Strong Java skills and a deep understanding of the JVM (Java 17 and 21) 

Solid grasp of concurrency — multithreading, thread-safety, and concurrent data structures for high-throughput systems 

Experience building microservices with Spring Boot or Micronaut 

Experience with event-driven architectures and distributed systems 

Strong SQL and hands-on experience with high-volume relational databases or data warehouses (e.g., Postgres) 

Solid experience with Apache Kafka and Kafka Streams (stateless and stateful topologies) for building high-throughput data pipelines 

Hands-on experience running services on AWS, including monitoring, alerting, and operational best practices 

Strong automated testing practices (unit and integration) and a focus on code quality 

Experience with agentic AI coding tools such as Claude Code or Cursor 

Fluent in English (spoken and written)