Principal Software Engineer

ZipStaff Inc.; Center Square (PA); Remote; USD 160,000 - 210,000; Part time

Job summary

ZipStaff Inc. is looking for a hands-on Principal Software Engineer to lead design and delivery of scalable microservices for a healthcare analytics organization.

You will architect Java/Spring Boot services, optimize high-throughput SQL workloads, own Kafka pipelines, and mentor 4-8 engineers. This remote, contract (W2 through ZipStaff) role requires 10+ years of production-grade software experience, strong leadership, and the ability to drive delivery while contributing production code.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of hands-on software engineering delivering production systems at scale.
• Deep expertise in Java 11+ and the Spring ecosystem (Spring Boot, Spring Cloud, Spring Security, Spring Data).
• Strong MS SQL skills - indexing, execution plans, normalization, and T-SQL.
• Proven experience building and operating Kafka pipelines in a distributed microservices environment.
• Solid front-end proficiency in React, Angular, or Vue.
• Demonstrated leadership: led a team of engineers, owned delivery milestones, influenced architecture.
• Comfortable in Agile / Scrum environments; experienced with sprint ceremonies.
• Must be legally authorized to work in the United States without sponsorship now or in the future.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and delivery of scalable microservices using Java and Spring Boot, with clean separation of concerns and resilience.
• Design and optimize MS SQL schemas, stored procedures, and queries for high-throughput workloads.
• Architect and maintain Kafka-based event-streaming pipelines for real-time processing and decoupled service communication.
• Collaborate with UX and product teams on responsive, accessible front-end interfaces integrated with back-end APIs.
• Conduct code reviews, define coding standards, and drive engineering best practices.
• Mentor and coach 4-8 engineers; run 1:1s and support career growth.
• Partner with product managers and architects to translate business requirements into technical roadmaps.
• Champion observability, security, and CI/CD across the platform.
• Screen candidates, run technical interviews, and help build the team.

Skills

Java

Spring Framework

MS SQL

Kafka

React/Angular/Vue

Leadership

Agile/Scrum

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

AWS

Azure

GCP

Job description

Job Title: Principal Software Engineer

Location: Remote (U.S.)

Employment Type: Contract (W2 through ZipStaff - No C2C or 1099)

About the Opportunity

ZipStaff is seeking a Principal Software Engineer to lead design and delivery of scalable microservices for a leading healthcare analytics organization.

This is a hands-on technical leadership role. You will architect Java / Spring Boot services, optimize high-throughput SQL workloads, own Kafka event-streaming pipelines, and mentor a team of 4-8 engineers. Candidates who cannot lead delivery and contribute production code will not be a fit.

What You’ll Do

• Lead the design and delivery of scalable microservices using Java and Spring Boot, with clean separation of concerns and resilience.
• Design and optimize MS SQL schemas, stored procedures, and queries for high-throughput transactional workloads.
• Architect and maintain Kafka-based event-streaming pipelines for real-time processing and decoupled service communication.
• Collaborate with UX and product teams on responsive, accessible front-end interfaces integrated with back-end APIs.
• Conduct code reviews, define coding standards, and drive engineering best practices.
• Mentor and coach 4-8 engineers; run 1:1s, support career growth, and remove technical blockers.
• Partner with product managers and architects to translate business requirements into technical roadmaps.
• Champion observability, security, and CI/CD across the platform.
• Screen candidates, run technical interviews, and help build the team.

Required Qualifications

• 10+ years of hands-on software engineering experience delivering production systems at scale.
• Deep expertise in Java (11+) and the Spring ecosystem (Spring Boot, Spring Cloud, Spring Security, Spring Data).
• Strong MS SQL skills - indexing, execution plans, normalization, and T-SQL.
• Proven experience building and operating Kafka pipelines in a distributed microservices environment.
• Solid front-end proficiency in at least one modern framework (React, Angular, or Vue).
• Demonstrated leadership: led a team of engineers, owned delivery milestones, and influenced architecture.
• Comfortable in Agile / Scrum environments; experience facilitating sprint ceremonies.
• Strong communication skills with technical and non-technical stakeholders. Take Ownership, conflict/consensus, elevate solutions, bridge to business.
• Must be legally authorized to work in the United States without sponsorship now or in the future.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with Docker, Kubernetes, and cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP).
• Healthcare analytics, claims, or other regulated data-platform background.
• Proven hiring / interview experience on an engineering team.

About ZipStaff

ZipStaff partners with leading organizations to connect skilled technology professionals with high-impact contract opportunities. We focus on quality matches and long-term success.