Principal Engineer, Java

CLEAR (Headquarters: NYC / Austin)

Backend Principal Lead Architecture Java JVM Spring Distributed Systems Microservices Cloud Scalability Performance Security NYC Onsite Back End Engineer Staff Engineer

Company: CLEAR
CLEAR's mission is to strengthen security and create frictionless experiences. We're transforming the way people live, work, and travel using our secure identity platform. Join our growing team in NYC!

Role: Principal Engineer, Java (NYC)
We are seeking a Principal Engineer with deep expertise in Java to provide high-level technical leadership within our engineering organization in New York City. You will be a key influencer in architectural decisions, tackle the most complex technical challenges, mentor senior staff, and shape the future of our Java-based backend systems. This role requires working onsite 5 days a week in our NYC office.

Responsibilities:
- Define and drive the overall technical architecture and strategy for major Java-based systems.
- Lead the design and development of mission-critical backend services and platforms.
- Mentor Staff and Senior engineers, fostering technical growth across the organization.
- Solve the most challenging problems related to scalability, performance, reliability, and security.
- Collaborate with leadership on technology roadmaps and long-term vision.
- Champion innovation and represent CLEAR in technical communities.

Technical Skills:
- World-class expertise in Java, the JVM, and associated frameworks (Spring, etc.).
- Extensive background in designing, building, and operating highly scalable, distributed backend systems.
- Mastery of database technologies, microservices, event-driven architecture, and cloud platforms.
- Deep understanding of concurrency, performance optimization, and system internals.
- Proven ability to architect for security, reliability, and maintainability at scale.

Ideal Candidate:
- Widely recognized as a technical expert and leader in the Java ecosystem.
- Track record of architecting and delivering complex, high-impact systems.
- Exceptional problem-solving skills and ability to navigate ambiguity.
- Strong communication, influence, and mentoring capabilities.
- Must be able to work onsite in NYC.