Principal Software Engineer (Java & AWS)

Vertafore; Denver (CO); On-site; USD 135,000 - 165,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, vision & dental plans

Retirement savings plans

Education assistance

Job summary

Vertafore is seeking a Principal Software Engineer based in Denver, Colorado. In this role, you will shape and enhance the experience for key Vertafore customers by working collaboratively across teams and managing high-profile projects.

The ideal candidate will possess a strong background in Java, cloud-native platforms, and Agile methodologies, with a commitment to driving the development of scalable data solutions. The position includes mentoring, problem-solving, and contributing to the team's overall success.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of professional experience with Java and frameworks.
• 5+ years of experience in building scalable, cloud-native data platforms.
• Strong knowledge of security best practices for software and data.

Responsibilities

• Innovates and crafts clean code.
• Helps lead and mitigate the impact of technical decisions.
• Mentors other developers and fosters best practices.

Skills

Java

Cloud-native platforms

Agile environment

Restful APIs

Database technologies

Education

Degree in computer science or related field

Tools

AWS

Angular

Job description

$135,000 - $165,000 base + bonus / year

The insurance industry runs on Vertafore. We equip agencies, MGAs, and carriers with the core digital systems, specialized AI, and data-driven foundation to eliminate distribution drag across the insurance lifecycle, spanning sales, servicing, and back‑office operations. Underpinned by unmatched speed and performance power, we are the trusted backbone that’s taking the insurance industry from friction to flow with Distribution Velocity – speed, performance, and trust – to drive growth at scale. With over 95% of the top agencies and insurers and 50% of industry compliance transactions running through Vertafore, we lead at the intersection of innovation and trust, giving insurance professionals the confidence to transform and win in the AI era. Our reach is global, with headquarters in Denver, Colorado, and offices across the U.S., Canada, and India.

Job Description

As a Principal Software Engineer, you will shape and improve the experience of key Vertafore customers. You will work cross‑functionally across Vertafore, including Customer Support, Account Management, Product Management, and Product Development to help guide customers and also contribute to the future growth of your team.

You will work with a fast‑paced, skilled team of business analysts, conversion engineers, architects, developers, and quality assurance engineers across multiple high‑profile projects with development responsibility of assigned projects. Much of your success in this role will be dependent upon timely, clear, concise and effective verbal and written communication along with development of solutions that fully meet customer expectations with no/minimal defects or rework.

Although not a primary duty compared to developing and supporting code, a software engineer at Vertafore also works directly with customers as part of a cross‑functional team, which means you need to be a proactive self‑starter, able to multi‑task in a fast‑paced environment and be service‑focused to help nurture the customer experience. Additionally, you’ll be a mentor and consultant, as well as a customer champion within Vertafore.

We’re looking for a seasoned Java engineer with deep experience building scalable data solutions on cloud‑native platforms. You’ll drive the optimization of data pipelines, evolve canonical data models, and design and deliver data solutions that power critical downstream systems, analytics, and machine learning at scale.

Core Requirements And Responsibilities

• Innovates and crafts clean code
• Helps lead and mitigates the impact of technical decisions across the entire product
• Coordinates with Experience Design and software development teams across the department in designing and implementing pragmatic and best‑fit solutions
• Takes ownership of vision and development of technologies, infrastructure, and common components across our tech stack
• Mentors other developers and teams
• Fosters and develops a community of practice across the entire development organization
• Evaluates and recommends tools, technologies and processes ensuring highest quality product platform
• Provides support for existing products and developing new products
• Contributes to defining and enforcing procedures, standards, and methodologies related to software development
• Troubleshoot code problems quickly and efficiently
• Interacts with customers to gather insights and translate technical concepts
• Acts as a role model and mentors other team members technically and culturally
• Leads, joins in, and shepherds teams through implementation goals, including fostering best practices in creation of code

Knowledge, Skills And Abilities

• Advanced communication and interpersonal skills, able to diffuse tension and drive productive conversation, internally and externally
• Strategic problem solver, analytical, with critical thinking skills
• Innate curiosity about how things work; proactively acquires new skills and learns new tools and technologies to troubleshoot complex issues
• Ability to define, communicate and ensure adherence to quality/technical team standards
• Comfortable and effective at making decisions across the product that help long‑term maintainability, reuse, and security and performance
• Must be able to work with global, distributed teams
• In‑tune with high performance and high availability design/programming
• Highly proficient with multiple database technologies
• Strong in both design and implementation at an enterprise level
• Must be able to work with and help non‑development departments communicate with development department
• Communicate clearly to explain and defend design decisions
• Mentor, lead, and direct multiple teams in implementation best practices
• Lead collaboration with the business, designing pragmatic solutions

Qualifications

• Minimum 10 years of professional experience with Java and common frameworks
• Strong experience building scalable, cloud‑native (AWS preferred) data platforms
• Experience working in an Agile environment required
• Degree in computer science, engineering or related field required
• 5+ years of experience in security best practices for software and data platforms required
• 5+ years of experience with Restful APIs required
• 5+ years of experience with design, architecture, and implementation at an enterprise level required
• Experience with Angular or similar technology required
• 5+ years of experience with database technologies (e.g., Oracle, SQLServer, PostgreSQL, Cassandra, etc.)
• Experience with Agile environment (repeated)

Additional Requirements And Details

• Travel required up to 10% of the time
• Located and working from an office location
• Occasional lifting and/or moving up to 10 pounds
• Frequent repetitive hand and arm movements required to operate a computer
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision (working on a computer, etc.)
• Frequent sitting and/or standing

Benefits

• Medical, vision & dental plans (US & Canada)
• Life, AD&D, and disability benefits
• Retirement savings plans with employer match
• Parental leave and adoption assistance
• Employee & Family Assistance Program (EFAP)
• Education assistance and tuition reimbursement
• Health Savings Account
• Flexible Spending Accounts (Health Care, Dental & Vision, Dependent Care, Commuter)
• Commuter benefits (Denver)
• Employee referral and internal recognition programs
• Supplemental plans – pet insurance, hospital indemnity, and accident insurance
• Wellness programs

Compensation & Bonus Plans

• Professional Services (PS) and Customer Success (CX) bonus plans: quarterly monetary bonus based on individual and practice performance metrics
• Vertafore Incentive Plan (VIP): annual monetary bonus for eligible employees based on individual and company performance
• Commission plans tailored to sales roles (quota, MBOs, ABPMs)

Legal & Equal Employment Opportunity

The selected candidate must be legally authorized to work in the United States. Vertafore is a drug–free workplace and conducts pre‑employment drug and background screenings. The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by people assigned to this job; they are not an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, skills or working conditions, and do not constitute an employment contract. Vertafore strongly supports equal employment opportunity for all applicants, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, pregnancy, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, marital status, physical or mental disability, medical condition, sexual orientation, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law.