Software Engineer V, ACVMax

If you are looking for a career at a dynamic company with a people-first mindset and a deep culture of growth and autonomy, ACV is the right place for you! Competitive compensation packages and learning and development opportunities, ACV has what you need to advance to the next level in your career. We will continue to raise the bar every day by investing in our people and technology to help our customers succeed. We hire people who share our passion, bring innovative ideas to the table, and enjoy a collaborative atmosphere.

Who we are:

ACV is a technology company that has revolutionized how dealers buy and sell cars online. We are transforming the automotive industry. ACV Auctions Inc. (ACV), has applied innovation and user-designed, data driven applications and solutions. We are building the most trusted and efficient digital marketplace with data solutions for sourcing, selling and managing used vehicles with transparency and comprehensive insights that were once unimaginable. We are disruptors of the industry and we want you to join us on our journey. Our network of brands include ACV Auctions, ACV Transportation, ClearCar, MAX Digital and ACV Capital within its Marketplace Products, as well as, True360 and Data Services.

At ACV we focus on the Health, Physical, Financial, Social and Emotional Wellness of our Teammates and, to support this, we offer:

• Multiple medical plans including a high deductible, low cost health plan
• Company-sponsored (paid) Short-Term Disability, Long-Term Disability, and Life Insurance
• Comprehensive optional benefits such as Dental, Vision, Supplemental Life/AD&D, Legal/ID Protection, and Accident and Critical Illness Insurance
• Generous paid time off options, including uncapped vacation days, the greater of 3 paid sick days or in accordance with the applicable state or local paid sick leave law, 6 paid company holidays, 2 floating holidays, parental leave, bereavement leave, jury duty leave, voting leave, and other forms of paid leave as required by applicable law or regulation
• Employee Stock Purchase Program with additional opportunities to earn stock in the Company
• Retirement planning through the Company’s 401(k)
  
  

Who we are looking for:

ACV Auctions is seeking a Software Engineer V to join our ACV MAX Engineering team and play a key technical leadership role in advancing our SaaS product, ACV MAX. This position focuses on the architecture, design, and delivery of robust, scalable, and secure Java-based platforms and services, leveraging frameworks such as Spring, Hibernate, Struts, and Maven, hosted in AWS, and utilizing SQL Server or similar relational databases.

The ideal candidate brings extensive experience and a proven track record of leading the architecture and delivery of enterprise-scale Java applications. You thrive in shaping technical direction, establishing engineering standards, and mentoring engineers. You excel at building consensus across teams, driving innovation, and ensuring the continued reliability, maintainability, and performance of our products. Exceptional communication and leadership skills, along with a collaborative, team-oriented approach, are essential for guiding the next generation of our SaaS solutions.

What you will do:

• Actively and consistently support all efforts to simplify and enhance the customer experience.
• Architect, deliver, and maintain large-scale, distributed Java services and systems, ensuring resilience, security, and scalability across the company’s core platforms.
• Define, drive, and implement engineering best practices and standards for Java, Spring, Hibernate, Struts, Maven, and associated technology stacks, influencing technical direction and tooling across multiple teams and products.
• Lead the technical design and implementation of critical APIs, services, and full-stack MVC applications, utilizing advanced knowledge of data modeling, protocols, storage, message brokers, and interface patterns.
• Set and enforce standards for code quality, performance, observability, security, and operational readiness for all Java-based systems, including integration with AWS (ECR, ECS, API Gateway, Route 53), Terraform, and modern CI/CD pipelines.
• Own and evolve the multi-year technical roadmap for Java applications and supporting infrastructure, proactively identifying business risk and technology debt, and ensuring robust lifecycle management of tools, libraries, and frameworks.
• Collaborate and communicate effectively with cross-functional engineering, product, and operations teams to define requirements, architect solutions, and coordinate system-wide rollouts.
• Provide technical leadership, mentorship, and guidance to multiple engineering teams, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and technical excellence.
• Lead and conduct rigorous code reviews, develop and enforce high standards for documentation and test suite robustness, and ensure the technical team rapidly diagnoses and resolves complex issues in production.
• Champion and implement engineering-wide security and compliance standards, ensuring all Java services meet or exceed regulatory and business requirements.
• Lead the design and implementation of advanced data models using Hibernate ORM, SQL Server (or other RDBMS), and patterns such as normalization, EAV, append-only persistence, and event sourcing at scale.
• Influence and contribute to the definition of company-wide standards for deployment, monitoring, and optimization of Java applications using tools like Datadog, CloudWatch Logs, and custom solutions.
• Drive the adoption and evolution of custom software patterns, architectural approaches, and reusable frameworks to address unique and complex software challenges.
• Serve as a technical escalation point for the most complex issues, providing swift, effective, and sustainable solutions across the business’ technology portfolio.
• Ensure high reliability, performance, and security for products and services, while balancing multiple competing priorities in a fast-paced, agile environment.
• Perform additional duties as assigned.
  
