Be yourself at Protolabs
Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. We are an equal opportunity employer, and we are committed to building a diverse team that feels they are valued in the workplace. So do you feel you do not meet every single requirement but still intrigued? We encourage you to still apply! You can help make our company even better. We do not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, age, mental or physical ability, or any way you represent yourself. We strongly believe diversity makes for more successful teams.
Why Protolabs?
We are the leaders in digital manufacturing. We hire doers, makers, and creative thinkers who tackle our roles with an entrepreneurial spirit. Our culture is centered around meaningful work that brings new and innovative products to market at unprecedented speeds. We are a diverse team that comes from all walks of life and take pride in our team who is smart, genuine, humble, and passionate about what we do. It’s our people who fuel our creativity and make our culture feel like home.
We’re looking for a Java Software Engineer (Remote) to join our team.
This position is remote \& open to applicants based in the EU.
We are looking for a Java software engineer to join the Product Operations team at Protolabs, where our mission is to revolutionise our workflow and drive efficiency as we continue our scaling journey. The team is responsible for streamlining processes - from allocating orders to our manufacturing partners, navigating production stages, managing communications and quality controls, orchestrating shipping \& logistics, and ensuring timely payments.
In the past, we moved fast with bespoke tools that improved shipping \& logistics but left a fragmented landscape. As we scale globally, we are unifying these capabilities and establishing Logistics as a first‑class domain within our product and engineering ecosystem.
This is a true zero-to-one effort. You will ship early, small slices of value - balancing speed with durable foundations for scale and reliability.
Tech environment
For this role: Java microservices with Spring Boot; REST/async APIs; PostgreSQL; Redis; Docker/Kubernetes; CI/CD with GitHub Actions; observability and logging.
RabbitMQ \&KNative for eventing
The broader ecosystem you will integrate with: Python services (FastAPI/Flask with SQLAlchemy and Celery), Angular (TypeScript) frontends, Terraform, Docker, k8s for infrastructure, Retool and Zapier for operational tooling. Some internal teams also use Rust and C++.
What’ll You Do
Ship business value fast: design, implement and release thin slices that reduce manual work, improve on‑time shipments, increase logistical visibility, and shorten cycle times
Build and integrate Java-based microservices and APIs: expose secure, well-documented endpoints and integrate with eventing systems
Make pragmatic architectural calls: design data contracts and integration approaches that balance speed with long‑term maintainability
Establish foundations: set up CI/CD, automated tests, observability and SLOs to ensure reliability from day one
Streamline operations: automate exception handling and reconciliations, retire legacy scripts/tools, and remove bottlenecks across the order‑to‑ship flow
Collaborate and influence: work closely with Product Ops, stakeholders, and contribute and participate in our Backend Guild
Own end‑to‑end delivery: discovery, design, build, deploy, monitor, iterate—and handle production issues to keep value flowing
What It Takes
5+ years of experience building web applications and backend services, with at least 3 years of experience in using Sprint Boot in a (micro)services environment
Proficiency in Java for designing, developing, testing, and monitoring production systems
Experience with relational databases (like PostgreSQL)
Familiarity with Docker, Kubernetes, and CI/CD environments
Experience working in an agile team, and excellent communication and collaboration skills
Bonus Point For
Deep understanding of event-based architectures
Familiarity with Angular
Comfort reading and understanding Python code
Nice to have
Knows and understands basic concepts and procedures in one of the development disciplines
Strong verbal and written communication skills
Excellent work ethic, positive attitude and sense of urgency