Lead Services Engineer

Title: Lead Services Engineer
Location: Miami (Preferred Locals)

Job Description:
Provide technical leadership to a team of engineers working on backend services and APIs
Architect, design, and implement scalable microservices and distributed systems for cloud and on-premise deployment
Create technical design specifications and translate high-level architecture into working software and documentation
Evaluate new technologies and practices for potential use by the engineering organization
Author and evangelize engineering standards and best practices across teams
Design and develop DevOps best practices for the services layer
Services Development & Implementation
Lead design and development of Java/Spring Boot microservices and systems integrations
Architect APIs using GraphQL and modern integration patterns
Build and support event-driven architectures using Kafka and messaging patterns
Implement reactive programming patterns (WebFlux, Project Reactor) and non-blocking I/O
Manage container orchestration using Docker and Kubernetes with Kustomize
Design and maintain GitOps workflows and CI/CD pipeline architecture using Argo CD
Design and operate Couchbase and NoSQL database solutions for high-performance, distributed data access
Work with relational databases and stored procedures as needed
Quality & Testing
Participate in testing and certification processes
Monitor system and application performance; perform predictive maintenance
Ensure systems are stable and performing per SLAs
Maintain high standards for code quality, reliability, and security
Team Leadership & Mentoring
Mentor engineers and conduct code reviews to drive engineering best practices
Guide teams in distributed system design, microservice patterns, and reactive programming
Foster continuous improvement in engineering practices, tooling, and workflows
Collaborate with product, design, and delivery teams; act as technical liaison to business stakeholders
Product-Level Engineering Oversight
Participate actively in Agile ceremonies (sprint planning, standups, retrospectives, backlog refinement) to ensure overall engineering progress aligns with roadmaps and timelines
Ensure that the team is meeting product owner goals and business priorities
Maintain awareness of engineering health across all technology layers of the product not just services
Identify cross-layer risks, dependencies, and blockers; escalate proactively
Know when to engage subject matter experts for other technology layers (iOS, Android, web, AEM, React Native) and facilitate collaboration to resolve cross-cutting concerns
Ensure that backend services, APIs, and integrations support the needs of all client platforms cleanly
Innovation & Continuous Learning
Stay current with backend, distributed systems, and cloud-native technologies
Create archetypes of new technologies and techniques for others to learn from
Drive adoption of modern patterns and tools across the services layer
Required Skills & Experience
7+ years of software development/engineering experience
2+ years in a lead or technical leadership role
Strong hands-on experience with Java, Spring Boot, and microservice architecture and design patterns
Experience with Maven-based Spring/Spring Boot (reactive programming a plus)
Proficiency with Docker/containers and Kubernetes with Kustomize
Experience with GitOps workflows and Argo CD
Experience with Kafka and event-driven architecture
Experience with Couchbase or other NoSQL databases
Experience with GraphQL and API design
Experience building customer-facing, large-scale distributed systems
Strong understanding of distributed systems, eventual consistency, and event-driven architecture
Strong communication skills and ability to work with senior leadership and cross-functional teams
Proficiency with Agile methodologies and SDLC best practices as defined by Royal Caribbean Group
Strong end-to-end accountability and a track record of taking delivery fully to completion
Clear ownership mindset not someone who leaves delivery responsibility with another organization
Solid experience working with offshore teams and driving work through closure across distributed teams
Scope control and management
Desired Skills
Experience with reactive programming (WebFlux, Project Reactor) and non-blocking I/O
Experience with API gateway architecture (Apigee or equivalent)
Experience with NoSQL and relational databases and stored procedure design
Experience with vendor oversight and third-party partner management
Familiarity with both web and mobile solution development