  

What you will need:

• Ability to read, write, speak and understand English.
• BS or MS degree in Computer Science, a related technical discipline, or equivalent practical experience 8 years of experience architecting, building, and maintaining SaaS web applications using Java, Spring Framework, Hibernate, and related technologies at scale.
• Deep expertise in designing and implementing large-scale, distributed systems using Java, with a strong emphasis on scalability, maintainability, security, and performance.
• Demonstrated experience setting and influencing engineering-wide standards for architecture, technical documentation, testing, observability, build systems, and operational practices.
• Mastery of the Spring ecosystem, Hibernate ORM, Maven, Struts, and modern Java application frameworks, with the ability to drive adoption of best practices and new technologies across teams.
• Proven experience integrating and optimizing cloud-native architectures using AWS services such as ECS, ECR, API Gateway, S3, Route 53, and leveraging infrastructure-as-code tools like Terraform for provisioning and management.
• Advanced proficiency in SQL programming, relational database design (SQL Server, PostgreSQL, or similar), and building complex data models using ORM patterns, including normalization, EAV, append-only, and event sourcing.
• Extensive experience with Docker, container orchestration, and deployment automation; familiarity with Kubernetes and serverless/cloud-native deployment patterns.
• Expert-level knowledge of CI/CD pipelines and automation tools such as GitHub Actions, Jenkins, or similar, driving improvements to build, release, and deployment processes.
• Exceptional skill in release management, code quality enforcement, automated testing strategies, and the full software development lifecycle (SDLC).
• Demonstrated ability to architect, plan, and execute multi-year lifecycle strategies for applications, libraries, and supporting infrastructure, proactively managing technical debt and risk.
• Advanced expertise in debugging, profiling, and optimizing distributed systems using tools like Datadog, CloudWatch Logs, and distributed tracing frameworks.
• Strong leadership, mentoring, and communication skills, with a proven track record of guiding and developing engineers, leading code reviews, and fostering a culture of technical excellence.
• Experience working effectively across multiple teams and time zones, engaging with cross-functional stakeholders, and influencing company-wide engineering direction.
• Proven ability to rapidly troubleshoot and resolve the most complex technical issues, modify or develop custom patterns, and implement robust solutions under competing priorities in an agile environment.
• Commitment to enforcing and advancing security standards and ensuring compliance for all Java-based products and services.
• Experience in automotive industry a plus.
  
  

Compensation: $165,000.00 - $190,000.00 annually. Please note that final compensation will be determined based upon the applicant's relevant experience, skillset, location, business needs, market demands, and other factors as permitted by law. #

No immigration or work visa sponsorship will be provided for this position.

Our Values

Trust & Transparency | People First | Positive Experiences | Calm Persistence | Never Settling

At ACV, we are committed to an inclusive culture in which every individual is welcomed and empowered to celebrate their true selves. We achieve this by fostering a work environment of acceptance and understanding that is free from discrimination. ACV is committed to being an equal opportunity employer regardless of sex, race, creed, color, religion, marital status, national origin, age, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, disability, military status, status as a veteran, or any other protected characteristic. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. If you have a disability or special need that requires reasonable accommodation, please let us know.

For information on our collection and use of your personal information, please see our Privacy Notice.