Senior Software Engineer - Java

This is a remote-friendly role, based anywhere in Germany or the Netherlands. We encourage applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender identity.

As we continuously expand and improve our Data Platform, we are seeking a Senior Software Engineer m/f/x (Java focus) to join our Neptune team within Engineering. Neptune owns the core of our platform: cluster architecture, user and permission management, scalability, and observability. We are looking for key engineering talent with deep backend expertise and a solid grasp of distributed systems to join the team.

You will be responsible for designing and implementing robust, high-performance backend systems, working closely with senior engineers on cluster architecture, platform scalability, and the observability that keeps a distributed system understandable in production. We are a team that actively embraces AI as a force multiplier - not just for writing code, but for rethinking how we work.

• Developing, testing, and deploying core backend components of our Data Platform, with a focus on performance, reliability, and scalability.
• Designing and evolving our cluster architecture and the distributed-systems foundations it depends on as we grow to more customers and use cases.
• Building and maintaining our user and permission management systems, including the access-control logic that keeps them correct as the platform scales.
• Improving observability across the platform using OpenTelemetry and related tooling, so issues are caught and diagnosed quickly in production rather than after the fact.
• Contributing to technical designs and actively participating in code reviews to ensure clean, maintainable, and production-grade code.
• Actively integrating AI tools into your engineering workflow-using them to accelerate engineering, automate repetitive tasks, improve code quality, and explore solutions faster. We're looking for curiosity and initiative here - not just the ability to rely on autocomplete.
• Collaborating closely with QA and Product teams to deliver reliable, high-quality releases.

• Around 3–6 years of experience in backend development, with strong hands-on skills in Java.
• Solid understanding of distributed systems concepts - cluster coordination, scalability patterns, and the trade-offs that come with running software across many customer environments.
• Practical experience with observability and monitoring tooling (e.g. OpenTelemetry, Prometheus, Grafana) in production systems.
• Experience designing or maintaining permission and access-control systems is a strong plus.
• Strong debugging skills and a structured, solution-oriented mindset - particularly for issues that only surface at scale.
• Solid experience with test automation (e.g. JUnit, Mockito, or similar frameworks) and a commitment to well-tested, maintainable software.
• Hands-on experience with at least one database technology: PostgreSQL, Oracle, MSSQL, MySQL, or MongoDB.
• Confidence with concurrency and multithreading in Java-thread safety, executors, reactive patterns.
• Some exposure to asynchronous messaging systems (e.g. Kafka, AMQP, MQTT).
• A proactive attitude toward AI-augmented engineering-you actively use AI tools (LLM assistants, code generation, automation agents, etc.) to improve your own productivity and the quality of your output. You think about where AI can reduce friction in your workflow, and you bring that mindset to the team.
• Familiarity with TypeScript is a welcome plus, but not a requirement.
• Clear communication skills in English; sufficient German for everyday collaboration is a welcome plus, but not a requirement.

• Opportunity to work flexibly from home
• Modern offices in Germany and the Netherlands
• A personal Learning & Development budget
• Up to 30 days of remote work per year from any EU country
• 2 additional paid days off on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve
• Company Pension plan
• 30 vacation days a year
• Location-specific benefits packages (your recruiter will be happy to provide more details during your first chat)
• Company-sponsored business travel

This role is remote-friendly across Germany and the Netherlands. If you're closer to Tutzing or Amsterdam and would like occasional in-person time with the team, our offices there are open to you too — entirely your choice.

If you're excited about this role but don't meet every qualification, we encourage you to apply! Lobster is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive environment where empathy and respect guide our interactions.