Job Purpose Lead the engineering, architecture, modernization and delivery of scalable technology platforms supporting Croma’s digital and omnichannel retail ecosystem. The role will focus on building and modernizing cloud-native, distributed applications and services with strong hands-on engineering and architecture expertise across microservices, APIs, event-driven architectures and modern application development. The candidate should have strong experience in Java/Spring Boot and modern programming technologies such as Python and/or Node.js along with hands-on experience building and operating enterprise-scale distributed systems. Experience and deep expertise in at least one of the following domains is required: Order Management Systems (OMS) Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) Transportation Management Systems (TMS) The role will also drive engineering delivery, production stability, technology modernization and implementation partner management across Croma’s retail technology landscape. Key Responsibilities 1. Engineering & Architecture Leadership Lead the design, development and modernization of enterprise-scale applications and distributed services. Define and drive scalable, resilient and maintainable application architectures. Establish engineering standards covering coding practices, design principles, performance, security, observability and reliability. Review and challenge solution architecture and technical designs proposed by internal and partner teams. Drive adoption of modern engineering practices across the technology landscape. 2. Hands-on Application Engineering Design and develop backend services using Java, Spring Boot, Python and/or Node.js . Build scalable microservices and distributed services for high-volume retail workloads. Develop and maintain RESTful APIs and API-driven integrations . Design reusable services and components following modular and domain-oriented architecture principles. Troubleshoot complex application, integration and performance issues and provide hands-on technical guidance to engineering teams. 3. Microservices & Distributed Systems Design and implement microservices-based architectures. Define service boundaries, communication patterns, resiliency and fault-tolerance mechanisms. Design systems for scalability, high availability and performance. Apply appropriate patterns for synchronous and asynchronous communication. Drive modernization of legacy applications and monolithic systems into scalable distributed services. 4. Event-Driven Architecture & Integration Design and implement event-driven architectures using messaging and streaming technologies. Develop asynchronous integrations using platforms such as Kafka, RabbitMQ, Azure Service Bus, IBM MQ or equivalent . Design enterprise integrations across OMS, WMS, TMS, SAP ERP, Payments, CRM, Loyalty, Store Systems, Carriers and other third-party platforms. Ensure reliable message processing, error handling, retry mechanisms, idempotency and integration observability. 5. Cloud-Native Engineering Design and build cloud-native applications and distributed services on Azure or equivalent cloud platforms . Drive containerization using Docker and Kubernetes . Leverage cloud-native services for compute, messaging, storage, API management, monitoring and integration. Drive application scalability, resilience, performance and cost optimization. Promote infrastructure and deployment automation through CI/CD and DevSecOps practices. 6. Domain Platform Ownership Provide technical ownership and engineering leadership for one or more retail/supply-chain platforms based on the candidate’s area of expertise, such as: IBM Sterling OMS – order orchestration, fulfilment, inventory, returns and omnichannel order management. Blue Yonder WMS – warehouse execution, inventory, replenishment, picking, packing and dispatch. TMS / Transportation Platforms – transportation planning, carrier integration, shipment execution and last-mile processes. The candidate is not expected to have deep expertise across all three platforms . Strong hands-on expertise in one domain, together with the ability to understand and integrate with adjacent platforms is expected. 7. Data & Database Engineering Strong SQL skills for application development, troubleshooting and data analysis. Design efficient data access patterns and database interactions. Diagnose data inconsistencies and performance issues across distributed applications. Work with relational and NoSQL databases where appropriate. Ensure data integrity, consistency and appropriate transaction management across distributed systems. 8. Production Engineering & Reliability Own production stability and technical health of critical applications and platforms. Lead RCA and resolution of critical incidents. Improve application observability through monitoring, logging, tracing and alerting. Establish performance, availability and reliability engineering practices. Drive proactive identification and resolution of technical debt and recurring production issues. 9. Engineering Delivery & Vendor Management Lead implementation and technology partners delivering engineering solutions. Own technical governance, delivery quality and engineering standards across partner teams. Review partner architecture, code quality, technical approaches and implementation plans. Drive SLA adherence, delivery timelines and quality metrics. Provide technical direction to partner teams while retaining hands-on ownership of critical engineering decisions. 10. Stakeholder Management Work closely with: Product and Business teams Supply Chain and Warehouse Operations Store Operations ERP / SAP teams Enterprise Architecture Infrastructure / Cloud Information Security Data & Analytics Implementation partners Translate business requirements into scalable technical solutions and communicate complex technical decisions effectively to senior stakeholders. Required Experience 10 years of software engineering experience , with significant experience in enterprise application development. Strong hands-on experience designing and building microservices and distributed systems . Strong expertise in Java and Spring Boot . Hands-on experience with Python and/or Node.js . Strong experience designing and developing REST APIs . Strong understanding of microservices architecture, distributed systems and event-driven architecture . Strong SQL and database fundamentals. Experience with messaging/event platforms such as Kafka, RabbitMQ, Azure Service Bus, IBM MQ or equivalent . Experience with Docker, Kubernetes and cloud-native application development . Experience with Azure or equivalent public cloud platforms . Strong understanding of CI/CD and modern software engineering practices. Experience leading engineering teams and implementation partners. Domain Experience – Required Strong hands-on experience and deep expertise in at least one of the following: IBM Sterling OMS Blue Yonder WMS TMS / Transportation Technology Platforms Experience in adjacent platforms such as OMS, WMS, TMS, SAP or other retail/supply-chain systems will be an advantage. Good to Have Domain Driven Design (DDD) Event sourcing and asynchronous processing Azure Integration Services API Management Redis / caching technologies Elasticsearch Databricks NoSQL databases Terraform / Infrastructure as Code DevSecOps Application Performance Management and distributed tracing Experience modernizing legacy / monolithic applications Experience with high-volume, high-availability retail or e-commerce platforms Preferred Industry Experience Retail Omnichannel Commerce E-commerce Supply Chain Large-scale Consumer Technology Preferred Candidate Profile A strong hands-on engineering leader with 10 years of experience building enterprise-scale applications and distributed systems. The ideal candidate should have excellent software engineering fundamentals, strong expertise in Java/Spring Boot and modern backend technologies , and proven experience designing microservices, cloud-native applications, REST APIs and event-driven architectures . Deep expertise in one major retail/supply-chain platform such as OMS, WMS or TMS is required, but expertise across multiple platforms is not expected . The candidate should be capable of moving between architecture and hands-on engineering, challenging technical solutions, guiding internal and partner teams, resolving complex production problems and driving modernization of Croma’s technology platforms. Strong stakeholder management, engineering governance and vendor management capabilities are expected.