Java Developer

Job Title: Java Developer (Applications Engineer) - Java Upgrade Project

Duration: 6-Month Contract

Location: West Des Moines, IA (On-Site/Local Candidates)

Our client is seeking an experienced Java Developer / Applications Engineer for a 6-month contract to support a critical Java upgrade and modernization initiative
. This role will be hands-on and focused on helping the engineering team upgrade existing Java applications, remediate compatibility issues, and ensure stable performance and secure deployment as part of a broader enterprise modernization effort.

This opportunity is ideal for a developer who enjoys working in fast-paced environments, partnering cross-functionally, and taking ownership of technical delivery within the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC).

• Java Upgrade & Modernization Delivery:
  Support a major Java upgrade project, including analysis of current-state applications and migration planning.
• Refactor and update code to ensure compatibility with upgraded Java versions and related frameworks/libraries.
• Identify and remediate upgrade-related issues including performance impacts, deprecated components, and security vulnerabilities.
• Assist with modernization efforts such as improving architecture patterns, enhancing maintainability, and supporting API standardization.

• Participate in full SDLC activities: requirements analysis, design, development, unit testing, integration testing, and implementation.
• Develop and enhance Java-based applications including REST APIs, services, and integrations.
• Create and maintain technical documentation related to upgrades, code changes, and deployment procedures.
• Participate in code reviews, technical reviews, and quality assurance checkpoints to ensure coding standards and best practices are followed.

• Partner with cross-functional teams (engineering, QA, Dev Ops, infrastructure, business stakeholders) to support successful delivery of upgrade work streams.
• Assist in troubleshooting defects/issues found in QA, staging, or production environments.
• Provide technical support and guidance to team members during development and testing cycles.

• Ensure application changes align with security standards, development patterns, and internal governance policies.
• Contribute to continuous improvement in development processes, tooling, and implementation practices.

• 5+ years of hands-on Java development experience in enterprise environments.
• Strong experience with Java upgrades / modernization projects (e.g., legacy upgrade, framework version upgrades, migration planning).
• Strong understanding of enterprise SDLC, testing practices, and deployment cycles.
• Experience building and supporting RESTful APIs and integration patterns (messaging, web services, etc.).
• Strong debugging, troubleshooting, and root-cause analysis skills.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to work effectively across both technical and non-technical teams.

• Experience in regulated industries such as financial services, insurance, or healthcare.
• Experience with cloud environments (Azure preferred), CI/CD, and Dev Ops collaboration.
• Familiarity with integration patterns, event-driven architectures, and enterprise middleware tools.
• Experience mentoring junior developers or serving as an informal technical lead.