Lead Developer

We are seeking an experienced Lead Developer with deep expertise in Java, Spring Boot, Microservices, and GraphQL to lead the design and development of scalable enterprise applications. The ideal candidate will provide technical leadership, drive architectural decisions, mentor development teams, and deliver high-quality, cloud-native solutions. This role requires strong hands-on experience in modern application development, API design, cloud platforms, containerization, and DevOps practices.

In this role, you will:

· Lead the design, development, and delivery of enterprise-grade applications using Java, Spring Boot, Microservices, and GraphQL , ensuring scalable, secure, and high-performing solutions.

· Define and enforce technical architecture, coding standards, design patterns, and engineering best practices across development teams.

· Provide technical leadership, mentorship, and guidance to developers through code reviews, design reviews, and knowledge-sharing initiatives.

· Design and develop RESTful and GraphQL APIs , including schema design, federation, query optimization, and API security implementation.

· Architect and implement microservices-based and event-driven solutions leveraging API Gateway, Service Discovery, Distributed Configuration, messaging platforms, and Domain-Driven Design principles.

· Integrate applications with enterprise systems, third-party services, databases, caching technologies, and event-streaming platforms while ensuring reliability and maintainability.

· Lead cloud-native application deployment and modernization efforts using AWS, Docker, Kubernetes , and CI/CD tools such as Jenkins and GitHub Actions.

· Drive application observability, performance optimization, scalability, and security by implementing monitoring, logging, tracing, authentication, and authorization best practices.

Work model

We believe hybrid work is the way forward as we strive to provide flexibility wherever possible. Based on this role’s business requirements, this is a hybrid position requiring 3 days a week in a client office in Miami, Florida. Regardless of your working arrangement, we are here to support a healthy work-life balance though our various wellbeing programs. The working arrangements for this role are accurate as of the date of posting. This may change based on the project you’re engaged in, as well as business and client requirements. Rest assured; we will always be clear about role expectations.

· 14+ years of software development experience , with at least 10+ years of hands-on experience building enterprise applications using Java and Spring technologies.

· Strong expertise in Java 11/17/21, Spring Boot, Spring Framework, Spring Cloud, Hibernate/JPA , and REST API development.

· Proven experience designing and developing GraphQL APIs , including schema design, Apollo GraphQL, Spring GraphQL, federation, query optimization, resolvers, and security.

· Extensive knowledge of microservices architecture , including API Gateway, Service Discovery (Eureka/Consul), Circuit Breaker patterns, Distributed Transactions, Event-Driven Architecture, and Domain-Driven Design (DDD).

· Strong experience working with relational and NoSQL databases such as PostgreSQL, Oracle, MySQL, MongoDB, and Redis .

· Hands-on expertise with messaging and streaming technologies including Apache Kafka, RabbitMQ, ActiveMQ , and other event-streaming platforms.

· Experience deploying and managing cloud-native applications on AWS (preferred), Azure, or GCP , utilizing Docker and Kubernetes/OpenShift for containerization and orchestration.

· Proficiency with modern DevOps and development tools including Git, Jenkins, GitHub Actions, SonarQube, Maven/Gradle, and JIRA , along with strong leadership, problem-solving, and stakeholder management skills.

The annual salary for this position is between $74,250 to $117,500 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.

Benefits: Cognizant offers the following benefits for this position, subject to applicable eligibility requirements:

• 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.