Java Backend Developer – AWS & Architecture

Java Backend Developer – AWS & Architecture

Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands Working Model: Hybrid Contract: 12-Month Fixed-Term Employment Contract Experience: 9–14 Years Positions Available: 4 Industry: Information Technology / Digital Products & Platforms

The Opportunity

We are recruiting four experienced Senior Java Backend Developers to join a global technology organisation delivering large-scale digital products and platforms.

This is a hands-on Individual Contributor position for experienced Java engineers who remain actively involved in software development, solution design and technical architecture.

You will work within an Agile Scrum environment, collaborating directly with client stakeholders and engineering teams to design, develop and enhance scalable backend applications and services.

The successful candidates will combine strong Java programming expertise with practical AWS experience, backend architecture and system design capabilities, REST API development, CI/CD pipelines and production monitoring.

This is a development-focused position. Candidates whose recent experience has primarily been application support, maintenance or people management without significant hands-on development are unlikely to be suitable.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, develop and maintain scalable backend applications using Java.
• Remain actively hands-on with software development, coding, testing, debugging and technical problem-solving.
• Design backend systems, services and technical solutions within AWS environments.
• Contribute to application architecture, technical design decisions and system improvements.
• Develop, integrate and test RESTful APIs and backend services.
• Work with Java and Groovy within modern software engineering environments.
• Configure, manage and improve CI/CD pipelines.
• Use Git for source control, collaboration and software development workflows.
• Monitor application health, system performance and operational metrics using Grafana and related observability tools.
• Investigate technical issues, identify root causes and implement effective solutions.
• Deliver new features, enhancements and bug fixes.
• Conduct technical analysis and feasibility assessments for new requirements.
• Contribute to Proofs of Concept (POCs) and the evaluation of new technical solutions.
• Participate actively in Scrum ceremonies, technical discussions and solution-design sessions.
• Work directly with client stakeholders to understand requirements and translate them into high-quality technical solutions.
• Collaborate with cross-functional engineering teams and provide clear progress updates to stakeholders and management.
• Maintain high standards of software quality, engineering best practices and coding standards.
• Identify opportunities to improve development processes, system reliability and engineering productivity.

Essential Experience

Candidates must demonstrate

• 9–14 years of professional software engineering experience.
• At least 8 years of strong, hands-on Java development experience.
• Recent experience remaining actively involved in software development and coding.
• Strong backend development experience.
• Strong Java programming skills.
• Practical experience designing technical solutions and application architectures.
• Strong AWS experience, including the design and architecture of cloud-based solutions.
• Experience developing and integrating RESTful APIs and web services.
• Strong experience with Git.
• Experience configuring, managing or working extensively with CI/CD pipelines.
• Experience with monitoring, observability and system metrics.
• Hands-on experience with Grafana or comparable monitoring platforms.
• Experience working in Agile/Scrum software development environments.
• Strong analytical, debugging and technical problem-solving capabilities.
• The ability to work directly with clients and technical stakeholders.
• Good employment stability, ideally including periods of at least two years with previous employers.

Technical Environment

• Java
• Groovy
• AWS
• REST APIs / RESTful Web Services
• Backend Architecture & System Design
• Git
• CI/CD Pipelines
• Grafana
• Monitoring & Observability
• System Metrics
• Agile / Scrum

Desirable Experience

Exposure to Collibra would be beneficial, particularly experience involving:

• Job monitoring
• Troubleshooting
• Bug fixing
• Platform support and improvements

Location & Working Arrangements

• This position operates on a hybrid working model from Amsterdam.
• Candidates already based in the Netherlands are strongly preferred.
• Applications can also be considered from candidates currently based elsewhere in Europe who already hold valid authorisation to work in the Netherlands and are prepared to relocate to the Amsterdam area.
• Candidates relocating for the position must be willing to cover their own relocation expenses.
• All successful candidates must be able to attend the Amsterdam office as required under the hybrid working arrangement.

Work Authorisation

• Candidates must already have valid authorisation to work in the Netherlands.
• The position is suitable for candidates holding an appropriate Dutch, EU/EEA, Swiss or other valid Netherlands work authorisation.
• Employer-sponsored visa arrangements are not available for this opportunity.

Availability

Due to the priority nature of the hiring programme, candidates should ideally be available to start immediately or within 30 days.

Interview Process

The selection process is expected to include

• Two technical interviews.
• One client interview.
• One managerial interview.
• At least one interview stage may be conducted face-to-face.

The technical interviews will assess both hands-on Java programming ability and practical engineering judgement.

Candidates should expect

• Live coding exercises using an IDE or online Java compiler.
• Approximately 2–3 coding problems during each technical interview.
• Scenario-based technical questions.
• Questions covering Java backend development, AWS, system design, architecture, APIs, troubleshooting and engineering decision-making.
• Technical interviews last approximately one hour.

This opportunity is particularly suited to experienced Java backend engineers who remain passionate about hands-on development and want to combine coding with cloud architecture, system design and direct client interaction.