Lead Full Stack Developer - Java

Team Summary Staples Print is the online print and marketing solutions division of Staples. Our print technology systems team goes beyond traditional IT. We are a team of passionate, collaborative, agile, and customer-obsessed problem solvers who believe great print experiences start with great software. We are driven by a commitment to making it easy for businesses and individuals to bring their ideas to life from business cards and banners to custom marketing materials and beyond. We are intellectually curious, embrace emerging technologies, and constantly seek ways to modernize and scale our platform. We anticipate the evolving needs of our customers and business partners and deliver reliable, high-performance technology solutions that power millions of print orders. We move fast, think big, and take pride in building experiences that are seamless, personalized, and delightful for every customer. Role Summary As a Lead Engineer - Full Stack (Java / React), you will drive the design, development, and reliability of Staples Print's enterprise Java-based microservices and React-powered frontend applications. You will build scalable backend systems using Java (Spring Boot, Spring MVC/WebFlux) and connect them to AI-backed APIs and LLM services integrating AI outputs into application workflows rather than building or owning AI models. You will own architectural decisions within your domain, lead code and design reviews, mentor junior engineers, and collaborate closely with product, data, and platform teams to deliver production-grade solutions. Duties & Responsibilities -Design, develop, and own enterprise-grade Java microservices and APIs using Spring Boot, Spring MVC/WebFlux, Spring Security, and Spring Data (JPA/Hibernate). -Build and maintain React / TypeScript frontend experiences that consume backend microservices. -Define and enforce microservices architecture patterns service decomposition, API contracts, inter-service communication, and resiliency strategies. -Develop integrations with event-driven messaging platforms (Kafka, JMS, RabbitMQ) and RESTful API ecosystems. -Integrate AI-backed APIs and LLM services into platform features such as personalization, intelligent search, and AI-assisted order workflows by connecting to established AI services and embedding their outputs into Java microservices and application logic. -Design secure, scalable integration patterns for consuming AI/ML APIs and services (e.g., Azure OpenAI, OpenAI API, Azure Cognitive Services) within Java microservices and the application stack. -Apply practical prompt engineering techniques, manage context windows effectively, and implement output validation to ensure LLM API responses are safe, relevant, and well-integrated into application workflows. -Champion responsible AI practices include bias awareness, content moderation, rate limiting, cost controls, and auditability of AI-generated outputs. -Use AI-assisted development tools (GitHub Copilot, Azure AI) to…