Senior Java Backend & DevOps Engineer (Gamedev)

TL;DR

Senior Java Backend & DevOps Engineer (Java/AWS): Building and operating high-throughput, low-latency backend services for MMO games with an accent on agentic engineering workflows and distributed systems. Focus on orchestrating AI agents to increase throughput, tuning JVM performance, and managing cloud-native infrastructure at scale.

Location: Must be based in Germany (valid visa required) or working within the German timezone (CET/CEST) for freelance roles.

Company

A self-published MMO strategy game developer and part of the Stillfront Group, serving over 200 million players worldwide.

What you will do

• Design and operate high-throughput, low-latency Java services on AWS, K8s, and Terraform.
• Architect and optimize MySQL and Redis layers handling millions of player rows.
• Implement and manage agentic workflows (Claude Code, Cursor, MCP) to significantly multiply engineering throughput.
• Own CI/CD, observability, and on-call responsibilities for the systems you ship.
• Define agentic engineering standards, tooling, and review processes for the broader engineering organization.

Requirements

• 6+ years of expert-level Java experience focusing on distributed systems, concurrency, and GC tuning.
• Deep proficiency in AWS and cloud-native stack (Kubernetes, Docker, Terraform).
• Proven practice in agentic coding workflows, including multi-agent setups and prompt structuring.
• Strong architectural judgment and the ability to turn fuzzy product asks into precise constraints.
• Valid German visa and residency within Germany for permanent employment.
• Excellent written English.

Nice to have

• Experience with gaming backends (matchmaking, inventories, economy services).
• Knowledge of event-driven architectures (Kafka, Kinesis, SQS/SNS).
• Experience with real-time telemetry or anti-cheat systems.
• Contributions to open-source agentic tools or published work on AI workflows.

Culture & Benefits

• Engineering-first culture with high autonomy and a focus on technical excellence.
• Opportunity to set the bar for agentic engineering in a large-scale production environment.
• Remote work flexibility within the German timezone.
• Work on systems with immediate, measurable impact on millions of active players.

Hiring process

• Technical walkthrough of a real-world agentic workflow you have built and used.
• Review of specifications, prompt structures, and loop management.
• Evaluation of architectural judgment and practical experience over theoretical knowledge.