Java Developer — Role and Responsibilities

Let’s start with the basics.

Suppose you are a business owner and are currently feeling the lack of qualified web engineers who will help your application stand out from the crowd of similar (yet less splendid) applications. In that case, you need to find them somewhere. Moreover, they should be of top quality (helping them to garner insurmountable code).

Suppose you’re planning to find Java developers for hire (we bet you do since Java remains one of the most popular programming languages nowadays — especially for big-scale startups). In that case, you need to compose a stellar job description. To make your job easier, let us offer you a template with all the necessary blocks and their explanation. 

Here, you will learn everything you need to know to quickly compose a compelling job description. After consulting our article, we’re positive you won’t encounter any problems writing it. Your infallible ideas will never get short of skillful hands to make them real!

Who is a Java developer? 

A Java developer (a specialist you will hire) is highly proficient in building enterprise-level and startup-scale efficient applications.

Moreover, they will always help founders who take a leap of faith and are eager to see their bright ideas pass the live tests. Besides, Java developers can also analyze software functioning, troubleshoot, and do UIUX testing. As a talent marketplace for pre-vetted developers, Lemon.io knows all the nifty details of the job-seeking realm.

We handpick only the brightest engineers and offer them to startup clients from the USA and Western Europe. We know our drill — make sure of it by reading our job descriptions.

What are the key elements of a job description?

Everyone wishing not to beat around the bush but make a shot across the bow and compose a concise yet sharp and clear job description should know its essential parts. 

Don’t kid yourself into thinking that the candidates love reading lengthy and watery texts. They don’t — so we advise you to keep it shorter if you want to hire Java programmers with the speed of lightning. 

So, a perfect job description consists of:

• Company description;
• Job profile description (what does this job entail in the company in question?)
• Duties and responsibilities;
• Requirements;
• Perks and benefits of the job.

Let’s start from the beginning and cling to the plan above. 

Company description

In this chapter, you ought to make all the candidates fall in love with your company. How should you do this?

Make your company description brief but detailed. Describe the history of your business — when did it start, and how did it turn into what the company is today? What key decisions became the milestones for the company’s way?
How about mission and vision? Don’t make it too long, but if you have a good outreach version, that’s precisely the place. How does your worldview impact the company’s mission? 

A Lemon.io tip: you can formulate your mission using the template:

We believe X will soon happen, so we are developing Z to speed it up.

Having expressed your mission and vision, rip off the Band-Aid and move on to more useful facts. 

• What are the challenges of the company now?
• What plans do you have for the coming year? (operate smaller time spans, they are more credible)
• How many clients do you have? 
• What are your funding sources? 
• How do you expand your team?

To achieve more, back up all your claims with sources. Links and sources boost your credibility and reveal your digital trace. Experienced professionals would rather choose a company with a steady and noticeable history than an unknown enterprise coming out of the blue yet naming itself a powerful player in the industry. Press releases, blog posts, guest appearances, podcasts — everything counts. 

Java developer job profile

Make readers fall in love with your vacancy and gain loyalty right at the stage of the job description scanning. Elaborate on the job characteristics and the portrait of the team your perfect candidates will work with. 

If your team has 50+ members, chances are that the Java developer you’re hiring will work in some lesser structural division. Don’t forget to mention it (together with a description). 

Goals. What are they — for the whole company and a specific department?

Projects. Show your portfolio. For developers working with Java, it is essential to examine Java-based projects. 

Processes. How are they built in your company? Are you a big fan of micromanagement? Can you remember any casual blockers and hierarchies on the way? Are you hiring remote developers or in-house ones? Do you have a remote virtual infrastructure? 

 Java developer duties and responsibilities 

To ensure high motivation afterward, pay attention to this section. 

Devote time to mapping all the key responsibilities awaiting the candidate in the workplace — so that they won’t claim something was unmentioned. 

• Map all the accomplishments you want your Java developer to have. Compose a self-assessment matrix for them and include some points of it as duties in your job description. 
• Consult other stakeholders and compose a comprehensive list of duties and responsibilities. 
• Create a page (e.g., in Notion) with the details. 

 Java developer requirements and qualifications 

If you’re hiring Java developers, don’t just name technologies and programming languages. Discuss the real projects in your pool and explain why and where a certain skill will be useful. That’s how you will show your own proficiency in the topic and create the impression that every kind of request and qualification is grounded in the strategic field.
The requirements become a bit unnecessary if you describe qualifications fully and well. Smart Java programmers come from different backgrounds, and the lack of formal education can sometimes be compensated by rich practical knowledge. Secondly, gifted specialists learn extra quickly. 

