Lead Software Engineer (Java / Kafka) - Colombia

Solvd Inc. is a rapidly growing AI-native consulting and technology services firm delivering enterprise transformation across cloud, data, software engineering, and artificial intelligence. We work with industry-leading organizations to design, build, and operationalize technology solutions that drive measurable business outcomes.

Following the acquisition of Tooploox, a premier AI and product development company, Solvd now offers true end-to-end delivery—from strategic advisory and solution design to custom AI development and enterprise-scale implementation. Our capability centers combine deep technical expertise, proven delivery methodologies, and sector-specific knowledge to address complex business challenges quickly and effectively.

We are looking for a Lead Software Engineer to join our team. The ideal candidate will have experience developing scalable distributed systems and APIs.

About the project

You will be working with a globally recognized e-commerce marketplace that serves millions of customers and sellers across multiple regions. The organization operates at massive scale, supporting high-traffic consumer platforms, complex transactional systems, and mission-critical services that must be reliable, secure, and continuously evolving.

The customer is undertaking a strategic initiative to retire a legacy case management platform and replace it with a modern (built from scratch), scalable system built for long-term evolution and AI workloads. The initiative includes full data migration, preservation of business continuity and strict backward API compatibility to avoid disruption for existing integrations and clients.

What you'll do

• Ownership and delivery accountability Own the end-to-end delivery of system components. Take responsibility for quality, timelines and release readiness. Ensure commitments are realistic, visible and met. Escalate risks early and actively drive mitigation.

• System design contribution and implementation leadership Contribute to the design (and own component-level design) and implementation of complex services and features. Assure alignment between what’s designed and implemented, challenge assumptions and ensure solutions balance scalability, reliability and maintainability. Contribute to architecture artifacts and long-term technical direction.

• Estimation, planning and risk management Break down ambiguous business requirements into clear technical work. Provide accurate estimations, plan execution across dependencies and continuously reassess risk. Adjust scope when necessary and communicate tradeoffs transparently.

• Engineering excellence and code ownership Set a high bar for code quality. Establish and reinforce development standards, perform thorough code reviews and guide the team toward maintainable solutions. Debug cross-service issues and lead resolution of complex production problems.

• Mentorship and team support Mentor and support less experienced engineers through technical guidance, feedback and pairing. Help the team grow by sharing knowledge and reinforcing strong engineering practices.

• AI-assisted engineering practices adoption Champion the adoption of AI coding agents and developer productivity tools while maintaining strict quality standards. Ensure AI-generated code is reviewed, validated and aligned with architectural and engineering principles. Promote responsible use of automation that accelerates delivery without compromising reliability.

• Collaboration and cross-functional partnership Collaborate closely with project managers, architects and product stakeholders to align delivery with business goals. Participate in customer-facing technical discussions when needed and represent engineering decisions clearly.

• Team leadership and culture Lead by example in accountability, professionalism and ownership. Foster a culture of transparency, continuous improvement and shared responsibility.

What you bring

• 8+ years of professional software engineering experience.

• Proven experience operating as a technical lead or development team leader.

• Expert knowledge of Java and Spring ecosystems.

• Experience building distributed systems and APIs (experience with GraphQL API is a must).

• Experience working with event-driven systems (experience with Kafka is a strong advantage).

• Experience with relational and NoSQL databases.

• Strong understanding of system design principles and architecture patterns.

• Hands-on experience debugging complex, cross-service issues.

• Ability to break down large initiatives into executable plans.

• Strong code review and quality ownership mindset.

• Experience working in collaborative, multi-team environments.

• Strong communication and stakeholder engagement skills.

• English level B2+.

Nice to have

• Experience with React and TypeScript is a strong advantage.

• Exposure to agentic systems is a strong advantage.

• Experience with containerization and orchestration tools like Docker and Kubernetes is considered a strong advantage.

• Experience in customer support or service operations domain.

• Public speaking or internal knowledge sharing experience.

When you join Solvd, you'll…

• Shape real-world AI-driven projects across key industries, working with clients from startup innovation to enterprise transformation.

• Be part of a global team with equal opportunities for collaboration across continents and cultures.

• Thrive in an inclusive environment that prioritizes continuous learning, innovation, and ethical AI standards.

Ready to make an impact?

If you're excited to build things that matter, champion responsible AI, and grow with some of the industry’s sharpest minds. Apply today and let’s innovate together.

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