Senior Backend Developer (Java/Spring Boot)
- Compensation
- Not disclosed
- Location
- Europe, Remote, Croatia (Hrvatska)
- Work setup
- Onsite
- Seniority
- Senior
- Employment
- Contract
- Experience
- 5+ years
- Category
- Backend
- Posted
Skills
Must have
- 5+ years of backend development experience in a professional environment.
- Modern Java Stack: Strong knowledge of Java 21, Spring Boot 3.2+, Hibernate, and modern Java backend development.
- Architecture: Deep understanding of Domain-Driven Design (DDD) and Event-Driven Architecture (EDA).
- AWS Familiarity: Experience working with AWS and cloud-based application environments. ECS/Fargate experience is a plus.
- Domain Experience: Experience in Fintech, SaaS, HR, Payroll, ERP, e-commerce, logistics, retail, AI-enabled products, or complex B2B platforms is a strong plus.
- Ownership & Accountability: A reliable, accountable, and proactive senior engineer who takes ownership of outcomes, not just assigned tasks.
- Collaboration: Someone who can collaborate closely with PMs, designers, frontend developers and other team members to complete full product modules, not only isolated backend tickets.
- Problem Solver: You can take a vague business requirement and turn it into a working algorithm, service, or microservice.
- AI-assisted development: Experience using modern AI coding tools such as Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, or similar tools is a strong bonus. You know how to use them thoughtfully to improve produ
- Language: Fluent English is mandatory. Spanish is a significant advantage for understanding the business requirements of the LATAM market.
Full description
Quick Summary
🕛 Hours: Full-time
🌎 Location: Fully remote
🇪🇺 Time Zone: Looking for people in Europe or LATAM
🇬🇧 Language: Professional English required. Spanish is a strong bonus.
🤠 5+ years of experience in backend engineering. Expert-level Java 21 (LTS), Spring Boot 3.2+, and PostgreSQL. Experience with Event-Driven Architecture and DDD is required.
✈️ Travel: Occasional travel to client sites in LATAM may be required, usually for a few days up to one week every few months.
💸 Salary Range: €3,000 - €4,000/month gross (dependent on experience level), B2B contract
About Afternow
We are partners in your digital journey. We bring together strategy, design, and technology to build systems that flex as your future unfolds.
Afternow creates the digital systems brilliant companies are built on. Strategy, identity, web and product design, and technology that scales. Every part of the process supports and informs the other, creating an environment that works today and adapts to wherever the business goes next.
We work primarily with ambitious, digitally focused organizations navigating change. From startups finding their footing, to scale-ups building momentum, to established enterprises reshaping their digital foundations. Our partnerships are built on clarity, craft, and care.
Since 2012, we've grown from our roots on Island Krk, Croatia, to a fully remote team of more than thirty talented people working across the globe. We've partnered with companies including AWS, ThoughtSpot, Progressive, Descartes, ShipBob, Quillbot, Teachable, Crisp, CloudZero, Kinetik, and many more.
🏆 4.6 Glassdoor Rating - Join our team and discover why our people consistently rate us so highly.
The Role
We are looking for a passionate Senior Backend Developer to join our Product Development team.
In this role, you will work on scalable backend systems for modern digital products, platforms, and services. You will help design and build robust APIs, microservices, database models, integrations, and business logic that support real-world product needs.
You will collaborate closely with frontend engineers, QA engineers, DevOps, product managers, designers, and client-side stakeholders. Most of the work will happen in close collaboration with designers and frontend developers, so we are looking for someone who can communicate clearly, understand dependencies, and help move full modules toward completion.
This is not a “task resolver” role. Our team is dynamic, and senior developers are expected to take ownership of specific modules, actively drive them forward, and think beyond the ticket in front of them. We value people who are reliable, accountable, proactive, and comfortable taking responsibility for outcomes.