CIC Insurance Group Limited, commonly referred to as CIC Group, is an insurance and investment group that operates mainly in Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan and MalawiAbout the Role Reporting to the Software Engineering Manager, the role holder will lead the design and development of robust, scalable, and high-performance backend systems. The ideal candidate should have hands-on expertise in Java Spring Boot, microservices architecture, and deep experience with database design, systems integration, and DevOps automation. Experience in deploying applications to both cloud and on-premise environments is essential. Key Responsibilities Design, develop, and maintain backend services and APIs using Java Spring Boot Architect and implement scalable microservices and event-driven systems. Integrate with internal and third-party systems using REST, SOAP, gRPC, and message queues. Drive performance tuning, security hardening, and scalability improvements. Implement DevOps best practices including CI/CD pipelines, infrastructure as code, and monitoring. Work across cloud and on-premise environments ensuring reliability and availability. Collaborate with front-end engineers, DevOps, QA, and product teams to deliver full-stack solutions. Own the full software development lifecycle from planning to production support. Mentor junior engineers and perform code reviews. Who We’re Looking For Essential Knowledge/Skills and Experience Required: Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering or in a related field. Minimum of 4 years of experience in backend development with strong command of Java Spring Boot. Solid understanding and hands-on experience with microservices architecture. Experience integrating diverse systems and APIs in enterprise environments. Deep knowledge of SQL and NoSQL databases (e.g., PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, Redis). Proficient in designing and optimizing database schemas, queries, and transactions. Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines and container orchestration (e.g., Kubernetes). Experience deploying and supporting applications in AWS or Azure and on-premise infrastructure. Strong grasp of security, logging, monitoring, and API management. Excellent problem-solving skills and ability to work in a fast-paced, agile environment. Experience with event-driven architecture (e.g., Kafka, RabbitMQ, or MQTT). Knowledge of API gateways and Service Load balancing. Desirable Competencies: Familiarity with domain-driven design (DDD) and test-driven development (TDD). Exposure to observability tools like Prometheus, Grafana, ELK Stack, or Datadog. Certification in cloud platforms (AWS/Azure/GCP) is a plus.