Software Developer Lead (Java, Spring Boot, AWS)

About the role

Dayforce is modernizing Powerpay, its Canadian payroll and human capital management solution, by building scalable, cloud-native services. It is looking for an experienced, hands-on Lead Software Developer who combines strong Java expertise with leadership, architectural thinking and a passion for modern engineering practices. The role involves active coding, technical decision-making, mentoring developers and helping the team deliver high-quality solutions.

Key responsibilities

• Lead the design, development and delivery of scalable backend applications with Java and Spring Boot, staying hands-on with coding, debugging, testing and problem solving.
• Design and implement RESTful APIs, microservices and integration solutions, and drive modernization toward cloud-native architectures.
• Collaborate with architects, Product Owners, QA, DevOps and frontend teams; review designs and ensure quality, maintainability, performance and security.
• Mentor developers through code reviews, technical discussions and knowledge sharing, and take ownership of complex technical challenges.
• Contribute to sprint planning, estimation and delivery commitments, and promote automated testing, CI, observability and secure development.
• Champion responsible AI-assisted development and coach team members in its adoption.

Required profile

• Proven ability to lead technical initiatives and guide development teams.
• Strong code review, mentoring and coaching capabilities, and ability to assess architectural trade-offs.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, and experience in Agile/Scrum environments.
• Ability to use AI coding assistants effectively and to validate AI-generated code for correctness, security and performance.

Required skills

• Java (preferably 17 or later), Spring Boot, Spring Framework and dependency injection.
• RESTful APIs, microservices, PostgreSQL, DB2 or SQL Server, unit and integration testing.
• AWS or equivalent, Docker, CI/CD (e.g. Harness, Jenkins, GitHub Actions).
• Technical leadership, mentoring and Agile/Scrum experience.

What stands out: AWS cloud-native apps (ECS/Fargate), event-driven architectures, Terraform, legacy modernization, payroll or HCM applications, and proven productivity gains from AI-assisted workflows.