Lead Software Engineer - Java

Cox Automotive is seeking a Lead Software Engineer to join our agile development team in Atlanta, GA. This role is ideal for a curious, adaptable engineer who thrives in a fast-paced environment, enjoys working across the stack, and is excited to explore emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence (AI) to help drive the next generation of our core products.

As a lead software engineer, you will drive technical excellence, mentor junior engineers, and champion best practices in cloud-native, DevOps-focused software engineering. You'll work in a collaborative, cross-functional Agile environment using Scrum or Kanban, partnering closely with product owners, QA engineers, and other partner teams. Contribute to the architecture and design of multiple systems across the organization and influence the technical vision behind the platform. Play a strategic functional role in guiding engineering teams toward next-generation architecture and engineering capabilities.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and deploy robust, scalable software solutions that meet user story requirements and acceptance criteria.
• Write and maintain unit, integration, and automated tests to ensure software quality and reliability.
• Support functional testing efforts for applications, modules, or new features.
• Troubleshoot and resolve software defects and production issues.
• Break down epics and stories into technical tasks and provide accurate estimates.
• Build expertise in the applications, systems, and services you support.
• Participate actively in Agile ceremonies and collaborate within a cross-functional team.
• Effectively document your work and share knowledge with the team.
• Monitor and manage cloud infrastructure (cost, performance, security) within AWS.
• Enhance infrastructure and CI/CD pipelines to improve performance, security, and deployment cycles.
• Stay current on new tools, technologies, and trends relevant to your technical domain.
• Explore and incorporate AI capabilities to improve code quality, deployment processes, and innovation within our engineering practice.
• Mentor and support junior and mid-level engineers through technical guidance and peer programming.
• Assist in providing technical guidance and support to the team, ensuring that best practices are followed.
  
  

Lead-Software Level Expectations

• Mentorship & Leadership: Provide technical mentorship on design patterns, code quality, and career growth. Guide and mentor junior engineers, providing them with the knowledge and skills needed to grow in their roles.
• Ownership & Initiative: Take full ownership of features or systems; proactively identify and solve problems. Conduct thorough code reviews to ensure high-quality standards
• Continuous Learning: Stay up to date with advancements in cloud computing, DevOps, AI, and software best practices.
• Adaptability: Thrive in dynamic environments and pivot easily when priorities shift.
• Collaboration & Communication: Communicate technical concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders, ensuring clear and effective communication.
• Decision-Making: Influence architectural decisions and contribute to the long-term technical strategy.
  
  

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a related discipline and 6 years of experience in a related field, OR master's degree and 4 years of experience, OR Ph.D. and up to 1 year of experience, OR 18 years of directly relevant experience.
• 6 years' recent experience designing and developing web applications in Java
• 4 years' experience building and deploying applications in a cloud environment (preferably AWS).
• 4 years' middleware/backend/API development experience.
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working with AI technologies or strong curiosity to incorporate AI into development.
• Development experience in Python, and/or React.js.
• Expertise in AWS - certifications (Developer, Solutions Architect, or DevOps) would be a plus
• Experience leading or contributing significantly to large-scale technical projects.
  
  

Technology We Use

• Languages: Python, JavaScript, Java, SQL
• Cloud & DevOps: AWS, Docker, Git, Github Actions
• Special Focus: AI integration, Serverless architecture
• Rally
• New Relic
• Splunk
• PagerDuty
  
  

USD 119,600.00 - 199,400.00 per year

Compensation

Compensation includes a base salary of $119,600.00 - $199,400.00. The base salary may vary within the anticipated base pay range based on factors such as the ultimate location of the position and the selected candidate's knowledge, skills, and abilities. Position may be eligible for additional compensation that may include an incentive program.

Benefits

The Company offers eligible employees the flexibility to take as much vacation with pay as they deem consistent with their duties, the company's needs, and its obligations; seven paid holidays throughout the calendar year; and up to 160 hours of paid wellness annually for their own wellness or that of family members. Employees are also eligible for additional paid time off in the form of bereavement leave, time off to vote, jury duty leave, volunteer time off, military leave, and parental leave.