Position Overview
We are seeking an experienced and visionary Java Fullstack Tech Lead (C13 - Vice President) to lead the design, development, and delivery of mission-critical, enterprise-scale applications within Citi. In this role, you will lead high-performing engineering squads, architect robust microservices and modern UI solutions, drive adoption of cloud-native and DevOps best practices, and collaborate closely with product management, business stakeholders, and enterprise architecture teams to deliver resilient, high-throughput financial systems.
Responsibilities & Core Expectations
1. Architectural Design & Technical Leadership
Own end-to-end technical solution architecture, translating complex business and regulatory requirements into scalable, fault-tolerant, and maintainable software designs.
Champion modern software paradigms including event-driven architectures (EDA), domain-driven design (DDD), asynchronous messaging, and reactive systems.
Ensure all technical designs strictly align with Citi’s enterprise architecture standards, cybersecurity principles, and non-functional requirements (NFRs).
2. Fullstack Engineering Excellence (Java & Modern UI)
Architect and lead the implementation of resilient backend services using Java 17/21, Spring Boot 3.x, Spring Cloud, Hibernate/JPA, and microservices patterns.
Drive modern, modular, accessible, and responsive frontend applications using React, Angular, or TypeScript, enforcing component reusability and high UI performance.
Set rigorous engineering standards across the tech stack, ensuring clean code, SOLID principles, optimal algorithm design, and minimal technical debt.
3. Cloud-Native Architecture & Containerization
Drive migration and modernization of services toward cloud platforms (OpenShift / AWS / GCP / Private Cloud / Hybrid).
Oversee containerization strategies using Docker and orchestration via Kubernetes / OpenShift (ECS), ensuring auto-scaling, high availability, and disaster recovery readiness.
Architect multi-region, active-active, or active-passive deployment patterns to guarantee business continuity (COB/DR).
4. API & Integration Engineering
Design and govern enterprise-grade RESTful APIs, GraphQL endpoints, and gRPC interfaces following OpenAPI/Swagger specifications.
Architect asynchronous, event-driven data streaming pipelines leveraging Apache Kafka, Solace, or IBM MQ.
Implement secure API gateway controls, rate-limiting, mutual TLS (mTLS), token-based authentication (OAuth2/OIDC), and circuit-breaking patterns.
5. Data Architecture & Persistence Engineering
Lead database design, query optimization, indexing, and data modeling across relational engines (Oracle, PostgreSQL) and NoSQL/Document databases (MongoDB, Cassandra).
Implement distributed caching mechanisms using Redis or Hazelcast to optimize response latencies and system throughput.
Ensure strict adherence to data governance, lineage, retention, and masking policies for sensitive financial data.
6. DevSecOps, CI/CD, & Quality Engineering Automation
Champion automated continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipelines using platforms like Tekton, Jenkins, GitLab/GitHub Actions, and Harness.
Enforce automated test-driven development (TDD), behavior-driven development (BDD), and integration testing using JUnit 5, Mockito, Cypress, Playwright, or Jest.
Mandate static and dynamic security scanning (Snyk, SonarQube, Checkmarx, Black Duck) with zero-tolerance policies for high-severity vulnerabilities.
7. Observability, Resiliency, & Site Reliability
Implement comprehensive telemetry, metrics, distributed tracing, and centralized logging utilizing OpenTelemetry, Prometheus, Grafana, Splunk, or ELK/Loki.
Drive site reliability engineering (SRE) practices, setting and monitoring Service Level Objectives (SLOs), Service Level Indicators (SLIs), and error budgets.
Lead root-cause analysis (RCA) for production incidents, conducting blameless post-mortems and implementing preventative corrective actions.
8. Engineering Governance, Risk, & Regulatory Compliance
Ensure all software deliverables comply with Citi's internal development lifecycle standards, Citi Information Security Policies (CISP), and regulatory compliance guidelines (e.g., SOX, Basel, GDPR).
Prepare applications for internal and external audits, architecture review boards (ARB), and threat modeling assessments.
Manage risk identification, remediation tracking, and technical mitigation across all owned repositories and systems.
