Job Description
Java Backend Lead (Azure and PHP) – Job Description
Position Summary
The Java Backend Lead (Azure and PHP) provides hands-on technical leadership for a mission-critical, enterprise-scale application platform. This role works closely with the Technical Manager to drive application development, cloud infrastructure design, and operational reliability across Azure-hosted environments.
This is a highly technical, execution-focused role, with 75%+ of time spent on hands-on coding. In addition, the Lead Developer provides direction to senior developers, ensuring adherence to coding standards, architecture best practices, and high-quality delivery.
The role requires a balance of software engineering expertise, cloud infrastructure knowledge, and leadership skills, with a strong focus on scalability, stability, and maintainability.
📍 Location: Dearborn, MI (Hybrid – Onsite Tue–Thu)
Key Responsibilities
Technical Leadership & Oversight
- Act as the technical lead for the platform
- Collaborate with Technical Manager on architecture, design, and standards
- Provide guidance and oversight to senior developers and teams
- Lead and participate in code reviews (quality, security, standards)
- Establish and enforce best practices across development lifecycle
- Drive continuous improvement and modernization initiatives
Hands-On Development (Primary – 75%+)
- Actively contribute to the codebase
- Design, develop, and maintain backend applications & APIs
- Build scalable, secure, high-performance systems
- Identify and resolve technical debt and performance issues
- Ensure high-quality delivery through testing and validation
Code Quality & Engineering Practices
- Use SonarQube (or similar tools) for code quality monitoring
- Promote secure coding and strong test coverage
- Improve code health and reduce technical debt
Cloud Infrastructure & DevOps
- Work with Technical Manager on Azure environments
- Implement Infrastructure as Code (IaC) using Terraform & Ansible
- Manage cloud resources (compute, storage, networking)
- Build and optimize CI/CD pipelines using Azure DevOps
- Ensure scalability, reliability, and enterprise-grade security
Technical Skills (Must-Have)
- Strong experience in Java / J2EE backend development
- PHP (Required) – production support & enhancements
- Experience with REST APIs, JSON, microservices
- Strong database skills: SQL Server & MySQL (performance tuning, modeling)
- Experience with Azure-hosted applications
- Hands-on with Terraform & Ansible (IaC)
- Experience with NGINX configuration
- Agile/Scrum environment experience
- Proficiency in:
- JIRA (Agile tracking)
- Azure DevOps (CI/CD, repos, deployments)
- SonarQube or equivalent
