Java Developer - Kafka
Summary
Build and maintain Java-based backend services using Kafka, Spring Boot, and MariaDB, while optimizing Elasticsearch for search and analytics in a distributed system.
Responsibilities
- Design, build, and maintain backend services and APIs using Java (Java 11+ / Spring Boot or equivalent)
- Develop and operate event-driven integrations using Apache Kafka (producers, consumers, streams, schema management)
- Design efficient data models and write performant queries against MariaDB (or other relational databases)
- Implement search and analytics features using Elasticsearch, including index design and query optimization
- Collaborate with cross‑functional teams (product, DevOps, QA) to deliver reliable, scalable features
- Write clean, well‑tested, maintainable code and participate in code reviews
- Diagnose and resolve performance bottlenecks across the application and data layers
- Contribute to architectural decisions around messaging, data storage, and service design
- Support CI/CD pipelines and participate in on‑call/incident response as needed
Qualifications
- 4+ years of professional experience developing backend applications in Java
- Hands‑on experience with Apache Kafka or similar message brokers (RabbitMQ, ActiveMQ) in production environments
- Strong SQL skills and practical experience with MariaDB or MySQL (schema design, indexing, query tuning)
- Experience with Elasticsearch, including index mapping design and search query construction
- Solid understanding of object‑oriented design, multithreading, and REST API development
- Familiarity with Spring / Spring Boot ecosystem
- Experience with version control (Git) and CI/CD workflows
- Strong debugging and problem‑solving skills in distributed systems
- Hands‑on experience with containerization (Docker, Kubernetes)
Preferred Skills
- Familiarity with schema registries (e.g., Confluent Schema Registry) and Avro/Protobuf
- Experience with observability tooling (Prometheus, Grafana, ELK stack)
- Knowledge of caching layers (Redis, Memcached)
- Experience using AI‑assisted development tools (e.g., Claude Code, GitHub Copilot) to accelerate coding, debugging, and refactoring workflows
- Comfort integrating AI coding agents into CI/CD or developer tooling pipelines
- Prior experience in (your industry, e.g., fintech, e-commerce)
Job Type: Contract
Pay: $6,000.00 - $6,300.00 per month
Work Location: In person