Lead Java Architect

Job Title: Lead Java Architect

Location: Chicago IL 60604 (Onsite Job)

Job Type: Long Term

Hiring Type: Video Interview

Experience: 15–20+ Years

Role Summary

We are seeking an experienced Lead Java Architect to drive the strategy, architecture, development, and modernization of our enterprise Automated Testing Framework (ATF) platform. The ideal candidate will be a hands-on technical leader with deep expertise in Java architecture, REST services, SQL, distributed systems, and full-stack development using ReactJS and NodeJS.

This role will be responsible for defining the long-term architecture roadmap, ensuring platform scalability, reliability, security, and enabling enterprise-wide test automation across mission-critical financial applications and data platforms.

The successful candidate will partner with engineering leaders, product teams, quality engineering teams, infrastructure teams, and business stakeholders to accelerate automation adoption while maintaining high engineering standards.

Key Responsibilities

Architecture & Technical Leadership

• Define and own the ATF platform architecture and technical roadmap.
• Lead design reviews and establish architecture standards for enterprise automation solutions.
• Drive modernization initiatives using cloud-native and microservices-based architectures.
• Provide technical leadership for strategic automation initiatives across multiple engineering teams.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and recommend adoption strategies.

Platform Engineering

• Design and develop scalable automation platform services using Java and Spring Boot.
• Architect RESTful APIs and service integrations supporting enterprise automation workflows.
• Lead development of reusable automation components, agents, plugins, and framework utilities.
• Ensure platform reliability, scalability, observability, and fault tolerance.

Full Stack Development

• Architect and oversee development of modern web applications using:
• ReactJS
• NodeJS
• TypeScript/JavaScript
• HTML5/CSS3
• Design intuitive user experiences for automation administration, reporting, monitoring, and analytics.

Database & Data Architecture

• Design and optimize enterprise-scale SQL solutions.
• Develop data models supporting automation execution, reporting, auditability, and analytics.
• Optimize application performance through efficient database design and query tuning.

Engineering Excellence

• Establish engineering best practices, coding standards, and architecture governance.
• Drive DevOps, CI/CD, automated quality controls, and platform observability.
• Lead code reviews, architecture reviews, and technical mentoring.
• Support production readiness, release governance, and operational excellence.

Stakeholder Management

• Partner with technology leaders, product owners, quality engineering teams, and business stakeholders.
• Translate business objectives into scalable technical solutions.
• Communicate architecture strategy and technical direction to executive leadership.

Required Qualifications

Experience

• 15–20+ years of software engineering experience.
• 8+ years in technical leadership, architect, or principal engineer roles.
• Proven experience designing and implementing enterprise-scale automation platforms.

Technical Skills

Core Technologies

• Java (Expert)
• Spring Boot
• REST API Architecture
• SQL Server / PostgreSQL / Oracle
• Microservices Architecture

Full Stack Technologies

• ReactJS
• NodeJS
• JavaScript / TypeScript
• HTML5 / CSS3

Cloud & DevOps

• Azure or AWS
• Docker
• Kubernetes
• GitHub / Azure DevOps
• CI/CD Pipelines

Data & Messaging

• SQL Optimization
• Messaging Platforms (Kafka preferred)
• Data Integration Patterns

Architecture Competencies

• Enterprise Architecture
• Solution Architecture
• API-First Design
• Event-Driven Systems
• Performance Engineering
• Security Architecture
• Scalability & Resilience Design

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience building enterprise-grade Automated Testing Frameworks.
• Experience with test automation platforms and quality engineering methodologies.
• Financial services or capital markets experience.
• Experience supporting highly regulated environments.
• Exposure to AI-assisted testing and intelligent automation solutions.
• Familiarity with cloud-native modernization initiatives.

Leadership Expectations

• Lead through influence and technical excellence.
• Mentor architects, senior engineers, and development teams.
• Build strong engineering culture focused on innovation and continuous improvement.
• Drive strategic technology decisions aligned with business outcomes.
• Manage multiple concurrent initiatives and technology priorities.

Success Metrics

• Increased automation adoption across engineering teams.
• Improved platform scalability and reliability.
• Reduced test execution cycle times.
• Enhanced engineering productivity through reusable automation capabilities.
• Successful delivery of platform modernization initiatives.
• Improved platform observability, governance, and operational efficiency.