Java Developer Job Description: Template, Examples and Salary Info

An oldie but a goodie, Java has the capability to create a wide range of websites, programs and software. In fact, a few of the biggest brands out there are built on Java, including AirBnB, Uber, Groupon and Spotify to name a few.

As a versatile and powerful language, it's no surprise that Java developers are in high demand, which makes it even more important for your job descriptions to resonate with top talent. That's what brings us here today.

Keep reading or skip to the section that interests you most.

FREE RESOURCE: JOB DESCRIPTION TEMPLATE LIBRARY. ACCESS IT HERE.

Table of Contents

What Does A Java Developer Do?
Five Java Developer Description Examples
Java Developer Job Description Template

What Does A Java Developer Do?

java-developer-job-description — image via shutterstock

Let’s start by debunking a very common misconception. Java is not the same thing as Javascript, nor is it a type of coffee. Sorry to disappoint you, although you may want to grab a hot beverage before we embark on this Java journey.

A Java Developer programs, develops and tests Java-based software, applications and websites. Java is an older language, but it remains one of the most popular programming languages due to its versatility.

Java Developers typically have a degree in computer science, information systems, mathematics or the equivalent in work experience. Many Java Developers start with an internship or apprenticeship or acquire extra certifications before earning a full-time job, but experience is key to success in this role.

Due to the versatile nature of the language, Java Developers are able to work at all stages of the software development lifecycle, on the front or back end and for mobile or desktop use cases.

As we mentioned earlier, many big name applications are created with Java but the industries they work in are quite different. The top five industries that use Java for developing application software are:

Computer Software
Information Technology & Services
Internet
Hospital & Health Care
Higher Education

Java Developers are also well-versed in a variety of coding languages and Java-related technologies. The makeup of your team and how your website/application/software is designed will determine which technologies and languages your candidates need to know to be successful in their role.

Before you jump into the myriad technologies developers and engineers use, talk with your engineering team to find out what technologies they consider must-haves. We’ve also provided a few of the most commonly used Java languages, technologies, programs and software to be familiar with when hiring Java Developers

Coding Languages

Scripting Languages

Relational Database

Messaging

Application Server

Web Framework

Javascript Libraries

Additional Technologies

Five Java Developer Job Description Examples

Now that you better understand some of the lingo and technologies used by Java Developers, let’s jump into some real examples to see how that language is put to use. These examples are from real job descriptions, so you’ll notice we have redacted some information to protect the privacy of the companies who posted them.

Java Developer Job Description: Example 1

[redacted] is looking for a talented Core Java Developer to oversee and contribute to our Core Java application frameworks, gateway systems, messaging APIs, and core data structures. You should have significant work experience developing with Core Java, ideally in [redacted]. Experience [redacted] is desired, but a real passion for our mission of fairness and transparency in the markets is imperative. If this sounds like you, please apply!

About you:

Ability to mentor and inspire team members to do their best work
Balance of being a team player as well as forming and asserting personal viewpoints independent of others
Ability to consistently produce results
Belief in [redacted] mission [redacted]

What you'll do:

Work with technology and operations teams to make design and architecture decisions when developing solutions for the exchange
Oversee and contribute to the development and maintenance of the Core Java application frameworks, messaging APIs, data structures (collections, etc.), application reliability, and recovery mechanisms
Manage and participate in the software development lifecycle, including the build, deployment, packaging, and dependency management stages
Contribute to developing systems including order entry, market data, post trade, system monitoring and reporting
Work closely with Market Operations and Technology Operations teams to provide help with troubleshooting production issues

Your background:

10+ years of professional experience with Core Java in a low latency environment
Knowledge of full Java development processes (build tools, continuous integration, automated testing, deployment)
Experience with [redacted]
Linux experience

Nice-to-haves:

Familiarity with C/C++
KDB+ experience
Knowledge of Python, Shell or other scripting languages

Java Developer Job Description: Example 2

[redacted] is looking for software engineers who specialize in Java and the JVM platform to join our team, grow with us, introduce us to new ideas and develop products that empower our users. Every day, you’ll work with team members across disciplines developing products for [redacted]. You’ll interact daily with our product managers to understand our domain and create technical solutions that push us forward. We want to work with other engineers who bring knowledge and excitement about our opportunities.

Responsibilities

Build well designed, well engineered, stable, scalable products across a variety of markets.
Good working experience in OO analysis & design using common design patterns.
Follow software design best practices such as continuous integration, test-driven development, and regular deployments.
Solve [redacted] problems with technology, understanding market chaos at work and crafting technically appropriate interactive experiences to communicate effectively with [redacted].
Be passionate about quality, process, programming, and [redacted] in general, seeing opportunities for improvement, seizing them, and then sharing your findings with others.
Familiarity or desire to become an AWS certified developer
Take ownership of the success of the team with a "gets things done" attitude; the ability to understand and leverage new technologies, potentially wearing many hats including business analyst, DBA, QA, and project manager.
Help to shape product vision.

Requirements

A bachelor's degree in computer science or a related field.
Three plus years of experience developing [redacted] web applications.
Solid experience with Java and the JVM ecosystem. Some areas that our Java engineers work in: Java 8, Scala, SBT, Groovy, Maven, Play, Spring Boot, Spring, Tomcat, AWS Elastic Beanstalk, AWS Lambdas
Exposure and/or experience with supporting technologies: Messaging (e.g. Rabbit MQ, AWS SQS), Databases (SQL Server, AWS Aurora, MySQL, Postgress), Python, REST API’s
Experience with Java, Linux, and Tomcat, as well as experience with full-stack web development.
An understanding of how to protect web applications from common security vulnerabilities.
Knowledge of object-oriented design, domain modeling, and building highly scalable and available systems.
Be organized and able to remain productive even when you have multiple deliverables.

