Lead Software Engineer

Lead Software Engineer ( Full Stack, Java, AWS )

Location: Vashi, Navi Mumbai

The Role:

At Morningstar, helping investors is what brings us together and drives our work. We are looking for a Lead Software Engineer who combines deep technical expertise with strong ownership and leadership. This role is critical in driving high-quality, scalable solutions , while leading a squad to deliver business impact with speed, clarity, and accountability .

You will operate at the intersection of engineering, product, and execution - owning delivery end-to-end, mentoring engineers, and ensuring we build the right solutions the right way. This role is pivotal in helping us scale our platform, improve engineering quality, and deliver business value faster . You will directly influence how we build, ship, and operate software - while shaping the next generation of engineers.

This position is based in our Mumbai office.

Key Responsibilities:

Engineering Excellence

Enforce and evolve best engineering practices:

Clean, maintainable, and testable code

Strong code reviews (PR ownership and guardrails)

CI/CD, automation, and observability

Performance, scalability, and security best practices

Experience with event-driven architecture

Exposure to AI-assisted development workflows

Prior experience working in high-scale, client-facing platforms

Technical Leadership & Delivery

Lead end-to-end design and delivery of scalable, high-performance applications

Lead development and maintenance of both live production systems and legacy applications, ensuring stability while progressively modernizing the platform

Balance business continuity with technical evolution, reducing technical debt without impacting client delivery

Own system architecture decisions across frontend, backend, and data layers

Drive full-stack development with strong focus on backend (Java) and modern frontend frameworks

Ensure systems are resilient, observable, and production-ready

Quality Ownership & Shift-Left Mindset

Champion a shift-left engineering approach, where quality is owned by engineers from design to production

Ensure features are built with testability, observability, and validation in mind from day one

Drive practices such as unit testing, integration testing, and automation as part of development - not post-development

Eliminate dependency on downstream QA by embedding quality checks within the development lifecycle

Foster a culture where engineers are accountable for the correctness and reliability of their code in production

Squad Leadership & Mentorship

Lead a squad of engineers (junior to mid-level), providing technical guidance and mentorship

Set clear expectations on delivery, code quality, and ownership

Actively coach engineers to improve design thinking, coding standards, and debugging skills

Product & Stakeholder Collaboration

Partner closely with Product Managers to understand business priorities and translate them into clear technical execution plans

Drive clarity in requirements, scope, and trade-offs

Ensure alignment between business goals and engineering outcomes

AI-Enabled Development

Leverage AI tools (e.g., company approved coding assistants) to improve productivity and speed

Ensure thoughtful and responsible usage - not blind reliance

Guide the team in using AI for the right problem statements (automation, acceleration, not shortcuts)

Ownership & Accountability

Take end-to-end ownership of systems and deliverables

Be accountable for delivery timelines, quality, and production stability

Proactively identify risks, resolve blockers, and drive outcomes without dependency

Contribute to internal knowledge sharing through documentation, technical talks, or workshops.

Showcase delivery outcomes and business impact to stakeholders through clear, structured, and data-driven communication.

Required Skills & Qualifications:

Bachelor's or master's degree in computer science, Information Technology, or a related field.

7+ years of Strong backend expertise in Java (Spring Boot, REST APIs, microservices architecture)

Experience in full-stack development (modern frontend frameworks like Vue/React preferred)

Deep understanding of databases (SQL/NoSQL, schema design, performance tuning)

Hands-on experience with AWS cloud services (compute, storage, networking, observability)

Strong grasp of system design, scalability, and distributed systems

Experience with CI/CD pipelines, DevOps practices, and monitoring tools

Proven ability to lead and mentor engineering teams

Strong sense of ownership and accountability - you don’t wait, you drive

Ability to balance speed with quality - both are non-negotiable

Clear, structured thinking and communication

Bias for action with data-driven decision making

Ability to operate in ambiguity and bring clarity

Commitment to continuous learning and improving the team around you

If you receive and accept an offer from us, we require that personal and any related investments be disclosed confidentiality to our Compliance team (days vary by region). These investments will be reviewed to ensure they meet Code of Ethics requirements. If any conflicts of interest are identified, then you will be required to liquidate those holdings immediately. In addition, dependent on your department and location of work certain employee accounts must be held with an approved broker (for example all, U.S. employee accounts). If this applies and your account(s) are not with an approved broker, you will be required to move your holdings to an approved broker.

Morningstar's hybrid work environment gives you the opportunity to collaborate in-person each week as we've found that we're at our best when we're purposely together on a regular basis. In most of our locations, our hybrid work model is four days in-office each week. A range of other benefits are also available to enhance flexibility as needs change. No matter where you are, you'll have tools and resources to engage meaningfully with your global colleagues.

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