Lead Backend Engineer

Job Title: Lead Backend Engineer (Java, Digital Assets & Distributed Systems) Location: New York City (On-site Day 1) Employment Type: W-2 Role Overview We are looking for a seasoned backend engineering leader to build and scale high-throughput, resilient platforms at the intersection of traditional financial systems and digital assets. This role demands deep technical expertise, hands-on leadership, and a strong focus on performance, security, and compliance. Key Responsibilities Build high-throughput, resilient platforms integrating settlement, custody, and digital asset systems with strong focus on performance, reliability, and compliance. Lead and mentor a team of engineers, driving Agile delivery, code quality, and modern SDLC practices. Design and deliver Java (17+) Spring Boot microservices on Kubernetes with resilience patterns (circuit breakers, retries, bulkheads). Develop low-latency APIs (REST/GraphQL/gRPC) with secure auth (OAuth2/OIDC/mTLS) and robust versioning & validation. Implement event-driven architecture using Kafka, applying CQRS/event sourcing and ensuring idempotency. Integrate Web3/Ethereum services, including wallet orchestration and secure key management (MPC/HSM). Enforce security best practices: secrets management, rate limiting, PII protection, and AML/KYC compliance flows. Optimize Oracle databases with strong focus on performance, partitioning, and transactional integrity. Drive CI/CD pipelines (Jenkins/GitHub Actions) with quality gates (SonarQube) and comprehensive automated testing. Establish observability (logs, metrics, tracing) and own SLO/SLA performance targets. Contribute to secure frontend/mobile experiences (React/TypeScript) with device and transaction security controls. Required Qualifications 8-13 years of software engineering experience with strong backend focus. Proven expertise in Java, Spring Boot, and microservices architecture. Experience building high-volume, low-latency distributed systems. Strong knowledge of API design, event-driven systems, and cloud-native architecture (Kubernetes). Hands-on experience with Kafka, Oracle DB, and performance optimization. Familiarity with security, compliance, and financial systems. Excellent problem-solving, communication, and leadership skills. Nice to Have Experience in securities/post-trade systems. Exposure to Ethereum, Solidity, or Web3 ecosystems. Experience with MPC, HSM, or digital asset custody platforms.