Lead Backend Engineer

Job Description

Job Title: Lead Backend Engineer

Department: Information Technology

Location: Red Roof

Pay Band: Specialist

Job Summary: The Lead Backend Engineer will build the next generation technologies that handle increasing amounts of information at a massive scale in real-time. The Lead Backend Engineer will bring fresh ideas from all areas, including information retrieval, distributed computing, large-scale system design, networking, data storage, security, artificial intelligence, natural language processing, UI design and mobile. The Lead Backend Engineer shall work on specific projects critical to Wawa’s needs.

Principal Duties:

• Provide leadership on projects, technical assistance, and strategic vision and facilitate the definition of project deliverables. Complete project deliverables or provide consulting work efforts based on the agreed scope; estimates work effort, duration, resources and requirements. Ensure that requirements are being met. Research, identify and develop solutions to business challenges and opportunities. Develop project plans to design, install, and upgrade and manage systems and utility software.
• Define tracking mechanisms and ensure IT standards and methodology are met. Manage expectations and project scope.  Appropriately report status and deliver quality results. Develop and maintain support documentation with up to date processes and procedures.
• Translate complex functional specifications to detail technical designs regarding Test Case, Testing Automation, User Interfaces (UI), Custom Software Applications, middleware technologies, API, API orchestration/choreography, deployment artifacts, artifact packaging, and application monitoring automation, logging and performance metrics. Provide input, guidance and recommendations on technical designs developed by other team members. Develop creative solutions for complex enhancements.
• Follow standard development processes and transport process including Agile, SDLC methodologies, DevOps, Source Code Management, etc. Ability to apply IT security standards and practices as well as adhere to these standards in the development and design of new and existing technologies within our corporate and store infrastructure
• Technical consultant for the team and internal business teams. Serve as an expert in technical field of knowledge.
• Develop unit test plans, test cases/scripts, UI components, application source code, and application packaging configuration scripts, deployment scripts, configuration of API infrastructure, artifact packaging configurations, all automation configurations and performance monitoring and debugging component configurations where applicable.
• Create and establish performance baselines via performance testing and application profiling. Monitor system performance and tune for peak performance of application/system components built or procured from vendors.
• Research technology related products and make objective recommendations based on business or operational requirements.  Anticipate potential problem situations/risks and address with effective objective responses.
• Maintain a very high degree of decision impact due to system privileges and responsibilities.
• Integrate enterprise-wide tools for automating, monitoring, and managing the current and future technology environments in a proactive manner.
• Develop, document, implement and maintain system management strategies, policies and procedures, including security, support, training and installation procedures.
• Recommend, design, implement and support infrastructure integration into business solutions, while meeting the business goals and objectives. This includes supporting documentation and diagrams detailing the specific infrastructure.
• Engage with Engineering team and other ITPS departments to establish appropriate security models for enhancements and changes as well as training downstream support personnel on technology components around custom API Middle Tier services.
• Drive issue resolution associated with the implementation and testing of new system management software (i.e., Communication Services, APIs) Support and deploy Mid-tier APIs and App. Services based processes for system servers within the Enterprise.
• Work with IT and outside vendors to resolve technology issues. Develop and maintain processes and procedures as appropriate.
• Coordinate with other IT departments in the execution of system reboots, maintenance, upgrades/implementations, system and data restorations, mass data changes and system cleanup. Investigate and remedy the root cause of service delivery incidents.
• Coach and mentor other team members in their development of IT Applications. Serve as a resource and knowledge expert to Applications Development Manager in the project areas.

Essential Functions:

• Ability to work well individually as well as in a team environment
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, customer service skills
• Detail oriented and excellent organizational, time and stress management skills
• Excellent analytical and problem solving skills
• Ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously and independently
• Proven self-starter with leadership skills and demonstrated ability to make decisions
• Proven Project Management skills. Lead large cross-functional projects
• Ability to be on-call 24/7 when required
• Demonstrate consistency in continuous learning and develop other technical Associates
• Ability to learn new technologies quickly and independently
• When prioritizing work, considers the bigger picture, ensuring alignment with department objectives
• Able to effectively utilize multiple tactics based on situational variables

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology or a technical discipline preferred (e.g., engineering) or equivalent.
• Proficient in programming languages and concepts around API services and Interfaces:  Java SE and EE, JavaScript, API development concepts and abstracts (JSON, XML, WADL, RAML, Swagger, RESTful).
• General knowledge around endpoint protocols and security components (SFTP/FTP, File, OAuth2, SSL, SSH, LDAP etc.)
• Fluent in multiple technologies (Frameworks, Java, JavaScript, SpringBoot, REST API, Graph QL, SQL, NoSQL, Graph DB’s, etc.).
• Test Driven development or Behavior Driven development with a clear understanding of the tool stack. Expertise in unit test, building Integration, smoke and regression testing suite,  code coverage process, and pipeline setup.
• Understanding of common design patterns, data structures and algorithms and experience in cloud computing with expertise on at least one cloud infrastructure.
• Experience with statistics and data processing algorithms.
• Experience with securing real-time data pipelines (e.g. Kafka, Storm, Flink, etc.) and batch processing (Spark, Hadoop, etc.).

Wawa, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. Wawa maintains a work environment in which Associates are treated fairly and with respect and in which discrimination of any kind will not be tolerated. In accordance with federal, state and local laws, we recruit, hire, promote and evaluate all applicants and Associates without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, ancestry, familial status, marital status, sexual orientation or preference, gender identity or expression, citizenship status, disability, veteran or military status, genetic information, domestic or sexual violence victim status or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. Unlawful discrimination will not be a factor in any employment decision.