Java/C++ Engineer w/ AI
7 days ago
Chicago
Java/C++ Engineer w/ AI 18-24 Month W2 Contract Chicago- Hybrid 3 days onsite $65-$73/hour Senior Java/C++ Architect – AI-Enabled Transactional FX PlatformRole Overview\n \n \nWe are seeking a highly experienced Senior Java/C++ Architect to lead the architecture, design, development, and modernization of AI-augmented applications across the Transactional FX (TFX) platform. This role requires deep expertise in Core Java, modern C++, distributed systems, and enterprise application architecture, along with demonstrated experience applying AI and agentic workflows to software engineering.\n \nThe ideal candidate will combine hands-on technical leadership with strategic architectural vision, driving the development of scalable, secure, high-performance financial applications. The role will focus on building reusable AI frameworks, modernizing CashPro FX/Flow applications and TFX services, improving engineering productivity, and ensuring alignment with business priorities, enterprise standards, and responsible AI practices.\n \n Primary Skill: Core Java\n Secondary Skill: C++\n Experience Level: 8+ years\n \n \nKey ResponsibilitiesArchitecture and Technical Leadership\n \n \n\n • Define target architectures, reference patterns, and technical standards for AI-augmented applications across the Transactional FX platform.\n, • Lead the architecture, design, development, modernization, and integration of Java-based CashPro FX/Flow applications and C++ services within the TFX suite.\n, • Design solutions that operate across virtual-machine, cloud, and software-as-a-service (SaaS) environments.\n, • Ensure solutions meet functional and non-functional requirements for availability, performance, scalability, security, maintainability, and supportability.\n, • Balance solution quality, latency, resilience, cost, performance, and control requirements when selecting technologies and architectural approaches.\n, • Provide technical direction, resolve complex design challenges, and influence architecture and engineering standards across globally distributed teams. \nAI and Agentic Framework Development\n \n \n\n • Design reusable agentic AI frameworks that support prompt and context management, tool integration, human review, testing, traceability, security, and observability.\n, • Identify opportunities to apply AI to engineering productivity, operational processes, and client-facing platform capabilities.\n, • Lead technical spikes and proofs of concept to validate emerging technologies, reduce delivery risk, and inform architectural decisions.\n, • Promote responsible adoption of AI-assisted engineering practices while adhering to established development controls.\n, • Ensure AI solutions incorporate appropriate safeguards for security, data protection, evaluation, traceability, and human oversight. \nApplication Development and Integration\n \n \n\n • Lead the development and modernization of high-quality enterprise applications using Core Java, Spring Boot, Spring MVC, and modern C++.\n, • Develop automated tests and well-defined interfaces to ensure reliable integration with the broader application ecosystem.\n, • Design RESTful APIs, web services, and distributed application components.\n, • Translate business requirements into practical architecture, refined user stories, acceptance criteria, estimates, and delivery plans.\n, • Contribute to integration, regression, and performance testing; analyze results and lead the diagnosis and resolution of defects.\n, • Apply object-oriented analysis and design principles, architectural patterns, and distributed-systems concepts to complex financial applications. \nEngineering Excellence and Production Support\n \n \n\n • Improve CI/CD practices, including branching strategies, pull requests, issue triage, merge-conflict resolution, release documentation, and deployment controls.\n, • Automate manual build, test, release, and operational activities to improve delivery speed and reduce execution risk.\n, • Produce clear documentation covering deployments, maintenance, production support, architecture decisions, and business functionality.\n, • Support production systems, troubleshoot complex incidents, and deliver effective solutions in time-sensitive environments.\n, • Ensure applications meet high standards for reliability, performance, resilience, and operational readiness. \nCollaboration and People Leadership\n \n \n\n • Partner with business stakeholders, architects, and engineering teams to align architecture and delivery with business priorities.\n, • Mentor engineers and provide technical guidance across globally distributed development teams.\n, • Promote collaboration, knowledge sharing, continuous improvement, and consistent engineering standards.\n, • Communicate complex technical concepts clearly to both technical teams and business users. \nRequired QualificationsCore Technical Skills\n \n \n\n • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, Physics, or a related discipline.\n, • 8+ years of experience developing server-side Java applications, including significant architecture or technical leadership responsibilities.