Principal Software Engineer - Java

Litmus is building the data foundation that powers industrial AI.

AI doesn’t work without real-world, contextualized data - Litmus makes that data usable. As AI adoption accelerates, most industrial environments still can’t access or use their operational data. We solve that gap.

We’re a growth-stage software company helping manufacturers access, structure, and use real-time data from machines, systems, and sensors at the edge. Our platform sits at the intersection of edge computing, AI, and industrial operations, enabling some of the world’s largest companies to run operations in real time, reduce downtime, and optimize production.

Backed by leading investors and trusted by global manufacturers and partners like Google, Microsoft, Dell, Oracle, and Mitsubishi, Litmus is powering the shift toward software-defined manufacturing.

Build the infrastructure that makes industrial AI possible

AI is moving beyond the cloud and into the physical world. At Litmus, you’ll build the infrastructure that enables real-time data to power AI and machine learning systems in production environments.

Work on problems where software meets the real world

Most AI systems fail without access to real-world data. You’ll build the layer that makes them viable in production. We solve challenges at the intersection of distributed systems, real-time data, and industrial constraints — where reliability, scale, and performance are non-negotiable.

Have real impact, fast

You’ll work on systems used by real customers in production, with direct impact on product and company trajectory. As a scaling company, we move quickly. You’ll have ownership, visibility, and the ability to shape both product and company as we scale.

Join a high-performance team

We’re building a team that holds a high bar and pushes each other to improve. You’ll work alongside experienced operators, engineers, and leaders who have done this before and are building again at scale. We hire people who take ownership, move quickly, and care about outcomes. No passengers.

At Litmus, the team is collaborative, curious, and low ego. People are scrappy, take ownership, and look for ways to make an impact. We value empathy just as much as execution, whether that’s in how we build, how we communicate, or how we support each other.

We’re a growing company, so things move quickly and not everything is perfectly defined. If you enjoy figuring things out, working closely with others, and making steady progress, you’ll do well here.

About the Role

We are seeking a highly experienced Principal Software Engineer – Java to lead the architecture, design, and development of scalable, high-performance platform solutions in the Industrial IoT (IIoT) domain. This role requires deep expertise in Java-based backend development, distributed systems, cloud-native architectures, and technical leadership. As a key technology leader, you will drive product innovation, mentor engineering teams, influence technical strategy, and ensure the delivery of reliable and scalable solutions that power Industry 4.0 initiatives.

What You'll Do

• Lead the architecture, design, and development of large-scale distributed systems and enterprise-grade platform solutions.

• Drive end-to-end product development in an Agile environment, from technical design through deployment and optimization.

• Design and implement scalable microservices architectures using Java, Spring Boot, and Spring Cloud.

• Collaborate with product management, engineering, and cross-functional stakeholders to deliver business-critical solutions.

• Establish engineering best practices, coding standards, and architectural guidelines across teams.

• Mentor and guide engineering teams, fostering technical excellence and innovation.

• Ensure platform scalability, reliability, performance, observability, and security.

• Contribute to and influence the technical roadmap, architecture strategy, and technology decisions.

• Design and implement event-driven architectures using messaging and streaming platforms.

• Support cloud-native deployments, container orchestration, and modern DevOps practices.

• Drive solutions for industrial data processing, real-time analytics, device connectivity, and edge computing use cases.

What You'll Bring

Must Have

• 12+ years of hands-on experience in Java application development and backend engineering.

• Strong expertise in Spring Boot, Spring Cloud, and Microservices Architecture.

• Proven experience designing and building distributed systems and event-driven architectures.

• Strong knowledge of databases, including:

  • Relational: PostgreSQL, MySQL

  • NoSQL: MongoDB, Cassandra, Redis

  • Time-Series: InfluxDB, TimescaleDB

• Deep understanding of networking protocols such as TCP/IP, HTTP/HTTPS, MQTT, WebSockets, and tunneling technologies.

• Experience with API gateways, proxies, and load balancing solutions such as NGINX, HAProxy, Envoy, or similar.

• Expertise with messaging and streaming technologies including Kafka, RabbitMQ, ActiveMQ, and MQTT brokers.

• Hands-on experience with Docker, Kubernetes, and container lifecycle management.

• Experience working with public cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, or GCP.

• Strong understanding of cloud-native architecture principles and modern software design patterns.

• Knowledge of security best practices including TLS/SSL, OAuth2, JWT, RBAC, certificate-based authentication, and device identity management.

• Experience in product-based organizations with ownership of platform architecture and technical delivery.

• Strong leadership, mentoring, stakeholder management, and decision-making capabilities.

Nice to Have

• Experience in the Industrial IoT (IIoT) domain and Industry 4.0 solutions.

• Knowledge of edge computing platforms and industrial connectivity protocols.

• Experience with real-time data processing, time-series data platforms, and analytics systems.

• Exposure to OTA (Over-The-Air) device upgrade frameworks and device lifecycle management.

• Experience with virtualization technologies such as VMware, Hyper-V, or similar platforms.

• Familiarity with observability, monitoring, and performance optimization tools.

• Experience driving technical roadmaps and influencing strategic engineering decisions across organizations.