We are looking for a Software Engineer (Java) to join our backend engineering team and build reliable, scalable systems that support restaurant operations at global scale. This role is suited for an engineer who can take clear ownership of backend modules and services, solve moderately complex technical problems, and contribute strongly to technical solution design.
At this level, the engineer is expected not only to deliver high-quality code, but also to propose practical technical solutions, lead implementation discussions within their area, and apply sound engineering patterns and best practices. The role requires close collaboration with product, frontend, design, QA, and platform teams to ensure solutions are scalable, maintainable, and aligned with business needs.
- Own backend modules and services end to end, from technical breakdown and implementation through release and production support.
- Design, build, and maintain Java-based services and APIs used across restaurant operations platforms.
- Translate business and product requirements into clear technical approaches and help lead conversations on the best way to implement them.
- Contribute to technical design decisions for new features, integrations, and service improvements within your domain.
- Take responsibility for code quality, performance, stability, and maintainability within your area of expertise.
- Troubleshoot production issues, identify root causes, and implement sustainable fixes.
- Apply best practices in code structure, testing, observability, documentation, and secure development.
- Partner with cross-functional teams to ensure solutions are practical, well-scoped, and aligned to real operational needs.
- Support and guide less experienced engineers through code reviews, technical feedback, and day-to-day collaboration.
- Continuously improve backend services, engineering practices, and development workflows.
Core Skills
- Strong expertise in Java, including OOP, concurrency, collections, and transaction management.
- Strong proficiency with Spring Boot, Spring Data, and dependency injection.
- Experience designing, building, and scaling RESTful microservices in production.
- Solid understanding of API security, including OAuth, Cognito, token-based authentication, and role-based access control.
- Experience with event-driven architecture and asynchronous processing, including Kafka and SQS.
- Strong experience with SQL and NoSQL databases, including schema design and query optimization.
- Experience diagnosing and resolving production issues in distributed systems.
- Experience supporting large-scale, multi-tenant platforms.
- Experience integrating AI-driven services into backend workflows is a plus.
- Exposure to conversational systems, recommendation engines, or intelligent workflow orchestration is beneficial.
Expected Level of Ownership
- Independently owns modules or service areas with limited day-to-day supervision.
- Solves routine and moderately complex engineering problems with sound technical judgment.
- Contributes actively to technical design and implementation decisions in their domain.
- Recommends better patterns, trade-offs, and approaches where needed.
- Demonstrates strong control over their area of expertise and acts as a trusted engineering contributor across functions.
Version Control & Ways of Working
- Proficient in Git for version control and team collaboration.
- Experience working in Agile teams, contributing to sprint planning, refinement, and technical estimation.
- Comfortable working closely with product, design, QA, and engineering peers in iterative delivery.
Bonus Skills
- Familiarity with JavaScript or TypeScript.
- Experience with CI/CD tools such as Jenkins, CircleCI, or Harness.
- Hands-on experience with AWS services such as EC2, EKS, S3, RDS, and Lambda.
- Knowledge of Kubernetes for orchestration, deployment, and scaling.
- Experience with monitoring and logging tools such as Datadog.
Skills Required
- Strong expertise in Java, including object-oriented programming, concurrency, collections, and transaction management
- Strong proficiency with Spring Boot, Spring Data, and dependency injection
- Experience designing, building, and scaling RESTful microservices in production
- Understanding of API security, including OAuth, Cognito, token-based authentication, and role-based access control
- Experience with event-driven architecture and asynchronous processing using Kafka and SQS
- Strong experience with SQL and NoSQL databases, including schema design and query optimization
- Experience diagnosing and resolving production issues in distributed systems
- Experience supporting large-scale, multi-tenant platforms
- Proficiency with Git for version control and team collaboration
- Experience working in Agile teams, including sprint planning, refinement, and technical estimation
- Experience integrating AI-driven services into backend workflows
- Exposure to conversational systems, recommendation engines, or intelligent workflow orchestration
- Familiarity with JavaScript or TypeScript
- Experience with CI/CD tools such as Jenkins, CircleCI, or Harness
- Hands-on experience with AWS services including EC2, EKS, S3, RDS, and Lambda
- Knowledge of Kubernetes for orchestration, deployment, and scaling
- Experience with monitoring and logging tools such as Datadog
Yum! Brands Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Yum! Brands and has not been reviewed or approved by Yum! Brands.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Corporate roles include four weeks of vacation, year‑round half‑day Fridays, company holidays, dedicated “Live Well” days, and paid volunteer days. These policies contribute meaningfully to overall compensation value for corporate employees.
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Wellbeing & Lifestyle Benefits — Offerings include free access to mental‑health counselors, onsite/virtual wellness tools, onsite gyms in select offices, and wellbeing discounts. Smoking‑cessation and weight‑management programs further bolster lifestyle support.
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Parental & Family Support — Benefits span family‑planning coverage such as adoption, fertility, and baby‑bonding leave. Corporate materials also note enhanced parental leave for U.S. corporate employees.
Yum! Brands Insights
What We Do
Yum! Brands, Inc., based in Louisville, Kentucky, and its subsidiaries franchise or operate a system of over 55,000 restaurants in more than 155 countries and territories under the Company’s concepts – KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and the Habit Burger Grill. The Company's KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut brands are global leaders of the chicken, Mexican-style food, and pizza categories, respectively. The Habit Burger Grill is a fast casual restaurant concept specializing in made-to-order chargrilled burgers, sandwiches and more. What makes Yum! a great place to work? It's our people. As the world's largest restaurant company, we invest in people capability so that our global workforce can make the most of their careers. With ongoing opportunities for personal and professional success, we've built a culture that rewards and recognizes great effort while providing the flexibility that is so important to all of us.
