Lead Java Developer

We are seeking a Lead Java Developer to provide hands-on technical leadership for a team delivering enterprise Java services and cloud-enabled solutions.

This role combines deep engineering contribution with ownership of technical direction, delivery quality and team development. The ideal candidate can explain architectural trade-offs to clients, establish effective engineering practices, mentor developers and resolve complex technical challenges, while guiding responsible use of AI-enabled development tools.

Responsibilities

• Lead the technical design and delivery of Java and Spring-based solutions in collaboration with Solution Architects, Product Owners and clients
• Translate business needs and non-functional requirements into clear service boundaries, design decisions and documented architectural trade-offs
• Remain hands-on by implementing complex components, reviewing critical changes and resolving difficult production and integration issues
• Select appropriate frameworks, persistence, messaging and caching approaches, balancing reliability, security, scalability, maintainability and cost
• Guide application deployment and cloud design choices on at least one platform, collaborating with platform teams on containers, delivery and operations
• Establish and improve coding, testing, review, observability and CI/CD practices; use quality metrics and manage technical debt
• Plan and prioritize technical work, support estimates, delegate effectively and remove technical and collaboration impediments
• Present solution options and recommendations to clients, explain risks and trade-offs, and maintain clear technical documentation
• Mentor and coach engineers, provide constructive feedback, conduct technical interviews and promote knowledge sharing and an inclusive engineering culture
• Define safe team practices for AI-assisted development and agentic workflows, including context management, tool permissions and human review of generated code
• Guide Java AI-API integrations and improve delivery processes through measured, practical adoption of automation and AI-enabled tooling

Requirements

• 5+ years of Java development experience and the ability to troubleshoot production applications
• At least 1 year of relevant leadership experience
• Hands-on experience with Spring Boot, REST APIs and microservice-based applications
• Experience making design decisions and explaining trade-offs around reliability, security, performance and maintainability
• Good SQL and persistence skills, with an understanding of when to use relational or NoSQL databases
• Practical understanding of messaging, caching and integration patterns
• Experience guiding automated testing, code reviews, secure development and troubleshooting practices
• Familiarity with Git, Maven or Gradle, CI/CD pipelines and Docker
• Working knowledge of at least one cloud platform: AWS, Google Cloud or Microsoft Azure, and common application deployment approaches
• Good command of at least one AI-enabled development setup, such as VS Code with GitHub Copilot, IntelliJ IDEA with an AI assistant, or Claude Code, with the ability to guide responsible team use and review generated code
• Demonstrated hands-on technical leadership, including mentoring engineers and helping the team resolve technical challenges
• Ability to plan and prioritize technical work, communicate risks and improve engineering practices
• English at B2 level or above and confidence discussing requirements, solution options and technical decisions with clients

Nice to have

• Experience in Financial Services, such as banking, payments, capital markets or insurance, is particularly valued
• Experience designing or building AI solutions in Java, for example using Spring AI or integrating LLM APIs
• Experience with Kubernetes, infrastructure as code or cloud modernization
• Experience building reusable Java components or guiding application modernization across teams
• Experience with performance testing, technical interviewing or engineering knowledge-sharing initiatives

We offer

• Opportunity to Engineer your Future and to drive the world’s digital transformation with top industry clients
• Personal development program that will allow you to be valued for your strengths
• Wide range of professional trainings and workshops
• Being part of a collaborative, fast-growing, and innovative design team
• Established and accelerated growth toward different career paths, competencies, and roles
• Broad projects variety and possible mobility between projects over the time
• Collaboration in a multicultural environment and exchange of best practices with colleagues around the world
• Varied social benefits, Sports, Transportation and Health programs
• Work-life balance and flexible schedule, team buildings and sport opportunities
• Modern office/collaboration spaces (incl. new Infinity Tower business center, Sofia)
• Hybrid By Design - we provide you with the best productivity options from the 2 worlds. Meet, socialize and enjoy F2F time with your colleagues, while working from the modern EPAM's office for a few days per week and benefit from the EPAM's virtual working environment - making you able to be productive and work from remote for the rest of the week

Hybrid in Bulgaria