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