Developer

Horizontal Talent; Minneapolis (MN); On-site; USD 68,000 - 117,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

competitive compensation and benefits

Job summary

Horizontal Talent is seeking a senior backend engineer for a high-impact platform modernization. This contractor role focuses on pricing workflows, REST APIs, and Kafka-based event processing, with collaboration across the United States and India.

You'll build scalable services, optimize REST endpoints, design Kafka solutions, and contribute to both new architecture and existing production systems. Expect to work across time zones and align with Minneapolis/Central Time business hours.

Qualifications

• Senior-level Java backend experience.
• Production Kafka experience with producers and consumers.
• Experience building high-volume RESTful APIs.
• Relational DB experience (Oracle/PostgreSQL) and Cassandra familiarity.
• Ability to ramp up quickly on a large codebase and collaborate across time zones.

Responsibilities

• Build and enhance backend services for high-volume pricing workflows and price publishing.
• Develop, support, and optimize REST APIs used in enterprise-scale applications.
• Design and implement Kafka producer and consumer solutions for event-driven processing.
• Contribute to both a modernized platform and an existing production codebase.
• Work with relational and distributed databases to support reliable performance.
• Troubleshoot issues, write quality code, and deliver production-ready solutions.
• Collaborate with engineering partners across multiple locations and time zones.
• Participate in meetings during Minneapolis/Central Time business hours.

Skills

Java backend development

Kotlin readiness

Apache Kafka

RESTful APIs

Oracle/PostgreSQL

Cassandra

UX problem solving

Communication

Job description

Join a high-impact engineering team working on a major platform modernization that powers fast, accurate price updates through REST APIs and Kafka-based event processing. This senior contractor role offers the chance to contribute to both a new architecture and an established production system while collaborating with teams across the U.S. and India.

Responsibilities

• Build and enhance backend services that support high-volume pricing workflows and timely price publishing
• Develop, support, and optimize REST APIs used in enterprise-scale applications
• Design and implement Kafka producer and consumer solutions for event-driven processing
• Contribute to both a modernized platform and an existing production codebase
• Work with relational and distributed databases to support reliable application performance
• Troubleshoot issues independently, write quality code, and deliver production-ready solutions
• Collaborate with engineering partners across multiple locations and time zones
• Participate in meetings during Minneapolis/Central Time business hours

Skills

• Strong senior-level experience in Java backend development
• Working knowledge of Kotlin or the ability to become productive quickly in Kotlin
• Hands-on experience with Apache Kafka in production, including both producers and consumers
• Experience building and supporting high-volume RESTful APIs
• Experience with relational databases such as Oracle and/or PostgreSQL
• Familiarity with distributed NoSQL databases such as Cassandra
• Ability to ramp up quickly on a large existing codebase with minimal guidance
• Strong communication, collaboration, and independent problem-solving skills

Preferred Skills

• Experience with modular monorepo architectures
• Experience working in framework-light or framework-free Java environments
• Familiarity with RocksDB
• Experience supporting high-throughput, event-driven, or large-scale distributed systems
• Background in retail, pricing, or eCommerce platforms
• Experience contributing to architecture, design, or technical ownership in enterprise applications

Horizontal is committed to fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment where everyone feels respected, valued, and empowered to contribute. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and encourage you to apply if you’re excited about the opportunity and meet the core qualifications.

• competitive compensation and benefits including medical, dental, vision, and retirement

The pay range for this role is $49 - $85 per hour based on qualifications and experience.