Principal Software Engineer- Java (HYBRID San Jose, CA)

Work Flexibility: Hybrid

We are looking for a Principal Software Engineer with strong Java expertise to join our Product Engineering team. This role is focused on resolving customer escalations, diagnosing complex customer issues, and delivering high-quality fixes and feature enhancements in a fast-paced environment. The ideal candidate is a sharp, logical thinker and excels at quickly understanding large Java codebases, analyzing logs, identifying root causes, and implementing reliable fixes. They are also comfortable leveraging modern AI tools to accelerate debugging and development.

What You Will Do

• Lead investigation and resolution of complex customer escalations in Java-based systems.
• Analyze logs, traces, and application behavior to identify root causes quickly and accurately.
• Dive deep into large Java codebases to debug issues and implement fixes with confidence.
• Design and implement small to medium-sized features with high quality and maintainability.
• Upgrade and maintain third-party Java libraries to address security vulnerabilities and ensure compliance.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to triage, prioritize, and resolve production issues.
• Conduct thorough code reviews with a focus on reliability, performance, and security.
• Leverage AI tools (e.g., Cursor, GitHub Copilot) to enhance productivity in debugging and coding.
• Develop and influence a number of invention disclosures, patents or trade secrets
• Lead architecture of a complex system and guide design tradeoff decisions

What You Need

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Software Engineering/ Computer Science or related discipline & 8+ years of work experience
• Deep understanding of the Java ecosystem (JVM behavior, performance, memory management, concurrency).
• Proven track record of debugging and resolving complex production issues in Java applications.
• Strong ability to quickly understand and navigate large, existing Java codebases.
• Experience analyzing logs and performing structured root cause analysis.
• Solid understanding of software design principles, data structures, and algorithms.
• Experience working with distributed systems and production environments.

Preferred Qualifications (Strongly Desired)

• Experience with Java frameworks (e.g., Spring, Spring Boot, Hibernate).
• Familiarity with dependency management and build tools (e.g., Maven, Gradle).
• Experience managing third-party libraries and addressing security vulnerabilities (e.g., CVEs).
• Knowledge of observability tools (logging, metrics, distributed tracing).
• Experience in customer-facing or escalation-driven engineering roles.
• Experience using AI-assisted coding tools such as Cursor or GitHub Copilot.
• Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud Platform).
• Lead the adoption of Software Development Life Cycle process changes and best practices

$176,300 - $293,700 USD Annual

Travel Percentage: 10%

Stryker Corporation is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status. Stryker is an EO employer - M/F/Veteran/Disability.

Stryker Corporation will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor's legal duty to furnish information.