Staff Backend Developer (Kotlin/Java)

This position is listed on behalf of a partner company, who manages all applications and next steps. Our partner is looking for a Staff Backend Developer (Kotlin/Java) based in Brazil.

Join a high-impact engineering team working on a major financial-services technology initiative where technical excellence and reliability are critical.
In this role, you will serve as a senior technical reference, influencing architecture, development standards, and engineering practices across the product lifecycle.
You will combine hands-on backend development with technical leadership, mentoring developers and guiding the resolution of complex engineering challenges.
Your work will focus on scalable microservices, domain-driven design, clean architecture, and highly maintainable Kotlin and Java applications.
You will also champion quality, observability, performance, and reliability across development and production environments.
The position offers an opportunity to shape technical decisions while collaborating closely with experienced engineers in an agile environment.
If you enjoy solving complex problems, raising engineering standards, and helping teams build robust software at scale, this role offers significant technical impact.

Accountabilities:

• Technical leadership and mentoring: Act as the primary technical reference for the engineering team, guiding mid-level and senior developers in best practices, architecture decisions, implementation approaches, and the resolution of complex technical challenges.
• Solution architecture: Lead the design of software solutions using strong expertise in microservices architecture, Domain-Driven Design (DDD), Hexagonal Architecture, Clean Code, and other scalable software engineering principles.
• Hands-on backend development: Lead by example through the development of clean, efficient, maintainable, and high-quality backend services using Kotlin and Java, establishing strong technical standards for the broader team.
• Engineering quality: Promote a strong culture of software quality by encouraging practices such as Test-Driven Development (TDD), rigorous code reviews, automated testing, and disciplined engineering standards.
• Performance and observability: Ensure applications are appropriately instrumented to capture metrics, logs, and performance information, while leading continuous analysis and optimization of application behavior.
• Reliability and production support: Take ownership of technically complex incidents and production issues, acting as a senior escalation point and driving effective resolution.
• Root-cause analysis: Lead investigations into critical bugs and incidents, identify underlying causes, and implement durable solutions that prevent recurring problems.
• Agile delivery: Contribute across the full software development lifecycle, from solution design and development through testing, deployment, production support, and continuous improvement.
• Technical communication: Clearly communicate architecture decisions, technical recommendations, trade-offs, and solutions to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Requirements

• Backend development expertise: Extensive professional experience with object-oriented programming and strong fluency in Java and Kotlin.
• Microservices architecture: Proven expertise designing, developing, and operating applications based on microservices architectures.
• Software engineering principles: Deep practical knowledge of TDD, DDD, Clean Code, and Hexagonal Architecture, with the ability to apply these principles to production-grade software.
• Database experience: Solid experience working with SQL databases and understanding of data modeling and application-level database interactions.
• Agile methodologies: Strong experience across the software development lifecycle within agile environments, including Scrum and/or Kanban.
• Version control: Advanced knowledge of Git and Git Flow, including collaborative development and code management practices.
• Complex problem-solving: Strong analytical and troubleshooting capabilities, with the ability to break down complex technical problems and develop robust, scalable solutions.
• Communication and influence: Excellent communication skills, with the ability to explain complex technical concepts clearly and influence engineering decisions across different audiences.
• Framework experience: Advanced experience with frameworks such as Spring Boot and/or Javalin is considered a strong advantage.
• Event-driven architecture: Solid experience with event-driven architectures and data-streaming solutions such as Kafka and/or Amazon SQS is preferred.
• Cloud-native technologies: Practical experience with AWS, Docker, and Kubernetes is highly desirable.
• NoSQL knowledge: Familiarity with NoSQL databases and their appropriate use cases is an advantage.
• API management: Knowledge of API management platforms such as Apigee and familiarity with the Node.js ecosystem for API management are considered valuable.
• Leadership mindset: Ability to mentor other engineers, establish high technical standards, make sound architectural decisions, and lead by example while remaining hands-on.

Benefits

• Health coverage: Health and dental insurance to support your overall well-being.
• Food and meal benefits: Food and meal allowance to support everyday expenses.
• Family support: Childcare assistance and extended parental leave programs.
• Well-being partnerships: Access to fitness, wellness, and health professionals through partner platforms such as Wellhub and TotalPass.
• Profit sharing: Participation in a profit-sharing and results-based program, subject to applicable terms.
• Life insurance: Life insurance coverage as part of the employee benefits package.
• Continuous learning: Access to continuous learning resources and a dedicated professional development platform.
• Online education: Access to online courses and language-learning resources to support technical and professional growth.
• Health and wellness support: Access to digital resources focused on physical health, mental well-being, and healthy lifestyle development.
• Parenthood support: Resources and educational initiatives focused on pregnancy, parenting, and responsible parenthood.
• Discount programs: Access to partner discounts and additional employee benefits.
• Inclusive environment: A workplace committed to inclusion, accessibility, equal opportunity, and appropriate support throughout the employee journey.