Lead Software Engineer

Job Category Ford Credit ServicesDegree Level Bachelor s Degree or equivalent We are looking for a highly experienced Lead Software Engineer to join our dedicated Digital Services team based in Chennai In this critical role you will take ownership of the technical design architecture and technical communication and documentation for our new green-field application focused on Vehicle Data Residual Values and Marketing Programs for Ford Credit Europe You will be embedded within the development squad providing hands-on technical leadership and ensuring the solution is robust scalable and well-aligned with both business needs and broader technical standards Ford Credit Europe is building several new Digital Services products on our Google Cloud Platform Your primary focus will be the new application suite providing critical enterprise data services for Vehicle Residual Value Data and Marketing Program setup serving our Digital Experiences This suite of applications is key to the future success of our EU modernisation program and your technical leadership will be instrumental in its success Responsibilities Role Responsibilities Lead the technical design and architecture within the dedicated squad for the Vehicle Configuration Service Residual Data and Marketing Program applications Collaborate closely with the Product Lead Business Analysts Architects and European Stakeholders to understand requirements and translate them into robust scalable and efficient application-level technical solutions on GCP Develop and maintain key application architecture documentation including component designs sequence diagrams API specifications and technical design documents ensuring clarity and alignment with best practices Ensure the application s design evolves effectively and aligns with relevant enterprise architecture standards and patterns liaising with the central Architecture team as needed but focusing primarily on project-level implementation Provide hands-on technical leadership and guidance to the development team senior and junior engineers mentoring them on best practices performing code reviews for critical components and overseeing the implementation of architectural designs Act as the primary technical communication bridge Clearly and concisely explain complex technical concepts architectural decisions trade-offs and potential risks benefits to diverse audiences including non-technical product managers business stakeholders in Europe and senior management Perform technical feasibility studies evaluate technology choices frameworks and patterns specifically for the application ensuring they meet functional and non-functional requirements Actively participate in hands-on development for proofs-of-concept complex features or critical troubleshooting to drive progress and resolve technical challenges Champion technical excellence code quality and sound engineering practices within the team Qualifications Required Skills and Selection Criteria Minimum of 8 years experience in technical engineering roles with significant demonstrable experience in designing developing and architecting complex cloud-native applications Deep understanding of cloud-first strategies and design principles specifically with hands-on experience building applications on Google Cloud Platform GCP or one of the other major cloud platforms Good knowledge of strategic new and emerging technology trends and the practical application and evaluation of them within the context of specific application requirements Proven hands-on expertise working with applications using Java frameworks especially Spring Boot Spring MVC Spring Batch Strong application architecture knowledge designing solutions with API Gateways like Apigee and designing RESTful APIs and or GraphQL Strong application architecture knowledge designing with GCP serverless technologies e g Cloud Run Cloud Functions App Engine Experience migrating and or building applications in modern cloud hosting environments specifically leveraging Google Cloud Platform services Strong knowledge of application-level architecture design patterns secure interoperability standards and modern software development practices CI CD TDD etc Exceptional technical leadership communication and interpersonal skills Proven ability to clearly articulate complex technical ideas to both technical and non-technical audiences developers product owners business stakeholders management Strong problem-solving skills Beneficial Understanding of Big Data Machine Learning ML and AI concepts technologies as the architecture you design needs to anticipate and support near-term plans for leveraging these technologies to enhance data maintenance efficiency Experience working with PostgreSQL Nice to Have Google Professional Cloud Architect certification Master s degree in computer science engineering Data science or related field Experience in Banking Finance or Automotive Finance domains Commercial development experience using front-end frameworks like React or Angular for understanding full-stack implications Ability to work on multiple related components within the application suite in a fast-paced dynamic environment Experience with No-SQL and BigQuery databases is a plus