9. Team Leadership, Mentorship, & Talent Development
Function as technical mentor and coach for engineers (C09–C12), conducting rigorous code reviews, pair programming, and technical workshops.
Foster a culture of innovation, psychological safety, continuous learning, and engineering excellence across geographically distributed squads.
Partner with Engineering Managers on technical hiring, skill assessments, performance reviews, and career development roadmaps.
10. Agile Execution & Stakeholder Collaboration
Collaborate actively with Product Managers, Business Analysts, Scrum Masters, and Operations teams in PI planning, backlog grooming, and sprint executions.
Translate business roadmaps into granular technical user stories, estimation models, and phased release strategies.
Communicate technical concepts, project risks, and architectural trade-offs clearly to senior management and non-technical stakeholders.
Qualifications & Required Experience
Education & Experience
Education: Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Information Technology, or a related field.
Experience: 12+ years of professional software engineering experience, with at least 3+ years in a Technical Lead or Principal Engineering capacity within financial services, fintech, or large-scale enterprise environments.
Technical Skill Matrix
Domain Primary Technologies & Competencies
Backend Java 17/21, Spring Boot, Spring Data, Spring Security, Microservices, Hibernate
Frontend React.js / Angular, TypeScript, HTML5, CSS3, Modern State Management (Redux/Zustand)
Messaging & Events Apache Kafka, Solace, RabbitMQ, Event-Driven Architecture
Database & Cache Oracle, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Redis, Distributed Caching
Cloud & DevOps Kubernetes, OpenShift, Docker, Tekton / Jenkins, Helm, Terraform
Security & Quality OAuth 2.0, mTLS, Snyk, SonarQube, JUnit, Mockito, Cypress
Observability Prometheus, Grafana, Splunk, OpenTelemetry, AppDynamics
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Job Family Group: Technology------------------------------------------------------
Job Family:Applications Development------------------------------------------------------
Time Type:Full time------------------------------------------------------
Most Relevant Skills Please see the requirements listed above.------------------------------------------------------
Other Relevant Skills For complementary skills, please see above and/or contact the recruiter.------------------------------------------------------
Citi is an equal opportunity employer, and qualified candidates will receive consideration without regard to their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other characteristic protected by law.
If you are a person with a disability and need a reasonable accommodation to use our search tools and/or apply for a career opportunity review Accessibility at Citi.
View Citi’s EEO Policy Statement and the Know Your Rights poster.
Skills Required
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Information Technology, or a related field
- 12+ years of professional software engineering experience
- At least 3+ years in a Technical Lead or Principal Engineering capacity
- Experience within financial services, fintech, or large-scale enterprise environments
- Experience with Java, Spring Boot, microservices, and full-stack frontend development using React, Angular, or TypeScript
- Experience with cloud platforms, Kubernetes or OpenShift, Docker, and DevOps practices
- Experience designing APIs, event-driven architectures, messaging systems, databases, and distributed caching
- Experience with CI/CD, automated testing, security scanning, observability, and SRE practices
Citi Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Citi and has not been reviewed or approved by Citi.
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Healthcare Strength — Benefits coverage is positioned as comprehensive, including health, dental, and vision insurance plus on-site clinics, prescription drug support, and disability coverage. Family-building support such as fertility assistance is described as a notable differentiator within the overall package.
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Retirement Support — Retirement benefits are framed as strong, highlighted by a 401(k) with matching and additional plan options like a Roth 401(k). Financial support is reinforced through discounts and broader financial guidance resources tied to the benefits ecosystem.
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Wellbeing & Lifestyle Benefits — Wellbeing support extends beyond insurance through programs like an Employee Assistance Program, counseling/legal resources, and gym or wellness reimbursement. These offerings increase the perceived total rewards value even when cash compensation sentiment varies by role.
Citi Insights
What We Do
Citi's mission is to serve as a trusted partner to our clients by responsibly providing financial services that enable growth and economic progress. Our core activities are safeguarding assets, lending money, making payments and accessing the capital markets on behalf of our clients. We have 200 years of experience helping our clients meet the world's toughest challenges and embrace its greatest opportunities. We are Citi, the global bank – an institution connecting millions of people across hundreds of countries and cities.
