Lead Java Full Stack Engineer ( Java, Kafka, AWS

About The Role

We are seeking a Technical Lead Java Full Stack Developer to architect, build, and scale API‑first platforms and integrations. This role requires deep expertise in Java and Spring Boot, combined with front‑end proficiency in React/Type Script, to deliver end‑to‑end solutions. You will lead the design and delivery of high‑volume APIs, cloud‑native microservices on AWS, and guide teams on best practices for reliability, security, and observability.

This is a hybrid role based on business requirements in Columbus, OH & Plano, Texas. Regardless of work arrangement, we support a healthy work‑life balance through our wellbeing programs. Working arrangements may change based on project or client needs.

Please note:

A few of our roles may require in‑person interviews at Cognizant offices or client locations, depending on project or client needs.

Candidate must be legally authorized to work in the United States without the need for employer sponsorship, now or at any time in the future.

• Architecture & API Design
  • Own end‑to‑end API architecture (REST/Graph
    
    QL), including resource modeling, error schemas, versioning, and contract testing.
  • Design domain‑driven microservices, event‑driven patterns (Kafka/SNS/SQS), and distributed workflows.
  • Define integration patterns (webhooks, event streaming, async queues, CDC) and Backend‑for‑Frontend (BFF) layers.
• Delivery & Engineering
  • Build Java 17+ / Spring Boot services with JPA/Hibernate, Spring Security, Web Flux, and Resilience4j.
  • Establish and enforce API standards (OpenAPI/Swagger), SDK generation, and automated testing.
• Cloud & Dev Ops (AWS)
  • Architect and operate workloads using ECS, EKS, Lambda, API Gateway, Route 53, RDS/Aurora, Dynamo
    
    DB, and Redis.
  • Implement secure CI/CD pipelines (Git Hub Actions/Azure Dev Ops/Jenkins) and IaC (Terraform/Cloud Formation).
  • Drive observability with distributed tracing, structured logging, metrics, and SLOs.
• Leadership & Collaboration
  • Mentor engineers, lead design/code reviews, and foster engineering excellence.
  • Collaborate with Product, Architecture, and Security teams on roadmaps and prioritization.
  • Champion documentation: API specs, runbooks, postmortems, and playbooks.

• 8+ years of professional software engineering experience; 3+ years architecting cloud‑native services on AWS.
• Expertise in Java 11+/17, Spring Boot, REST, JSON, OpenAPI, and asynchronous messaging (SNS/SQS/Kafka).
• Strong knowledge of integration patterns, API versioning, schema evolution, and contract testing.
• Proficiency in SQL (Postgre
  
  SQL/MySQL/Aurora), No
  
  SQL (Dynamo
  
  DB/Document
  
  DB), and caching (Redis).
• Skilled in CI/CD, IaC, Docker, and container orchestration (ECS/EKS).
• Solid observability and performance tuning experience.
• Security‑first mindset with IAM, KMS, WAF, and input validation.
• Front‑end capability with React + Type Script (or Angular).
• Excellent communication and mentoring skills.

• Experience with event‑driven architectures (Event Bridge/Kinesis, CDC, saga patterns).
• Graph
  
  QL (Apollo/Federation), API monetization, and developer portal experience.
• Multi‑account AWS strategy, service mesh (App Mesh/Istio), and Kubernetes (EKS/Helm).
• Knowledge of regulated environments (PCI, SOC 2, HIPAA) and data privacy (GDPR, PII).

The annual salary for this position is between $95,000 – $140,000 depending on experience and other qualifications of the successful candidate.

This position is also eligible for Cognizant’s discretionary annual incentive program, based on performance and subject to the terms of Cognizant’s applicable plans.

• Medical/Dental/Vision/Life Insurance
• Paid holidays plus Paid Time Off
• 401(k) plan and contributions
• Long‑term/Short‑term Disability
• Paid Parental Leave
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan