Principal Application Engineer

About This Opportunity

We are representing a confidential database technology organization seeking a Principal Application Engineer to join their application modernization practice. This remote position, based in France, focuses on helping enterprise clients transform legacy relational applications into modern cloud-native architectures using document database platforms, GenAI tooling, and accelerated delivery methods.

Our client works across all industry verticals with enterprise-grade customers on sophisticated technical challenges. You'll gain cross-stack experience, work with top-tier engineering talent, and contribute to groundbreaking R&D that advances modernization capabilities for global enterprises.

Responsibilities

• Shape architecture and technology strategy across modernization projects, making complex technical decisions that connect engineering choices to customer and business outcomes
• Lead assessment and modernization of legacy Java applications by uncovering dependencies, embedded business logic, integration points, and operational constraints; recommend fit-for-purpose modernization paths
• Design, implement, and review production-quality solutions using Java and Spring Boot, including APIs, integrations, monolith decomposition, relational-to-document data modeling, stored-procedure transformation, schema evolution, and database operational practices
• Establish safe, incremental delivery practices through explicit acceptance criteria, automated testing, CI/CD, observability, and rollback strategies; identify quality, security, performance, and reliability risks and guide teams to resolve them
• Serve as senior technical partner to customers, application owners, and project stakeholders by explaining complex topics clearly, aligning priorities, navigating disagreement, communicating trade-offs, and maintaining trust through high-risk change
• Multiply team effectiveness through mentoring, raising engineering standards, creating reusable migration playbooks and documentation, applying GenAI advancements responsibly, and influencing project direction
• Work in Agile environments delivering customer-focused solutions while innovating on new GenAI-based approaches to specific migration challenges

What We're Looking For

Required qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field, or equivalent practical experience
• Typically 8+ years of progressive experience designing, building, and delivering Java applications, including significant experience leading complex application modernization initiatives
• Expert understanding of Java fundamentals, object-oriented design, concurrency, error handling, performance considerations, and maintainable software architecture; able to review code and guide design decisions across teams
• Deep production experience with Spring Boot and related patterns for building resilient services, APIs, integrations, and testable distributed applications
• Demonstrated ability to assess legacy estates, decompose monoliths, uncover dependencies and embedded business logic, and define practical modernization strategies with clear trade-offs
• Strong experience with relational databases and SQL, including stored procedures, data dependencies, data migration, schema evolution, and relational-to-document modeling for document databases
• Proven history of delivering high-cadence modern applications using Agile methodologies, test-first development, CI/CD pipelines, Git-based version control, observability, and reliability practices
• Demonstrated success mentoring engineers and influencing technical outcomes across teams

Nice-to-have skills:

• Experience building REST APIs with Spring Boot
• Experience in performance and memory optimization of Java applications
• Familiarity with tools like Postman, IntelliJ IDEA, and Maven/Gradle
• Exposure to other languages or technologies like JavaScript or.NET
• Understanding of ORM tools like Hibernate, Spring Data, or JPA
• Experience with GenAI technologies and approaches, such as using API integrations beyond chat interfaces
• Experience with AI-powered development tools like code assistants
• Good experience with document database platforms

Important note: Successful candidates will engage with customer systems and may be exposed to highly confidential customer data. Due to the nature of highly regulated industries, candidates may be subject to enhanced background checks, security screenings, and possible constraints around trading of securities.

How We Work With You

When you apply through Get A Job.ai, our talent team will review your profile and conduct an initial screening to understand your experience and career goals. If there's a strong match, we'll prepare and submit your candidacy to our client for consideration. Throughout the process, we'll be your advocate and primary point of contact.

Please do not contact the client directly. All communication regarding this opportunity should go through Get A Job.ai to ensure proper coordination and the best candidate experience.

Pay

Compensation details will be discussed during the screening process based on your experience level and location.

Equal Employment Opportunity: Get A Job.ai is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all applicants regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or any other protected characteristic. We value diversity and inclusion in our recruitment practice.