Backend Java Software Engineer (Mid-Level)

Job Description:

We believe in bold ideas, diverse perspectives, and the drive to transform knowledge into impact. Here, your curiosity fuels progress, your voice shapes innovation, and your ambition helps redefine what’s possible within science and learning. We are a culture that obsesses over impact, challenges, and drives what’s next to power infinite possibilities for our customers, colleagues and society at large.

About the Role:

Wiley is seeking a talented Software Engineer to join our innovative Search Team. In this role, you will help design, build, and maintain the backend search systems that power millions of user interactions globally.

You will work on scalable, high-performance search solutions built on Apache Solr, collaborating on services and infrastructure across a modern backend technology stack that includes Java, Docker, Kafka, and Solr. This is an exciting opportunity for an engineer who enjoys solving complex challenges related to search relevance, performance, scalability, and reliability within large-scale distributed systems.  

How You Will Make an Impact:  

As a Software Engineer, you will:

• Design, develop, and maintain core search platform components and backend systems.
• Build and enhance scalable services and features that improve search performance, relevance, and reliability.
• Troubleshoot and resolve issues across development, testing, and production environments.
• Contribute to architectural discussions, technical design reviews, and code reviews.
• Improve software quality through automated testing, refactoring, and proactive management of technical debt.
• Collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams and colleagues across multiple regions and time zones.
• Support the continuous improvement of engineering practices, processes, and platform capabilities.

 

What We Look For:  

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• Professional experience developing applications using Java, with a strong understanding of object-oriented programming principles, data structures, and software design patterns.
• Experience writing unit and integration tests using frameworks such as JUnit and Mockito.
• Hands-on experience working with Git and Linux-based environments.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with a focus on quality and continuous improvement.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English.
• Ability to work effectively both independently and as part of a distributed team.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience designing and building RESTful APIs and backend services.
• Experience working with search technologies or within the information retrieval domain.
• Hands-on experience with Apache Solr, Elasticsearch, or other Lucene-based search platforms.
• Familiarity with distributed systems and event-driven architectures using technologies such as Kafka.
• Experience with cloud-native and DevOps technologies including Docker, Kubernetes, Jenkins, GitHub Actions, and/or Google Cloud Platform (GCP).

We power infinite possibilities.

For more than 200 years, we've transformed knowledge into discoveries that shape the world. Today, our global team of innovators, creators, and experts is driving what's next in science, education, and publishing—creating impact that reaches everywhere. 

 

We're not just observers of progress. We're the ones accelerating scientific breakthroughs, advancing learning, and sparking innovation that redefines entire fields and improves lives. 

Here, your talent matters. Your ideas have room to grow. And your work creates breakthroughs that can change everything. 

Wiley is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. We evaluate all qualified applicants and treat all qualified applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, or based on any individual's status in any group or class protected by applicable federal, state or local laws. Wiley is also committed to providing reasonable accommodation to applicants and employees with disabilities. Applicants who require accommodation to participate in the job application process may contact tasupport@wiley.com for assistance.

We are proud that our workplace promotes continual learning and internal mobility. Our values support courageous teammates, needle movers, and learning champions all while striving to support the health and well-being of all employees. We offer meeting-free Friday afternoons allowing more time for heads down work and professional development, and through a robust body of employee programing we facilitate a wide range of opportunities to foster community, learn, and grow.

We are committed to fair, transparent pay, and we strive to provide competitive compensation in addition to a comprehensive benefits package. It is anticipated that most qualified candidates will fall within the range, however the ultimate salary offered for this role may be higher or lower and will be set based on a variety of non-discriminatory factors, including but not limited to, geographic location, skills, and competencies. Wiley proactively displays target base pay range for United Kingdom, Canada and USA based roles.

When applying, please attach your resume/CV to be considered.



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