Java Technical Lead (Quality Engineering & Automation)

Testing Specialty: Experience testing Network Management Systems (NMS) and operating as a Software Engineer in Test (SET). Manage complex assignments with long-term business implications and guide teams through bottlenecks and choke-points to meet sprint velocity SLAs.

Job Title: Java Technical Lead (Quality Engineering & Automation)
Duration: 12 months Contract
Location: New Orleans, LA 70112

Description:
Job Overview
We are seeking a hands-on Java Technical Lead to drive the development and delivery of robust, Java-based applications within an Agile environment with 7+ years of experience. In this role, you will bridge the gap between high-level architecture and hands-on implementation, ensuring that our software meets rigorous quality and performance standards. You will lead a diverse scrum team, engage with Architects and Product Owners to refine requirements, and research technical solutions to meet evolving business needs.

Major Accountabilities & Responsibilities

• Technical Leadership: Lead day-to-day system development and maintenance. Manage complex assignments with long-term business implications and guide teams through bottlenecks and choke-points to meet sprint velocity SLAs.
• Strategic Planning: Develop technical roadmaps and prioritize stories across quarterly PI planning sessions. Partner with Solution Architects to drive implementation flows and lead code grooming/review sessions.
• Quality Engineering & Automation: Drive QE methodologies by maintaining daily automation regression suites. Ensure comprehensive coverage across Unit, System, Integration, and Performance testing.
• Process Improvement: Conduct Quality Inspections and walkthroughs across the SDLC (Requirements, Architecture, Design, and Security). Identify opportunities to improve effectiveness and time-to-market.
• Mentorship & Team Growth: Mentor junior engineers, provide technical training, and host "Brownbag" sessions on emerging technologies and frameworks.
• Production Excellence: Lead production incident management, including root cause analysis (RCA) and remediation.

Technical Skills & Tools
Core Development:

• Languages: Java (Advanced OOP concepts)
• Frameworks: Spring Framework, Spring Boot, Spring Cloud (Cloud Config, Cloud Foundry) — Must Have
• Build/Version Tools: Maven (goals, dependencies, versioning), BitBucket (Git)
• Quality Engineering & Automation:
• API Automation: BDD framework using JBehave
• GUI Automation: Selenium WebDriver
• Testing Tools: Insomnia, SoapUI, and Postman (Manual REST/SOAP testing)
• Database Testing: DBVisualizer (PgSQL and Oracle)
• Unit Testing: JUnit
• Infrastructure & Management:
• CI/CD: Jenkins
• Defect Tracking: Jira / ALM
• OS: Unix (RedHat, Mint)

Knowledge & Experience

• Industry Experience: Proven experience delivering secure solutions within the Financial Services Sector is highly preferred.
• Methodology: Advanced understanding of Software Engineering Methodologies and Quality Engineering principles.
• Testing Specialty: Experience testing Network Management Systems (NMS) and operating as a Software Engineer in Test (SET).
• Agile Expertise: Experience leading Agile scrum teams through the full SDLC.
• Environment: Must be comfortable working in a matrix-based, geographically distributed team.

Education & Professional Requirements

• Education: Bachelor's degree in Information Systems, Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent experience.
• Location/Time Zone: Candidates must be located in or able to support CST or EST time zones.
• Soft Skills: High-energy and proactive with strong communication skills. Ability to function under pressure and interface effectively with both technical stakeholders and end-users.