Associate, Developer Backend, Sofia, Bulgaria

## Associate, Developer Backend, Sofia, Bulgaria - Organization:EBRD - European Bank for Reconstruction and Development - Office:EBRD Sofia, Bulgaria Requisition ID: 36605 Office Country: Bulgaria Division: Information Technology Contract Type: Fixed Term Contract Length: 3 years Posting End Date: 26/10/2026 Step into a high-impact role where Java mastery meets real-world complexity. You'll be building enterprise-grade, cloud-native applications using Java 17+, Spring Boot, and microservices architecture. Driving clean code, smart design, and performance at scale. From RESTful APIs to custom integrations and scalable data solutions, you'll own the full development lifecycle and operate with real autonomy. If writing elegant, maintainable code and solving complex software problems are your strengths, this role will feel like home. But it's more than just code. You'll lead on quality, through robust testing, TDD/BDD, and CI/CD automation, while also ensuring your solutions perform in production with security, observability, and resilience in mind. You'll collaborate across architecture, DevOps, and cloud teams (Azure, Kubernetes, Docker) to deliver scalable systems that make a real difference. If you're ready to take the reins and shape the future of enterprise Java applications, this is your moment. Accountabilities & Responsibilities Software Design and Development - Enables the design, development, testing, and maintenance of high-quality software solutions, operating without supervision. - Writes clear, maintainable, and well-documented code. - Develops and maintains RESTful APIs and microservices, ensuring scalability and maintainability. - Integrates third-party services and APIs. - Implements data storage solutions (e.g., relational and NoSQL databases). - Performs debugging and troubleshooting to resolve software issues. - Responsible for code reviews, ensuring adherence to coding standards and best practices for Java development. - Writes unit and integration tests using frameworks like JUnit and Mockito to ensure code quality. - Manages complexity holistically by implementing automated testing frameworks and tools to ensure the reliability and performance of Java solutions. - Follows test-driven development (TDD) and behaviour-driven development (BDD) practices where applicable. - Ensures non-functional requirements such as performance, security, and scalability are met. Operations, Maintenance, Support, and Documentation - Participates in the deployment and release processes, ensuring smooth rollouts of new features. - Monitors production systems, investigates issues, and provides timely resolutions. - Maintains clear documentation of code and processes specific to Java, following established guidelines. - Provides ongoing support and troubleshooting for Java solutions. - Automates repetitive tasks and improves development workflows using scripting and DevOps practices. Data and Architecture - Develops and maintains RESTful APIs for Java solutions. - Designs and implements custom connectors and integrations with external systems for Java. - Assists in designing robust and scalable system architectures that align with organisational needs. - Contributes to the design and implementation of data models and schemas for Java solutions. - Evaluates and recommends best practices for integrating Java with external systems and third-party services. Knowledge, Skills, Experience & Qualifications - Educated to degree level or equivalent, with a qualification in an IT, engineering, or scientific discipline, desired. - Extensive working experience in Java (Java 17 or later) and Spring Framework (Spring Boot, Spring MVC, Spring Data). - Extensive working experience in developing and optimising RESTful APIs and microservices. - Extensive working experience with containerisation (Docker, Kubernetes) and cloud-native application development. - Confident working with relational databases (Azure SQL) and ORM frameworks like Hibernate. - Confident working with messaging systems such as ActiveMQ or Azure Service Bus. - A solid understanding of software development principles, with experience in system design and architecture. - Extensive working experience in writing unit and integration tests using JUnit, Mockito, and test-driven development (TDD). - Extensive working experience in implementing CI/CD pipelines for automated builds, testing, and deployments. - Confident working with load testing and performance tuning for high-traffic applications. - Extensive working experience in deploying and maintaining applications in cloud environments (Azure, AWS, or GCP). - Extensive working experience of monitoring tools like Azure Monitor and Application Insights, and application logging strategies. - Extensive working experience in documenting software design, system architecture, and API contracts using OpenAPI specification. - Extensive working experience of microservices architecture, event-driven design, and distributed systems. - Extensive working experience in application authentication protocols (OAuth 2.0, JWT), and security best practices. - Confident to make architectural decisions considering scalability, reliability, and maintainability. - Solid understanding of caching strategies (Hazelcast, Redis) and database performance tuning techniques. - Self-starting, highly disciplined individual with strong analytical and critical thinking skills gained from hands on experience in response to technical requirements. - Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to communicate appropriate, concise, and accurate information to a wide variety of audiences both within and outside of the EBRD. - Excellent people skills, in particular service orientation, organisational awareness and people empathy. - Fluency in written and spoken English. - Ability to operate sensitively and effectively in a multicultural environment.