Principal Software Engineer

On-site in Los Angeles, CA

Our client seeks a Principal Software Engineer to lead backend services and APIs for a payment processing platform supporting prominent technology partners. The role will drive technical leadership across release engineering, DevOps pipelines, observability, reliability, and secure SDLC in an AI-enabled environment.

This is a contract to hire opportunity. Applicants must be willing and able to work on a w2 basis and convert to FTE following contract duration. For our w2 consultants, we offer a great benefits package that includes Medical, Dental, and Vision benefits, 401k with company matching, and life insurance.

Rate: $70.00 to $76.00/hr. w2

JN -072026-107846

• Analyze, design, program, debug, and modify software enhancements and new products across local, networked, cloud, or internet applications.
• Develop backend services and RESTful APIs supporting platform operations, release engineering, DevOps pipelines, and integrations.
• Collaborate with QA, Security, and Infrastructure to ensure reliable deployments and performance.
• Lead initiatives to improve CI/CD workflows, observability, and platform reliability.
• Implement monitoring and alerting to meet SLAs and enable rapid incident response.
• Mentor engineers and promote best practices across the domain.
• Translate platform requirements into scalable technical solutions with stakeholders.
• Operate in an AI-driven SDLC and leverage AI code assistants.
• Implement intelligent testing frameworks that auto-generate tests, predict defects, and enable self-healing.
• Lead test automation frameworks using standard tools for REST-based APIs on Azure.
• Integrate test suites into CI/CD pipelines.
• Lead test strategy, planning, and execution for functional, integration, system, end-to-end, accessibility, database validation, and automation.

• 8+ years of software engineering experience with 2+ years in a technical lead role.
• Proficiency with C#, .NET, SQL Server, and Azure cloud solutions.
• Strong understanding of RESTful API design, OAuth2, and microservices.
• Familiarity with DevOps tools such as GitHub Actions.
• Knowledge of queuing mechanisms, multithreading, multitasking, and distributed computing.
• Experience with containers, release automation, and observability tools such as Datadog.
• Secure coding practices and compliance workflows in regulated environments (e.g., PCI DSS, SOC 2).
• Strong analytical, multitasking, and organizational skills.
• Experience with Agile methods and tools such as JIRA.
• Preferred: fintech experience, peer-to-peer payments, stability and release management, open-source or publications, and leadership in scalable platform engineering.

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field, or equivalent work experience.

Recruitment Transparency Notice

Eliassen Group values transparency in our recruitment practices. Please be advised that Eliassen Group utilizes artificial intelligence (AI) tools as part of its initial application screening and hiring process. You may receive email and SMS notifications from the Eliassen Virtual Recruiting Team ( [email protected] , 781-808-2924) inviting you to complete a brief voice screening as part of your application process. These tools assist our hiring teams in different ways, including but not limited to, assistance in reviewing application materials to help identify candidates whose qualifications most closely match the requirements of the position. All AI-assisted evaluations and responses are reviewed by human recruiters before any hiring decisions are made. The use of AI in our process is intended to support fairness, efficiency, and consistency, and Eliassen Group takes measures to prevent bias or discrimination in connection with its hiring practices. By proceeding, you acknowledge, agree, and consent to Eliassen Group’s use of these tools, including AI tools, as part of the application and hiring process.

Skills, experience, and other compensable factors will be considered when determining pay rate. The pay range provided in this posting reflects a W2 hourly rate; other employment options may be available that may result in pay outside of the provided range.

· When you work with Eliassen Group, all email communication will come from an Eliassen.com address, never Gmail, Yahoo, etc.

· Eliassen Group will never ask you for personal information (home address, bank account, or check routing number) until you have worked with someone clearly associated with Eliassen Group.

If you have any indication of fraudulent activity, please contact [email protected] .

About Eliassen Group:

Eliassen Group is a strategic consulting firm that helps organizations reach further and achieve more through our technology, business advisory, and life sciences solutions. For nearly 40 years, we have combined exceptional people, deep domain expertise, and intelligent capabilities to expand our clients’ capacity and accelerate meaningful outcomes. We are driven by a purpose to positively impact the lives of our employees, clients, consultants, and the communities we serve.

Eliassen is committed to building a diverse and inclusive team from a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. We are an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer and all employment decisions are based on merit, performance, and business needs. Eliassen does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender identity or expression, sexual preference or orientation, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), marital status, creed, religion, physical or mental disability, genetic information, military or veteran status, age, ancestry, national origin, citizenship status, prohibited criminal record inquiries of applicants and employees, or any other category protected by federal, state, or local laws.

Don’t miss out on our referral program! If we hire a candidate that you refer us to then you can be eligible for a $1,000 referral check!