Java Developer Job Description: Example 3

You will impact major feature and new product decisions as part of our remarkably high performing, collaborative team of engineers who thrive on the business impact of their work. With strong team support and significant freedom and self direction, you will experience the wealth of interesting, challenging problems that only a high growth startup can provide.

Responsibilities

Work in fast-paced environment to help generate ideas and quickly turn them into robust, well-tested, functioning code (including but not limited to Java)
Operate in a modified scrum environment where we spec, estimate, and divide up work as a team and then manage ourselves independently
Play a key role in the development of best practices in software design, implementation, and coding standards
Produce exemplary code and deliver completed projects in the time promised
Perform unit and system level testing on their application and all affected systems
Implement all aspects of an application design including but not limited to: high-performance design, coding, caching mechanisms, state management, error logging, scalability, environment configuration, proper testing procedures, naming standards and all other aspects of good application design and development

Behavioral Profile

Strong ability to self-regulate and problem solve through obstacles in a dynamic, fast-paced environment; maintains realistic estimations and escalates proactively when necessary
Connects their code to the business problems being solved and translates effectively across business and technical boundaries; motivated to learn about and impact a new market
Strongly collaborative and excels on a focused team

Skills and Experience

1-5 years of software development experience; object oriented design skills and knowledge of website design and usability
Strong Java skills
Solid SQL experience
Experience delivering enterprise software strongly preferred
Hibernate and/or Spring experience preferred
BS or BA in Computer Science or related field or equivalent experience

Java Developer Job Description: Example 4

[redacted] wants a Java Developer with demonstrably strong internet-focused Java development experience to join our team of dedicated, passionate software engineers. Every application you work on will directly impact how our [redacted] connect and communicate. You'll deliver some of our most innovative and cutting-edge technology solutions to date.

As our team grows, we're looking for someone who loves to code and can work hand-in-hand with experts from product development, marketing, software test and other partners to determine the best solution (not just the easiest solution) to our business problems.

We seek:

A smart, results-oriented individual with a mix of passion for solid application architecture and coding, who also has the soft skills of building relationships and consensus.
An individual with the ability and desire to see the big picture beyond the happy path, and bend the lens to see what's around the corner - we’re software professionals and we think in terms of what happens when…not what happens if….
An economical mind with an intuition for understanding scope versus value and placing emphasis on the 80/20 rule.
An empathetic person who mindfully intends to make it easier for the producers and consumers of their work to effectively do their jobs.
An architectural thinker that values availability and scalability. We use distributed systems to make it all happen.
Someone not afraid to make mistakes, and willing to take ownership of projects: gain a good understanding of the problem, work to negotiate an acceptable technology solution, find the tools and answers, and proactively build and deliver code.

If you can demonstrate your skills in these areas, then we should chat:

Very solid internet-focused Java JEE, particularly Java 8, development
Understand SOA and OOP concepts
Understand abstract problems and provide innovative solutions
Work within a Servlet Container
Work with Oracle RDBMS
Bonus points for Spring MVC, Spring Boot microservices, distributed messaging/JMS, MBeans, REST architecture,
distributed caching, Git, CSS, AJAX, JavaScript, fluency in at least one Linux-based scripting language.

Java Developer Job Description: Example 5

Presently we are looking to build a Platform Engineering team [redacted] and have a need for a Sr/Lead Full Stack Java Engineer. You will work with a talented group of developers building out next generation technologies [redacted]. This team is responsible for the innovation, features, and architecture that make [redacted].

As a senior/lead engineer you will be a key member of a small team of developers. You will help coach and mentor other associates, design and implement new features for [redacted], and lead small to medium sized projects throughout the SDLC lifecycle. In addition, you will help shape the future of the team’s culture by practicing and encouraging development best practices, participating in code reviews, and aligning the team to organizational goals and objectives.

What you get to do in this role:

Build highly reliable and scalable cloud based applications
Solve real world complex problems at scale on [redacted]
Examples of past and previous projects include implementing support for multiple databases, automated error detection and self-healing, instrumentation of [redacted] to provide new insight into performance problems
Work with a strong set of teams to improve developing and deploying applications and customizations
Apply new technology and innovation to improve [redacted] functionality
Be part of a world class engineering organization that takes pride in building extensible and resilient engineering solutions
Deliver an outstanding experience for our customers
Work in a Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) based environment with bright and forward-thinking developers and quality engineers

In order to be successful in this role, we need someone who has:

Firm understanding of best practices for object-oriented and modularized software with a particular emphasis on Java
Strong understanding of web technologies: HTTP, REST, SOAP, OAuth, JavaScript, JavaScript libraries such as AngularJS, ReactJS, Backbone.js, Node.js, jQuery.
Relational Database Experience: Developing on, troubleshooting and optimizing performance of: MySQL,Oracle, MS SQLServer
Experience designing and implementing highly interactive user interfaces for high volume web applications
Experience in application development building [redacted] applications in a high transaction environment.
Experience with troubleshooting difficult production issues e.g. memory leaks, network problems, intermittent failures etc. across the stack
Experience designing & building scalable web services.
Exceptional debugging, testing, and problem-solving skills