Staff Engineer (Java) - Relocation to Dubai

Role Overview

We are seeking an experienced Staff Software Development Engineer specializing in Java backend systems to take on a technical leadership role. This position involves steering architectural direction, managing cross-team projects, and developing highly scalable distributed applications. The successful candidate will collaborate closely with Product, Architecture, DevOps, and engineering teams to deliver robust solutions within a complex digital landscape.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the technical strategy and architecture for intricate distributed systems and core platform modules.
• Manage end-to-end delivery of significant multi-team engineering projects.
• Translate imprecise business needs into practical and clear technical solutions.
• Create technical roadmaps, phase project timelines, and ensure on-schedule completion across teams.
• Design, build, and optimize microservices using Java frameworks including Spring Boot and Spring Cloud.
• Develop scalable, resilient, and secure cloud-native applications on platforms such as Azure and AWS.
• Conduct system design reviews and lead architecture discussions.
• Address complex system issues via deep debugging, performance tuning, and root cause analysis.
• Create frameworks and shared libraries to accelerate squad development.
• Promote the use of AI-assisted development tools, leveraging LLMs and GenAI to enhance workflows and reduce cycle times.
• Define guidelines, training, and standards for secure and effective use of AI in coding, testing, and review.
• Integrate AI features — including code generation, unit test creation, log analytics, and documentation summarization — into development processes.
• Implement best practices for AI-generated code encompassing human oversight and test automation.
• Measure and optimize engineering productivity metrics related to AI adoption and defect rates.
• Collaborate with Product Owners, Architects, Quality Engineering, DevOps, and engineering teams to align architecture and resolve dependencies.
• Clearly communicate technical decisions and trade-offs to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Mentor engineers across multiple teams through code reviews, design critiques, and guidance.
• Participate actively in recruitment and team development processes.
• Ensure ownership and operational excellence by managing systems through development, deployment, monitoring, and maintenance.
• Lead incident management, post-mortem analyses, and continuous improvement efforts.

Required Qualifications

• Over 10 years of professional experience in Java backend development.
• Deep expertise with Java, J2EE, Spring Framework, Spring Boot, Spring Cloud, and microservices architectures.
• Demonstrated success in delivering scalable, high-availability, and high-performance microservices systems with aspects like load balancing, horizontal scaling, observability, and fault tolerance.
• Familiarity with Kafka, JMS, distributed system patterns, caching strategies, and asynchronous processing.
• Hands-on experience with containerization and orchestration using Docker, Kubernetes, and OpenShift, alongside CI/CD pipeline development.
• Strong database knowledge, including Oracle, MySQL, MongoDB, and Cassandra.
• Experience designing and scaling systems on cloud platforms such as Azure, AWS, or Google Cloud.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving abilities, including advanced debugging skills and system-level thinking.
• Strong communication skills in both verbal and written forms.
• Proven ability to lead engineering teams, influence stakeholders, and direct technical initiatives.

Preferred Skills

• Experience deploying LLMs and GenAI solutions to improve engineering workflows and productivity.
• Knowledge of prompt engineering and integrating AI models within applications.
• Familiarity with Domain-Driven Design, event-driven architectures, CQRS, and enterprise integration patterns.
• Experience with Linux environments and container-based deployment strategies.
• Knowledge of application servers like Tomcat.
• Contributions to internal platforms or open-source projects appreciated.

Personal Characteristics

• Exemplifies strong leadership and the ability to influence teams without formal authority.
• Highly self-motivated with a strong sense of ownership and initiative.
• Excellent critical thinking and a problem-solving mindset.
• Collaborative team player with a positive and proactive approach.
• Adaptable, eager to learn, and committed to continuous personal and professional improvement.
• Capable of managing pressure and handling multiple competing priorities effectively.