Senior/Lead Java FSE

About the role

Cognizants Engineering practice is seeking a Full stack cloud engineer who will help us with developing and maintaining high-quality software solutions. With a focus on AWS, ReactJs, Typescript, SQL, Spring Boot, Java, JavaScript, and MySQL this position requires a seasoned professional with 8 to 12 years of experience. The role operates in a hybrid work model during day shifts ensuring a balanced work-life environment.

In this role, you will:

Architecture & API Design

Own end-to-end API architecture (REST/GraphQL), including resource modeling, error schemas, versioning strategy and contract testing.

Design domain-aligned microservices (DDD), event-driven patterns (Kafka/SNS/SQS) and distributed workflows.

Define integration patterns (webhooks, event streaming, async queues, batch, CDC) and BFF (Backend-for-Frontend) layers for client needs.

Delivery & Engineering

Build Java 17+ / Spring Boot services; implement JPA/Hibernate, Spring Security, WebFlux, and Resilience4j for reliability.

Develop front-end features using React + TypeScript, focusing on performance, accessibility, and maintainable components.

Establish and enforce API standards (OpenAPI/Swagger), linting, and SDK generation where appropriate.

Cloud & DevOps (AWS)

Architect, implement, and operate workloads on AWS:

Compute: ECS/Fargate, EKS, Lambda

Networking: VPC, ALB/NLB, PrivateLink, API Gateway, Route 53

Data: RDS/Aurora, DynamoDB, ElastiCache/Redis, S3, OpenSearch

Integration: SNS/SQS, EventBridge, Step Functions, Kinesis

Security: IAM, KMS, Secrets Manager, WAF, Shield, Cognito/OIDC

Build secure CI/CD pipelines (GitHub Actions/Azure DevOps/Jenkins), IaC with Terraform/CloudFormation, and implement blue/green or canary deployments with automated rollbacks.

Implement observability: distributed tracing, structured logging, metrics and SLOs via CloudWatch/Prometheus/Grafana.

Leadership & Collaboration

Mentor engineers, lead code/design reviews, and foster engineering excellence.

Collaborate with Product, Architecture, and Security on roadmaps, discovery, and prioritization.

Champion documentation: API specs, runbooks, postmortems, and playbooks.

Work model: Onsite.

At Cognizant, we strive to provide flexibility wherever possible, and we are here to support a healthy work-life balance though our various wellbeing programs. Based on this roles business requirements, this is an onsite position requiring X days a week in a client or Cognizant office in Columbus, OH or Plano, TX .

Please note: A few of our roles may require in-person interviews at Cognizant offices or client locations, depending on project or client needs.

The working arrangements for this role are accurate as of the date of posting. This may change based on the project youre engaged in, as well as business and client requirements. Rest assured; we will always be clear about role expectations.

What you need to have to be considered:

9+ years of relevant experience.

Expert in Java 11+/17, Spring Boot, REST, JSON, OpenAPI, and asynchronous messaging (SNS/SQS/Kafka).

Strong with integration patterns (sync/async), API versioning, backwards compatibility, schema evolution, and contract testing (Pact/WireMock).

Proficient with SQL (PostgreSQL/MySQL/Aurora) and at least one NoSQL (DynamoDB/DocumentDB); caching with Redis.

Proficient in CI/CD, IaC (Terraform/CloudFormation), Docker, and container orchestration (ECS/EKS).

Solid observability (logs, metrics, traces) and performance tuning (JVM, DB, API latency, throughput).

Security-first mindset: IAM, KMS, Secrets Manager, WAF, CORS, CSP, input validation.

Front-end capability with React + TypeScript (or Angular), including state mgmt.

(Redux/RTK/React Query), routing, and component design.

Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and mentoring skills.

*Please note, this role cannot offer visa transfer or sponsorship now or in the future*

These will help you stand out:

Event-driven architectures with EventBridge/Kinesis, CDC (Debezium), and saga patterns (Step Functions/temporal-like orchestration).

GraphQL (Apollo/Federation) and BFF patterns; API monetization and developer portal experience.

Multi-account AWS strategy, landing zones, network segmentation, and service mesh (App Mesh/Istio).

Kubernetes (EKS), Helm, service autoscaling, pod disruption budgets, and cost optimization (Graviton/Spot).

Experience in regulated environments (PCI, SOC 2, HIPAA) and data privacy (PII, GDPR).

We're excited to meet people who share our mission and can make an impact in a variety of ways. Don't hesitate to apply, even if you only meet the minimum requirements listed. Think about your transferable experiences and unique skills that make you stand out as someone who can bring new and exciting things to this role.

Salary and compensation:

The annual salary for this position will be between $81,337 to $141,000 depending on the experience and other qualifications of the successful candidate. This position is also eligible for Cognizants discretionary annual incentive program and stock awards, based on performance and subject to the terms of Cognizants applicable plans.

Applications will be received by March 31 st , 2026.

Benefits: Cognizant offers the following benefits for this position, subject to applicable eligibility requirements:

Medical/Dental/Vision/Life Insurance.

Paid holidays plus Paid Time Off.

401(k) plan and contributions.

Long-term/Short-term Disability.

Paid Parental Leave.

Employee Stock Purchase Plan.

Disclaimer: The salary, other compensation, and benefits information is accurate as of the date of this posting. Cognizant reserves the right to modify this information at any time, subject to applicable law.