Java Backend Lead (Azure and PHP) – Job Description

Position Summary

The Java Backend Lead (Azure and PHP) provides hands-on technical leadership for a mission-critical, enterprise-scale application platform. This role works closely with the Technical Manager to drive application development, cloud infrastructure design, and operational reliability across Azure-hosted environments.

This is a highly technical, execution-focused role, with 75%+ of time spent on hands-on coding. In addition, the Lead Developer provides direction to senior developers, ensuring adherence to coding standards, architecture best practices, and high-quality delivery.

The role requires a balance of software engineering expertise, cloud infrastructure knowledge, and leadership skills, with a strong focus on scalability, stability, and maintainability.

📍 Location: Dearborn, MI (Hybrid – Onsite Tue–Thu)

Key Responsibilities

Technical Leadership & Oversight

• Act as the technical lead for the platform
• Collaborate with Technical Manager on architecture, design, and standards
• Provide guidance and oversight to senior developers and teams
• Lead and participate in code reviews (quality, security, standards)
• Establish and enforce best practices across development lifecycle
• Drive continuous improvement and modernization initiatives

Hands-On Development (Primary – 75%+)

• Actively contribute to the codebase
• Design, develop, and maintain backend applications & APIs
• Build scalable, secure, high-performance systems
• Identify and resolve technical debt and performance issues
• Ensure high-quality delivery through testing and validation

Code Quality & Engineering Practices

• Use SonarQube (or similar tools) for code quality monitoring
• Promote secure coding and strong test coverage
• Improve code health and reduce technical debt

Cloud Infrastructure & DevOps

• Work with Technical Manager on Azure environments
• Implement Infrastructure as Code (IaC) using Terraform & Ansible
• Manage cloud resources (compute, storage, networking)
• Build and optimize CI/CD pipelines using Azure DevOps
• Ensure scalability, reliability, and enterprise-grade security

Technical Skills (Must-Have)

• Strong experience in Java / J2EE backend development
• PHP (Required) – production support & enhancements
• Experience with REST APIs, JSON, microservices
• Strong database skills: SQL Server & MySQL (performance tuning, modeling)
• Experience with Azure-hosted applications
• Hands-on with Terraform & Ansible (IaC)
• Experience with NGINX configuration
• Agile/Scrum environment experience
• Proficiency in:
  • JIRA (Agile tracking)
  • Azure DevOps (CI/CD, repos, deployments)
  • SonarQube or equivalent