Principal Software Engineer (contract)

Description Title: Principal Software Engineer Location: 401 Las Colinas Blvd W Bldg A , Irving, TX Duration: 12 months Work Engagement: W2 Work Schedule: Onsite Benefits on offer for this contract position: Health Insurance, Life insurance, 401K and Voluntary Benefits Summary: In this contingent resource assignment, you may: Consult on complex initiatives with broad impact and large-scale planning for Software Engineering. Review and analyze complex multi-faceted, larger scale or longer-term Software Engineering challenges that require in-depth evaluation of multiple factors including intangibles or unprecedented factors. Contribute to the resolution of complex and multi-faceted situations requiring solid understanding of the function, policies, procedures, and compliance requirements that meet deliverables. Strategically collaborate and consult with client personnel. Required Qualifications: Software Engineering experience, or equivalent demonstrated through one or a combination of the following: work or consulting experience, training, military experience, education. Responsibilities: We are seeking a hands-on Software Engineer to architect, build, and scale our next-generation API platform and applications. You will drive end-to-end solution design and implementation across Java (21/17), Python, Angular, and GraphQL, while steering cloud-native delivery on Microsoft Azure and Red Hat (RHEL/OpenShift) with Terraform-driven Infrastructure as Code. You’ll also lead and govern technical execution for data center migration (on-prem to cloud), ensuring performance, security, reliability, and operational excellence. This role blends technical leadership (architecture, standards, code quality, mentoring) with deep, hands-on engineering in high-throughput APIs, distributed systems, and AI/ML-enabled services. • Architecture & Technical Leadership • Hands-on Engineering • Cloud, Platform, and DevOps • Data Center Migration (On-Prem → Cloud) • Quality, Security & Compliance • People Leadership & Collaboration Qualifications: • Applicants must be authorized to work for ANY employer in the U.S. This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship. • Software engineering experience building production-grade APIs and distributed systems using Java (17/21) and Python; strong background designing REST and GraphQL solutions. • Technical leadership experience as a Tech Lead or Lead Engineer, plus hands-on data center migration expertise (on‑prem to cloud). • Proficient with Java (Spring Boot/Spring Cloud, reactive stacks), Python (FastAPI/Flask/Django, AI/ML libraries), and Angular for enterprise applications. • Deep experience with Azure cloud services (AKS, App Service, API Management, Functions, Service Bus/Event Hubs) and container platforms on Red Hat/OpenShift; strong Infrastructure‑as‑Code skills using Terraform. • Skilled in MS SQL Server, distributed messaging (Kafka/RabbitMQ), and caching technologies such as Redis. • Strong background in DevOps (Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions, Jenkins), secure engineering (OAuth2/OIDC/JWT, mTLS, Key Vault, vulnerability management), and automated testing. • Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent experience. Preferred Qualifications: • Experience with OpenShift operators, service mesh (Istio/Linkerd), and Kubernetes (CKA/CKAD certifications a plus). • Hands-on with Azure Migrate, Azure Database Migration Service, and hybrid connectivity (ExpressRoute). • Performance engineering: JVM tuning, Python performance, SQL plan analysis, horizontal scaling. • Observability: OpenTelemetry, Prometheus/Grafana, ELK/Elastic, Log Analytics. • IaC & Config: Terraform Enterprise/Cloud, Ansible (for RHEL), policy-as-code (OPA/Conftest). • Certifications: Azure Architect (AZ-305), Terraform Associate, RHCSA/RHCE, CKA/CKAD. • Experience with CQRS/DDD, event sourcing, and advanced caching strategies.