Java Modernization Lead — Onsite in Richmond

Brooksource; Richmond (VA); On-site; USD 103,000 - 117,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental, vision

HSA/Dependent Care FSA

401k with company match

Paid time off

Paid holidays

Employee Assistance Program

Job summary

Brooksource is partnering with a public sector client in Richmond to modernize a core, public-facing application still on a legacy Java stack. The role is a hands-on Java Modernization Lead responsible for assessing the codebase, setting the upgrade path, and delivering incremental upgrades with a modern, supported platform.

It’s a 6-12 month contract, predominantly onsite in Richmond, VA. You will lead upgrades hands-on, coordinate with the client team, and leverage AI-assisted tooling to

Qualifications

• 12+ years of enterprise Java development experience.
• Led at least 2 hands-on upgrades of legacy Java apps to modern Java (11/17/21).
• Experience with JSP/Servlets and legacy frameworks (Struts or older Spring).
• Strong Oracle experience: SQL, PL/SQL, JDBC; DB upgrades beneficial.
• Git, Maven or Gradle, and CI/CD familiarity.

Responsibilities

• Assess the application: inventory frameworks, libraries, app server, IE-specific code, DB touchpoints; run dependency scans.
• Size and plan the work; validate effort estimates and sequencing.
• Set the technical approach: target Java LTS (17 or 21) and compatible framework/server versions; modularize code.
• Lead the hardest upgrades hands-on, including Oracle 19c fixes.
• Modernize the front end to remove Internet Explorer dependencies.
• Use AI coding assistants and automated refactoring tools with careful review.

Skills

Enterprise Java

Legacy Java upgrades

JSP/Servlets Struts Spring

Oracle SQL/PLSQL/JDBC

Git, Maven/Gradle

CI/CD

Mentoring/leadership

Tools

Git

Maven

Gradle

CI/CD tooling

Job description

Brooksource is partnering with a public sector client in Richmond to modernize a core, public-facing application still on a legacy Java stack. The role is a hands-on Java Modernization Lead responsible for assessing the codebase, setting the upgrade path, and delivering incremental upgrades with a modern, supported platform.

It’s a 6-12 month contract, predominantly onsite in Richmond, VA. You will lead upgrades hands-on, coordinate with the client team, and leverage AI-assisted tooling to