Java Technical lead

Ascendion is an AI-native software engineering disruptor helping businesses innovate faster, smarter, and with greater impact. We partner with enterprise clients across North America, the UK, Europe, and APAC to solve complex challenges in data, experience design, software product engineering, and workforce transformation. Powered by expert engineers, thousands of AI agents, and our Engineering to the Power of AI (EngineeringAI) method, we deliver measurable outcomes that build trust, unlock value, and accelerate growth.

We have a culture built on opportunity, inclusion, and a spirit of partnership. Build the coolest tech for the world’s leading brands, solve complex problems, master your craft with leading training programs, and join a community of high-performing innovators who share ideas, learning, and success.

About the role

Location: Chicago, IL, 60601

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership and direction to Java development teams.
• Lead technical design and architecture discussions for complex enterprise applications.
• Define solution architecture, technical approaches, design patterns, and engineering standards.
• Guide developers in implementing scalable and maintainable solutions using Java, Spring Boot, and Microservices.
• Review technical designs, code, and implementation approaches to ensure quality and adherence to enterprise standards.
• Make key technical decisions related to application architecture, scalability, performance, integration, and reliability.
• Mentor and guide developers on technical challenges, best practices, and engineering standards.
• Collaborate with Solution Architects, Product Managers, Business Analysts, QA, DevOps, and other stakeholders to translate business requirements into technical solutions.
• Lead troubleshooting and resolution of complex production and application issues.
• Identify performance, scalability, and reliability improvements across applications.
• Drive adoption of modern engineering practices, CI/CD, containerization, and cloud-native technologies.
• Participate in architecture reviews, technical planning, and enterprise-level technology initiatives.

Requirements

• 10+ years of overall professional experience with Java and enterprise application development.
• Proven experience as a Java Tech Lead, Technical Lead, Lead Engineer, or similar technical leadership role.
• Strong experience providing technical leadership, mentoring, and architectural guidance to development teams.
• Strong expertise in Java 8/11/17 and Core Java.
• Expert-level experience with Spring Framework, Spring Boot, and Microservices architecture.
• Strong knowledge of System Design, Design Patterns, Data Structures, distributed systems, scalability, and application architecture.
• Strong experience designing and integrating RESTful APIs.
• Experience with Hibernate/JPA and ORM frameworks.
• Strong knowledge of SQL and relational databases, including Oracle, PostgreSQL, or MySQL.
• Experience with Kafka, RabbitMQ, or other enterprise messaging technologies.
• Experience with Docker, Kubernetes, and CI/CD pipelines.
• Strong experience with Git and Maven/Gradle.
• Proven ability to lead technical discussions and make architecture and design decisions.
• Strong problem-solving, communication, stakeholder management, and decision-making skills.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or a related field (preferred).
• Experience working in Agile/Scrum environments (preferred).
• Experience with AWS, Azure, or GCP (preferred).
• Experience with cloud-native application architecture and DevOps practices (preferred).
• Experience working on large-scale enterprise or financial services applications (preferred).
• Experience leading modernization, migration, or Microservices transformation initiatives (preferred).

Pay

The annual salary for this position is between $130,000 and $140,000. Factors which may affect pay within this range may include geography/market, skills, education, experience, and other qualifications of the successful candidate.

Benefits

• Medical insurance
• Dental insurance
• Vision insurance
• 401(k) retirement plan
• Life insurance
• Long-term disability insurance
• Short-term disability insurance
• Paid parking/public transportation