\n, • \n Expertise in Core Java on Linux/UNIX environments, including: \n \n • Java/J2EE and Spring Boot\n, • Spring MVC\n, • JVM tuning and garbage collection\n, • Multithreading and concurrency\n, • Algorithms and data structures\n \n, • Proficiency in modern C++, including memory management, libraries, concurrency, and complex system design.\n, • Strong object-oriented analysis and design skills, with practical experience applying design principles, architectural patterns, and distributed-systems concepts.\n, • Experience designing RESTful APIs and web services.\n, • Strong SQL skills, relational-data modeling, and object-relational mapping (ORM) experience. \nAI and Architecture Experience\n \n \n\n • Demonstrated experience applying AI to software architecture and engineering, including AI-assisted development and agentic workflows.\n, • Experience with prompt engineering, context design, evaluation, observability, and AI security.\n, • Ability to identify practical AI use cases while maintaining appropriate enterprise governance and development controls. \nMessaging, Networking, and Distributed Systems\n \n \n\n • Experience with enterprise messaging and event-driven architectures using technologies such as IBM MQ, JMS, AMPS, Kafka, or TIBCO.\n, • Working knowledge of TCP/IP networking, socket programming, high-availability design, and performance-sensitive systems.\n, • Experience designing reliable, scalable, and resilient enterprise applications. \nDevelopment Practices and Delivery\n \n \n\n • Experience with Agile delivery methodologies and CI/CD practices.\n, • Hands-on experience with development and build tools such as Git, Maven or Gradle, Jenkins, and Ansible.\n, • Experience supporting production systems, diagnosing complex incidents, and delivering solutions in time-sensitive environments.\n, • Excellent analytical, problem-solving, communication, and collaboration skills.\n, • Ability to engage effectively with engineering teams, architects, business stakeholders, and end users. \nDesired Qualifications\n \n \n\n • Python Development: Experience developing production-grade Python services, automation, analytics solutions, or Quartz-based systems.\n, • Enterprise AI: Experience designing and delivering secure, governed agentic AI solutions within an enterprise or regulated environment.\n, • Financial Markets Technology: Experience developing front-office electronic-trading platforms or other capital markets applications.\n, • Trading Systems: Experience with distributed, low-latency, high-availability trading systems, including algorithmic execution, complex event processing, trade and order lifecycle management, pricing, or risk management.\n, • Financial Technology: Familiarity with financial markets workflows and transactional foreign exchange (FX) platforms.\n, • Additional Technologies: Experience with FIX, KDB+/Q, Quartz, Google Guava, React, JavaScript, or related technologies used within the application landscape.\n, • Cloud and Deployment: Experience delivering solutions across cloud, virtual-machine, and SaaS environments.\n, • Technical Influence: Experience influencing architecture, engineering standards, and technical decisions across globally distributed development teams. \nLeadership CompetenciesInnovation and Responsible AI\n \n \n\n • Identifies valuable opportunities for AI adoption while applying appropriate controls for security, data protection, testing, traceability, and human oversight.\n, • Encourages innovation while maintaining enterprise standards and responsible development practices. \nStrategic Thinking\n \n \n\n • Demonstrates strategic vision and strong business knowledge.\n, • Applies innovation and creativity to solve complex technical and business challenges.\n, • Aligns architectural decisions with long-term platform objectives. \nBusiness Results\n \n \n\n • Builds strong client and stakeholder relationships.\n, • Demonstrates analytical ability, accountability, and effective execution.\n, • Leads change initiatives and delivers measurable business outcomes. \nPeople Leadership\n \n \n\n • Develops technical talent and promotes a culture of meritocracy.\n, • Demonstrates effective team leadership and cross-functional collaboration.\n, • Encourages knowledge sharing and responsible corporate citizenship. \nPersonal Effectiveness\n \n \n\n • Communicates clearly and effectively across technical and business audiences.\n, • Demonstrates decisiveness, sound judgment, and accountability.\n, • Exhibits energy, drive, courage, and strong professional character. \nIdeal Candidate ProfileThe ideal candidate is a senior hands-on architect with 15+ years of server-side Java development experience, strong C++ expertise, and a proven track record of leading complex enterprise applications. They bring a combination of financial markets technology experience, distributed-systems architecture, production engineering, and practical AI implementation.\n \nThis individual can define enterprise architecture, guide engineering teams, modernize mission-critical applications, and introduce responsible agentic AI capabilities while maintaining the performance, reliability, security, and control standards required of a transactional FX platform.