We are seeking an experienced and proactive Principal Lead Middleware/Integration Engineer to join our IT Infrastructure team. This position plays a critical role in designing, deploying, managing, and optimizing middleware systems that enable seamless integration of applications, data, and services across the enterprise. This role will ensure the performance, availability, and security of the middleware environment and act as a subject matter expert in the middleware domain.

This is an excellent opportunity for an individual with deep expertise in middleware technologies to work on innovative projects, solve complex technical challenges, and drive the strategic roadmap for middleware services.

These solutions will power critical initiatives in integration architecture, support complex project implementations, and ensure our systems’ high performance, availability, and scalability in support of our business’s growth and digital transformation.

Key Responsibilities

Platform Design & Implementation:

• Architect, configure, and deploy middleware and integration solutions (e.g., App Servers, (WebSphere, WebLogic, JBoss, etc.), Collibra, DBT, Power BI, MuleSoft, etc.) to support seamless application integration across various platforms and systems.
• Lead the implementation of complex middleware systems to facilitate application-to-application communication, API management, message queuing, and event streaming.
• Design highly available and fault-tolerant architecture with scalability in mind to meet evolving application and business requirements.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure integration solutions align with cloud, data, and application strategies, supporting on-premises, hybrid, and cloud-native solutions.

System Administration & Issue Resolution:

• Manage, monitor, and maintain the middleware infrastructure to ensure optimal performance and availability, implementing proactive measures to minimize downtime.
• Perform system tuning, upgrades, and patching as needed, ensuring all middleware systems are up-to-date and secure.
• Act as a key resource for diagnosing and resolving middleware-related issues, providing support for production incidents and ensuring timely resolution.
• Conduct root cause analysis and implement solutions to prevent future issues, enhancing system stability.
• Actively support management’s direction to consistently assess risk and apply appropriate IT Controls to all technologies and environments.

Collaboration & Communication:

• Work closely with application developers, infrastructure engineers, and business analysts to design, implement and integrate middleware solutions that align with business and technical requirements.

Automation & Scripting:

• Automate middleware management tasks using tools such as Ansible, Terraform, Puppet, or custom scripts in Python, Bash, or PowerShell, etc. to improve operational efficiency and reduce manual intervention.
• Design and implement monitoring scripts to enhance observability and proactively identify issues within middleware applications.

Security, Governance, & Compliance:

• Implement and enforce security best practices within the middleware environment, including regular security assessments, vulnerability management, and adherence to compliance standards.
• Maintain appropriate access controls, identity management, and data protection policies for middleware systems.
• Work closely with the Information Security team to embed security into middleware solutions and maintain alignment with overall enterprise security strategies.

Documentation & Knowledge Sharing:

• Create and maintain comprehensive documentation for middleware configurations, processes, and procedures.
• Mentor other team members and provide training on middleware management, troubleshooting techniques, and best practices.

Optimization:

• Identify opportunities for improvement and innovation within middleware systems and processes, evaluating emerging technologies to improve performance, security, and operational efficiency.
• Optimize middleware platforms through tuning, configuration changes, and automation to enhance speed, reliability, and system performance.
• Implement performance monitoring and alerting mechanisms to proactively address potential issues and ensure optimal middleware performance.

Required Qualifications

Education:

• Minimum of a bachelor’s degree in computer science, Information Technology, or related field.
• A master’s degree is preferred. Equivalent work experience will be considered.

Experience:

• 12+ years of experience in middleware engineering, integration, and administration within large enterprise environments.
• Proven expertise with one or more middleware platforms such as IBM WebSphere, Oracle Fusion Middleware, MuleSoft, Apache Kafka, or similar technologies.
• Experience in container orchestration technologies such as Docker, Kubernetes, etc.
• Background in DevOps practices, CI/CD pipelines, and agile methodologies
• Proficiency in middleware configuration, clustering, load balancing, and failover strategies.
• Strong scripting skills in languages such as Python, PowerShell, or Bash, and experience with configuration management tools (e.g., Terraform, Ansible, etc.).
• Solid knowledge of network protocols, security standards, and data encryption.
• Familiarity with monitoring tools such as Splunk, AppDynamics, Dynatrace, etc.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with an aptitude for troubleshooting complex technical issues.
• Strong team player with a proactive, solution-oriented approach and the ability to work independently when required.
• Familiarity with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and their middleware services, and microservices architectures.
• Knowledge of data integration, ETL processes, and data streaming technologies (e.g., Apache Flink, Spark).

Our goal is to offer our colleagues the most generous benefits package possible. We strive to provide colleagues with a comprehensive benefits package and an environment that supports a healthy work-life balance. Benefits include: Competitive compensation with performance incentive awards, Health Insurance, Dental Insurance, a 401K and DC Plan for your retirement, LTD & Life Insurance, Day Care Reimbursement, Tuition Assistance for graduate and undergraduate programs, an award winning Wellness program and much more!

At Rockland Trust you'll find a respectful and inclusive environment where everyone is given the chance to succeed. We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.