Benefits and perks for Java developers 

Let’s say it right off the bat: perks and benefits are optional in the job descriptions! If you don’t have any extraordinary benefits, don’t think anything up just to fill in the necessary gaps in the description. Numerous decent companies don’t include information about perks in their job descriptions. 

Before adding a  benefit to the job description for Java contractors, check if it satisfies at least one of the following criteria:

• It is relevant to your culture. Put the money where your mouth is. If you declare that you’re inclined to a healthy lifestyle and nutrition, adding bonuses for sports or healthy food is logical. 
• It is a substantial bonus. A 1% discount on some things or others doesn’t count — you’ll rather make candidates laugh at your chariness than choose your startup. Besides, petty vanity bonuses create the impression that you’re trying to compensate for some invisible cut-offs at all costs. Not the best option either.

Java developer salary

Including the salary range serves your job description well. It reduces future negotiation time and adds your company extra points in the eyes of the candidates (of course, if your salaries are decent and competitive). All this makes the hiring process more efficient and shorter. Besides, the companies including the salary range in their job descriptions seem more transparent and less prone to gender gaps (when females get less money for no reason). 

Java developer job description example

Here’s an example of a job description for Java developers we use at Lemon.io.

Get a remote job that you will love with better compensation and career growth!

We’re Lemon.io — a marketplace where we match you with hand-picked startups from the US and Europe.

Why work with us:

• We’ll find a team that respects you — without time trackers or micromanagement.
• Engineers registered at Lemon.io earn $5k — $10k / month. We’ve already paid over $10M and don’t plan to stop.
• You are the master of your own schedule. We have both full- and part-time projects, and all the engineers work remotely. 
• No project managers in the middle — only direct communications with clients, most of whom have a technical background.
• Our customer success team is a saving squad helping to resolve troubles on both sides of the process.
• You don’t have to look for clients or negotiate anymore: just do what you do best and leave us the rest.

Requirements:

• 3+ years of software development experience;
• Proficiency in Java, with a good understanding of its ecosystems;
• Firm knowledge of OOP and its basic ideas;
• Experience in writing reusable Java libraries;
• Basic command of Model-View-Controller pattern, Java Database Connectivity, and RESTful web services;
• Knowledge of Java GUI frameworks (Swing, SWT, AWT — depending on the project);
• Implementing automated testing platforms and unit tests;
• Profound knowledge of code versioning tools, for instance, Git;
• Good command of oral and written English, as you’ll be communicating with clients directly;
• Strong organizational skills — the ability to work full-time remotely;
• Soft skills. We don’t request finding a small talk topic for your job interviews — politeness will do.

Apply today, and our professional team will get back to you within 2 business days!

Due to the overwhelming number of applications, only suitable candidates will be contacted for an interview.

We strongly ask you to send your CVs in ENGLISH. Application in English will be considered first. Good luck to everyone!

Need more info? Here's a FAQ for you!

• What does a Java developer do?

  Java developers employ Java programming language for constructing programs, applications, and software. These specialists often cooperate with web engineers, QA testers, and fellow web developers to create business applications and web pages.
  

• What makes a good Java developer? 

  An excellent Java developer possesses extensive knowledge of software development principles, rules, and practices. They professionally work with web applications and write functional and concise code leading to app development. In addition, professional Java developers should possess critical thinking and problem-solving skills that help them discover all the bottlenecks in app development, avoid roadblocks and provide fast logical solutions. Besides, good Java developers have UI/UX proficiency helping them to evaluate their products from the user’s point of view. 
  

• Who does a Java developer work with? 

  Java developers mainly work with Java software engineers — focusing on building, perfecting, and analyzing projects created with the help of Java programming language. The responsibilities of the mentioned two specialists are quite similar, and that’s why their collaboration is easier. 
  

• Who do Java developers report to?

  A single answer to this question doesn’t exist: everything depends on the size and kind of organization. IT agency specialists can report to their senior Java developers overseeing the whole team. If they work in a bigger organization, they may report to the relevant managers (whom they can also ask all the possible questions about the project or its challenges). At the same time, if a dev works in a small startup, they can report directly to the CEO.

• Is Java development a promising career? 

  Yes, the career of a Java developer is perfect for our time of startups and applications — both small and industry-scale. Java has always been a popular choice, and nowadays, the situation hasn’t changed much. Along with Python and JavaScript, Java remains one of the most popular languages.

• Are Java developers in demand?

  Yes, they are currently in high demand. According to the recent Mercer/Mettl report, Java developers and JavaScript and SQL engineers are the most popular jobs in 2022. Adopting this programming language across multiple organizations favorably affects Java’s popularity. 
  

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