Principal Software Engineer (contract)

Title: Principal Software Engineer

Location: 401 Las Colinas Blvd W Bldg A Irving, TX

Duration: 12 months

Work Engagement: W2

Work Schedule: 3 days in office/2 days remote

Benefits on offer for this contract position: Health Insurance, Life insurance, 401K and Voluntary Benefits

Summary:

The Principal Software Engineer will serve as a senior technical leader responsible for designing, building, and guiding the development of enterprise-scale applications, APIs, and cloud-native solutions. This role requires deep expertise across Java, Python, distributed systems, Azure cloud services, DevOps, and data center migrations. The ideal candidate has a strong track record of hands-on engineering, architectural leadership, and driving complex technical initiatives across multiple teams and platforms.

Responsibilities:

• Lead the design and development of large-scale distributed systems, backend services, and production-grade APIs across Java and Python environments.
• Architect REST and GraphQL API solutions, including schema design, versioning strategies, security patterns, and integration via modern platforms and gateways.
• Provide technical leadership to engineering teams, acting as a mentor, code reviewer, and escalation point for complex design and implementation decisions.
• Drive data center migration initiatives, including planning, cutover execution, performance validation, and risk mitigation.
• Develop cloud-native applications and services leveraging Microsoft Azure technologies such as AKS, App Service, Functions, API Management, Event Hubs, and Service Bus.
• Implement infrastructure-as-code solutions using Terraform, ensuring modularity, maintainability, and policy-as-code compliance.
• Partner with cross-functional teams to resolve performance issues across JVM, Python services, SQL systems, caching, and messaging architectures.
• Ensure high levels of security and operational excellence, including OAuth2/OIDC, mTLS, secrets management, vulnerability remediation, and observability best practices.
• Build automated CI/CD pipelines using Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions, or Jenkins and promote modern DevOps practices.
• Contribute to architectural strategies and technology roadmaps, aligning engineering solutions with long‑term organizational goals.

Qualifications:

• Applicants must be authorized to work for ANY employer in the U.S. This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship.
• Strong professional software engineering experience across Java and Python, building production-grade APIs and distributed systems.
• Demonstrated expertise designing and leading REST and GraphQL API platforms.
• Experience providing leadership as a Technical Lead or Lead Engineer on complex projects.
• Hands-on background in data center migrations, including cutover planning and execution.
• Proficiency with:

• Java 21/17, Spring Boot, Spring Cloud, reactive frameworks (Project Reactor)
• Python frameworks (FastAPI, Flask, Django) and AI/ML libraries (NumPy, Pandas, scikit-learn, TensorFlow/PyTorch)
• Angular for enterprise front-end applications
• Expertise in API and integration patterns: REST, GraphQL, OpenAPI/Swagger; gRPC a plus.
• Cloud architecture skills with Microsoft Azure, including AKS, App Service, Functions, API Management, Storage, Event Hubs, Service Bus, and Monitor/Application Insights.
• Experience with RHEL or OpenShift for containerized workloads.
• Strong experience with Terraform, including modules, remote state, workspaces, and policy-as-code.
• Advanced SQL Server skills including T-SQL, indexing, query optimization, and performance tuning.
• Experience with messaging and caching technologies such as Kafka, RabbitMQ, and Redis.
• Deep experience with DevOps and security practices (OAuth2/OIDC/JWT, mTLS, Azure Key Vault, vulnerability management, automated testing).
• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field (or equivalent experience).
• Experience with OpenShift operators, service mesh (Istio/Linkerd), and Kubernetes (CKA/CKAD certifications beneficial). (preferred)
• Hands-on experience with Azure Migrate, Azure Database Migration Service, and hybrid connectivity solutions (e.g., ExpressRoute). (preferred)
• Expertise in performance engineering: JVM tuning, Python performance optimization, SQL plan analysis, and horizontal scaling. (preferred)
• Experience with observability tools such as OpenTelemetry, Prometheus/Grafana, ELK/Elastic, and Log Analytics. (preferred)
• Experience with Terraform Enterprise/Cloud, Ansible for RHEL, and policy-as-code frameworks like OPA/Conftest. (preferred)
• Relevant certifications: Azure Architect (AZ‑305), Terraform Associate, RHCSA/RHCE, CKA/CKAD. (preferred)
• Background with CQRS, DDD, event sourcing, and advanced caching patterns. (preferred)