Java Technical Lead/Staff Engineer

Staff Engineer / Technical Lead 📍 Portugal or European Union | Remote / Hybrid We are looking for a Staff Engineer / Technical Lead to guide engineering teams in the design, development and delivery of complex enterprise-grade software solutions. This role combines hands-on technical leadership, architectural decision-making and close collaboration with engineering, product and business stakeholders. You will help shape technical direction, support delivery teams and ensure that solutions are scalable, maintainable and aligned with business objectives. The focus is on building robust systems, improving engineering practices and leading teams with technical clarity and practical judgement. What you will do Lead and mentor software engineering teams, promoting knowledge sharing and technical excellence Take ownership of solutions from development through deployment, operation and maintenance Participate in solution design, architecture discussions and implementation decisions Diagnose production issues and define effective technical solutions Challenge requirements constructively to improve outcomes and reduce unnecessary complexity Support the adoption of technologies and practices that create measurable business value Contribute to the technology roadmap and future technical direction Promote scalable, maintainable and reliable engineering practices Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams in Agile delivery environments Support technical interviews and assessment processes within your area of expertise What we are looking for Minimum 10 years of professional experience with Java Strong experience with modern Java versions, including Java 17 and Java 21 Solid experience with web frameworks such as Spring Boot, Spring Cloud, Spring Data Flow or Micronaut Experience with cloud-native technologies and modern delivery platforms Good knowledge of Azure Cloud, Terraform, Docker, Kubernetes and GitHub Actions Strong understanding of architectural styles such as Microservices, Web Services and SOA Experience designing and working with APIs, including REST APIs and GraphQL Federation Experience with monitoring and observability tools such as OpenTelemetry, Dynatrace or similar Proficiency with build tools such as Gradle Experience with unit testing, integration testing and test-driven development Experience working with databases such as MongoDB and MySQL Familiarity with Application Lifecycle Management tools such as Jira, Confluence, Jenkins, Nexus or similar Experience with Agile and engineering practices such as Scrum, Kanban, BDD, TDD, DevOps, CI/CD and Pair Programming Effective application of design patterns for scalable and maintainable solutions Ability to balance technical priorities with business needs Experience mentoring engineering teams and fostering collaboration Strong communication skills with technical and non-technical stakeholders Fluent English Nice to have Experience with Product Information Management or Master Data Management platforms Experience with enterprise platforms involving complex product, catalogue or reference data Background in large-scale digital platforms or transactional systems Kotlin experience Experience in environments with high standards for performance, reliability and maintainability What we offer 20 dedicated learning and development days per year Support for relevant certifications and technical development Growth in technical leadership and architecture Close collaboration with senior engineers, architects and consultants Challenging projects where engineering quality, scalability and long-term maintainability matter 💡 We are looking for engineers who can lead without noise, challenge without ego and build systems that remain solid when complexity arrives. Who we are | XScience XScience is a technology partner focused on building enterprise-grade digital, data and analytical solutions. We work with organisations that demand technical rigour, predictability and well-founded decisions. We operate at the intersection of engineering, architecture and business, helping our clients turn technology into reliable, scalable and maintainable systems. We favour solid approaches, mature technologies and engineering practices that stand the test of time. We are looking for professionals who think long term, challenge fragile solutions and value well-engineered systems.