What are the responsibilities and job description for the Lead Developer position at Forward?
Position: Lead Developer
Job Description:
We are seeking an experienced Full Stack Lead Developer to drive and oversee the development of cutting-edge applications for our warehouse inventory systems. The ideal candidate will be proficient in backend API development, Java, and Spring Boot and will have a working understanding of system architecture, Azure message brokers, and continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD) practices. This role will be responsible for working with on-shore and off-shore teams of developers while collaborating closely with cross-functional teams to ensure the successful delivery of scalable, reliable, and high-performance applications that are focused on warehouse inventories within a logistics and transportation company.
Core Responsibilities & Duties:
- Lead a team of FTE and contract developers to deliver high-quality software solutions, ensuring adherence to technical best practices, coding standards, and agile processes
- Provide technical direction and guidance to developers, product owners and analysts to assist with prioritization of work and ensure development timelines are adhered to
- Collaborate with other technical leads, architects, and senior stakeholders to define and refine the technical vision and roadmap for the applications
- Collaborate with front-end developers, QA engineers, and business analysts to ensure comprehensive solutions are delivered from design to deployment
- Lead the design and development of scalable, reliable, and secure backend services using Spring Boot, RESTful APIs, and microservices architecture
- Define and enforce system architecture best practices, ensuring consistency and quality across all layers of the application stack
- Collaborate on the integration of front-end technologies (e.g., React, Angular, Flutter, Android) with backend systems, ensuring seamless data flow and user experience
- Design and implement backend APIs with a focus on performance, security, complex business logic, and scalability using Spring Boot
- Manage API security through authentication (OAuth, JWT), authorization, and encryption mechanisms
- Optimize application performance by addressing bottlenecks in database queries, application code, and infrastructure
- Work closely with product owners, business analysts, and stakeholders to understand the technical and business requirements for warehouse management applications
- Lead the translation of business requirements into detailed technical designs, considering performance, scalability, and future growth
- Ensure continuous improvement of the software design process by applying industry standards, design patterns, and new technologies
- Other duties as assigned
Qualifications:
- 5 years of professional experience in software development
- 2 years of leading cross-functional development teams
- Proven experience with developing complex systems in a warehouse management system (WMS) or supply chain management environment is highly desirable
- Experience working with large-scale enterprise applications in cloud-native environments, particularly on Azure
- Experience in an industry such as warehousing, logistics, shipping or receiving is desired
- Bachelor’s degree (or greater) in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field. Equivalent work experience will be considered
- Spring Boot (Java), RESTful APIs, and microservices architecture
- Strong working knowledge SQL (e.g., Microsoft SQL Server, PostgreSQL, Oracle, MySQL)
- Experience with frontend technologies like Angular, React, Flutter, etc.
- Knowledge of Docker, Kubernetes, and related containerization technologies for cloud-native applications
- Familiarity with message queues (e.g., Azure Service Bus, Event Hubs, Kafka) and asynchronous processing
- Strong communication skills (both written and verbal) to discuss concepts, expectations, requirements and objectives of a project task with technical and non-technical team members
- Excellent problem-solving abilities and a strong sense of ownership over projects
- Strong collaboration and negotiation skills, especially when working with cross-functional teams
- A proactive, solution-oriented mindset and the ability to navigate ambiguity by being direct and specific
- Experience with Agile methodologies and related tools (e.g., Jira, Service Now)
- Familiarity with monitoring and alerting tools like Dynatrace or App Insights
Forward Air is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
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