
• Cloud-native application development.
• Distributed event-driven architectures.
• Performance tuning and optimization.

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Key Responsibilities

• Design, develop, enhance, and maintain enterprise-scale backend applications using Java 17.
• Lead development efforts for complex software systems and business-critical applications.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to development teams.
• Guide geographically dispersed teams through project execution and delivery.
• Drive development initiatives focused on delivering high-value business features.
• Participate in architecture reviews, technical evaluations, and solution recommendations.
• Establish and maintain software development best practices, coding standards, and quality processes.
• Lead troubleshooting, debugging, and resolution of complex technical issues.
• Coordinate production support activities, incident management, and stakeholder communications.
• Perform integration testing and support customer acceptance testing activities.
• Collaborate with business users, stakeholders, architects, and cross-functional teams.
• Promote reusable enterprise-wide solutions and technical standards.
• Identify opportunities for continuous improvement across systems, processes, and team capabilities.
• Mentor junior developers and support career development initiatives.

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Required Soft Skills

• Strong leadership and team collaboration abilities.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to work effectively under pressure and tight deadlines.
• Strong problem-solving and analytical thinking skills.
• Passion for technology and continuous learning.
• Experience mentoring and coaching junior engineers.
• Ability to coordinate incident resolution and production support activities.
• Strong organizational and prioritization skills.

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Ideal Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate is a hands-on Java Backend Technical Lead with extensive experience building enterprise applications in AWS environments. They combine deep technical expertise with leadership capabilities, architecture exposure, production support ownership, and a strong commitment to delivering reliable, scalable, and high-quality software solutions.