Staff Engineer/Technical Lead (JAVA) MUST HAVE INSURANCE PRODUCT AND/OR FINANCIAL SERVICES EXPERIENCE and COBOL-->JAVA modernization Location: Remote (U.S.) Type: Contract-to-Hire (6 months CTH) Openings: 3 About the Role We're seeking experienced Staff Engineers to support the transformation of our core insurance product administration systems. You will be embedded within a specific line of business team (Annuities, Life Insurance, or New Business) and responsible for modernizing legacy systems, enabling cloud adoption, and driving scalable software solutions. This role goes beyond coding-you're expected to help define business problems, architect scalable solutions, and mentor a blended team of COBOL and modern engineers. You'll work across engineering, product, and business teams to lead modernization initiatives, integrate APIs, and improve cloud readiness. Responsibilities Solution Architecture & Leadership * Lead solution design and integration patterns across complex enterprise systems. * Translate business needs into technical roadmaps and guide modernization decisions. * Partner with COBOL engineers and modern developers to transition legacy systems (COBOL-to-Java). Software Development & Modernization * Guide transition to an API-first ecosystem replacing 450+ point-to-point integrations. * Implement Kafka event streaming and OpenShift-based microservices. * Drive adoption of GitHub, CI/CD, and cloud-native DevOps practices. * Collaborate with business to streamline annuity, life, and underwriting workflows. Cross-Team Collaboration * Act as a technical liaison across architecture, product, and engineering teams. * Mentor team members in DevOps, cloud, and engineering best practices. * Evaluate vendor solutions for integrations and modernization support. Tech Stack * Languages & Tools: Java, COBOL (for context), Spring Boot, Docker, Kubernetes, GitHub, OpenShift * Data & Streaming: Kafka (preferred), RabbitMQ (phasing out), Qlik * Cloud/Security: Azure (primary), AWS (some usage) * CI/CD & DevOps: GitHub, ShipRight, feature flagging, automated testing Qualifications Required: * 10+ years of software engineering with modernization experience. * Hands-on experience with mainframe-to-cloud/API transitions. * Expertise in API architecture, cloud strategies, and DevOps automation. * Experience working with COBOL platforms (not as a COBOL dev) is a plus. * Strong leadership, mentoring, and problem-solving skills. Preferred: * Financial services, insurance, or ERP system experience. * Experience integrating third-party vendor platforms and policy admin systems. Beacon Hill is an equal opportunity employer and individuals with disabilities and/or protected veterans are encouraged to apply. California residents: Qualified applications with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act. If you would like to complete our voluntary self-identification form, please click here or copy and paste the following link into an open window in your browser: https://jobs.beaconhillstaffing.com/eeoc/ Completion of this form is voluntary and will not affect your opportunity for employment, or the terms or conditions of your employment. This form will be used for reporting purposes only and will be kept separate from all other records. Company Profile: Beacon Hill Technologies, a premier National Information Technology Staffing Group, provides world class technology talent across all industries utilizing a complete suite of staffing services. Beacon Hill Technologies' dedicated team of recruiting and staffing experts consistently delivers quality IT professionals to solve our customers' technical and business needs. Beacon Hill Technologies covers a broad spectrum of IT positions, including Project Management and Business Analysis, Programming/Development, Database, Infrastructure, Quality Assurance, Production/Support and ERP roles. Learn more about Beacon Hill and our specialty divisions, Beacon Hill Associates, Beacon Hill Financial, Beacon Hill HR, Beacon Hill Legal, Beacon Hill Life Sciences and Beacon Hill Technologies by visiting www.bhsg.com . Benefits Information: Beacon Hill offers a robust benefit package including, but not limited to, medical, dental, vision, and federal and state leave programs as required by applicable agency regulations to those that meet eligibility. Upon successfully being hired, details will be provided related to our benefit offerings. We look forward to working with you. Beacon Hill. Employing the Future™
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