Senior Staff Engineer – Java (Backend Architect)

Senior Staff Engineer Java (Backend Architect)

Location: India (Hybrid/Onsite as applicable)

Experience: 15+ Years

Role Type: Individual Contributor | Technical Leadership

Role Overview

We are looking for a Senior Staff Engineer Java Backend Architect to provide deep technical leadership across backend platforms and distributed systems. This role is ideal for a seasoned technologist who thrives on solving complex architectural problems, shaping long-term technology strategy, and influencing engineering excellence across teamswithout formal people management.

You will operate at a system-wide level, guiding architecture, mentoring senior engineers, and partnering closely with product and business stakeholders to deliver scalable, cloud-native platforms.

Key Responsibilities

Technical Leadership & Architecture

• Define and evolve backend system architecture for large-scale, distributed, cloud-native platforms.
• Drive long-term technical roadmap aligned with product vision and business objectives.
• Anticipate future technical challenges and proactively design scalable, resilient solutions.
• Establish engineering standards for design patterns, performance, reliability, and security.
• Lead architectural reviews and provide guidance across multiple engineering teams.

Hands-On Engineering Excellence

• Design, develop, and review high-quality Java-based backend systems.
• Solve complex performance, scalability, and reliability challenges in distributed environments.
• Guide teams on best practices in coding, debugging, testing, and observability.
• Ensure systems are built with a strong focus on maintainability and extensibility.

Influence & Collaboration

• Influence, guide, and mentor engineers across the organization without direct authority.
• Collaborate closely with product managers, designers, architects, and senior leadership.
• Clearly articulate technical ideas, trade-offs, and architectural decisions to diverse audiences.
• Act as a trusted technical advisor in cross-functional and executive forums.

Mandatory Qualifications

• Bachelors or Masters degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.
• 15+ years of software development experience with 5+ years in senior technical leadership roles.
• Expert knowledge of system architecture, cloud-native development, and distributed systems.
• Strong proficiency in Java, including system design, performance tuning, and debugging.
• Proven ability to influence technical direction across teams without direct reporting lines.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills for stakeholder alignment and presentations.

What Success Looks Like

• Architectures that scale seamlessly as the platform grows.
• Engineering teams aligned around clear technical standards and best practices.
• Faster, safer delivery of backend systems with improved reliability and performance.
• Strong collaboration between engineering, product, and business teams.

Why This Role

• Operate at the highest technical level without people-management overhead.
• Shape architecture and engineering culture across multiple teams.
• High visibility and strategic impact on long-term platform evolution.
• Opportunity to solve complex, large-scale backend challenges.