Staff FullStack Engineer - Backend Focused (Java & React/Typescript)

Secure Every Identity, from AI to Human

Identity is the key to unlocking the potential of AI. Okta secures AI by building the trusted, neutral infrastructure that enables organizations to safely embrace this new era. This work requires a relentless drive to solve complex challenges with real-world stakes. We are looking for builders and owners who operate with speed and urgency and execute with excellence.

This is an opportunity to do career-defining work. We're all in on this mission. If you are too, let's talk.

Get to know Okta

Okta is The World’s Identity Company. We free everyone to safely use any technology, anywhere, on any device or app. Our flexible and neutral products, Okta Platform and Auth0 Platform, provide secure access, authentication, and automation, placing identity at the core of business security and growth.

At Okta, we celebrate a variety of perspectives and experiences. We are not looking for someone who checks every single box - we’re looking for lifelong learners and people who can make us better with their unique experiences. 

Join our team! We’re building a world where Identity belongs to you.

Access Essentials - Core Product

The Access Essentials organization at Okta builds the platform features for authentication and authorization across Okta-protected resources. Our mission is to enable customers to access these resources seamlessly & securely. We develop Okta cloud services and client software that allow users to seamlessly login to devices and use Okta authenticators to access applications securely. The Access Management team is part of Okta R&D Engineering. Learn more about Okta’s Engineering on our blog.x

The First Party Apps Platform team

First Party Apps Platform team is part of the larger Access Essential - Core Product organization. We develop Okta’s secure web experiences for end-user authentication and access. Our products and features are high-impact and high-visibility. Our team develops the Okta Sign-in Widget, End User SSO Dashboard, and the Okta Browser Plugin.

The Engineer Opportunity

We seek an experienced web full-stack engineer to join our First Party Apps Platform team. The ideal candidate has extensive experience in web development, building well-tested and maintainable software. The opportunity is an excellent chance to build software with high impact and usage. If you’re excited to work on something that millions of users will use on a daily basis, this is the opportunity for you.

Job Duties and Responsibilities:

• Lead the architectural design and development of scalable, resilient, and high-performance backend services and REST APIs using Java and Spring Boot.
• Architect and optimize server-side logic, distributed data models, and database schemas using MySQL to ensure high availability and efficiency of our core identity services.
• Collaborate closely with product managers, UI/UX designers, and cross-functional engineering teams to translate product requirements into robust backend systems and end-to-end features.
• Write clean, modular, well-tested, and maintainable code adhering to software engineering best practices, security guidelines, and coding standards.
• Support end-to-end feature delivery by integrating backend APIs with user-facing interfaces, with an openness to contribute to or learn lightweight frontend tasks using React and TypeScript.
• Optimize applications and database queries for maximum throughput, low latency, and high scalability across distributed systems.
• Contribute to the evolution of our backend and platform architecture, driving technical initiatives for long-term scalability and maintainability.
• Participate in design and code reviews, providing constructive feedback and upholding high programming standards across the team.
• Proactively identify and resolve technical debt, performance bottlenecks, and service reliability risks.
• Stay up-to-date with emerging technologies and best practices in backend systems, distributed architectures, and cloud services.
• Champion a culture of continuous improvement, innovation, and technical excellence within the team.

Minimum Requirements:

• 8+ years of professional software engineering experience, with a heavy emphasis on backend architecture and core enterprise services.
• Deep expertise in Java and the Spring Boot framework, with proven experience building, securing, and scaling high-throughput enterprise backend applications.
• Strong relational database expertise (MySQL), including data modeling, schema indexing, and complex query performance tuning.
• Proven track record of designing, implementing, and securing high-volume RESTful APIs and microservices.
• Solid computer science fundamentals: distributed systems, multi-threading/concurrency, caching strategies, and data structures.
• Experience with backend testing frameworks (e.g., JUnit, Mockito, integration/API testing) with a commitment to high test coverage.
• Strong proficiency with version control systems, particularly Git, and CI/CD development workflows.
• Strong debugging and problem-solving skills, with the ability to troubleshoot complex, distributed system issues.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with a positive, growth-oriented mindset.

Nice to have:

• Familiarity with design systems and component libraries.
• An understanding of Identity and Access Management protocols and architecture, e.g., FIDO, U2F, WebAuth, SSO, SAML, OAuth, Federation.
• Contributions to open-source projects.
• UI / Frontend Exposure: Foundational knowledge or prior working experience with modern web technologies (React, TypeScript, JavaScript ES6+, HTML5, CSS3).
• Eagerness & Adaptability: Willingness and readiness to learn, adopt, and contribute to frontend layers/components when needed for full-stack feature delivery.
• Familiarity with frontend build tools (Vite, Webpack, Yarn/NPM) or basic testing frameworks (Jest, React Testing Library).

Education and Training:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or equivalent experience
• Minimum 5 years of experience working on large-scale enterprise grade software 

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The Okta Experience

• Supporting Your Well-Being 
• Driving Social Impact 
• Developing Talent and Fostering Connection + Community

We are intentional about connection. Our global community, spanning over 20 offices worldwide, is united by a drive to innovate. Your journey begins with an immersive, in-person onboarding experience designed to accelerate your impact and connect you to our mission and team from day one.

Okta is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, ancestry, marital status, age, physical or mental disability, or status as a protected veteran. We also consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and convictions records, consistent with applicable laws.

If reasonable accommodation is needed to complete any part of the job application, interview process, or onboarding please use this Form to request an accommodation.

Notice for New York City Applicants & Employees: Okta may use Automated Employment Decision Tools (AEDT), as defined by New York City Local Law 144, that use artificial intelligence, machine learning, or other automated processes to assist in our recruitment and hiring process. In accordance with NYC Local Law 144, if you are an applicant or employee residing in New York City, please click here to view our full NYC AEDT Notice.