Contract Java Developer Jobs in Richmond, TX (NOW HIRING)

Job#: 3040293
Job Description:
AI Developer
Employment Type: Contract-to-Hire
Location: Houston, TX
Schedule: Hybrid
Position Overview
We are seeking an AI Developer Experience & Tooling Engineer to build and optimize the AI-powered systems, workflows, and development tools that accelerate software modernization efforts across the organization. Rather than focusing on a single application, this role is responsible for creating scalable, repeatable AI-assisted development practices that improve engineering efficiency, code quality, and software delivery outcomes.
The ideal candidate combines strong software engineering fundamentals with practical experience leveraging large language models (LLMs), AI development tooling, automation frameworks, and developer platforms. This individual will work closely with modernization engineers to create the systems, guardrails, and workflows that enable teams to successfully adopt AI-powered development practices at scale.
Key Responsibilities

• Design, build, and optimize AI-assisted pipelines for:
  • Code comprehension
  • Code translation
  • Test generation
  • Code review
  • Software modernization workflows
• Evaluate, integrate, and benchmark AI development tools to determine their impact on engineering productivity and software quality.
• Develop prompts, agents, contextual frameworks, and automation solutions that support engineering teams throughout the development lifecycle.
• Establish governance, guardrails, and best practices for AI-assisted development to ensure solutions remain secure, reliable, auditable, and maintainable.
• Create reusable developer tooling and internal platforms that improve developer efficiency and modernization outcomes.
• Partner closely with software engineers, architects, and modernization teams to drive adoption of AI-powered engineering workflows.
• Measure and report on the effectiveness of AI-assisted development initiatives using data-driven performance metrics.

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years of professional software engineering experience.
• Strong software engineering fundamentals and experience building applications using modern development practices.
• Hands-on experience working with:
  • Large Language Models (LLMs)
  • AI-assisted development tools
  • AI coding assistants
  • Prompt engineering
  • Developer productivity platforms
• Experience designing and building:
  • Developer tools
  • Automation frameworks
  • Internal engineering platforms
  • Workflow orchestration solutions
• Experience evaluating technical solutions through experimentation, measurement, and performance analysis.
• Proficiency in at least one of the following technologies:
  • C++
  • C# / .NET
  • Java
• Ability to understand and work within complex legacy codebases and modernization environments.
• Experience working within Agile software development environments.
• Knowledge of:
  • Spec-Driven Development
  • AI Development Lifecycle (AIDLC)
  • AI-enabled software engineering workflows

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience implementing agentic coding solutions and AI-assisted refactoring at scale.
• Background in:
  • Static analysis
  • Compiler technologies
  • Program transformation
  • Code generation systems
• Working knowledge of:
  • LangChain
  • LangGraph
  • DeepAgents
• Experience supporting enterprise application modernization initiatives.
• Experience building AI governance, evaluation, and observability frameworks.

Success Factors
The ideal candidate will:

• Be an excellent communicator who can partner effectively with engineers, architects, and stakeholders.
• Thrive in highly innovative and rapidly evolving environments.
• Demonstrate curiosity, experimentation, and a willingness to test new ideas while maintaining engineering rigor.
• Successfully influence engineering teams to adopt AI-powered development tools and workflows.
• Balance innovation with practicality, focusing on measurable business and engineering outcomes.
• Use data-driven decision-making to evaluate the impact of AI-assisted engineering practices.
• Serve as an advocate and change agent for modern software development methodologies.

Everforth Apex is a world-class IT services company that serves thousands of clients across the globe. When you join Everforth Apex, you become part of a team that values innovation, collaboration, and continuous learning. We offer quality career resources, training, certifications, development opportunities, and a comprehensive benefits package. Our commitment to excellence is reflected in many awards, including ClearlyRateds Best of Staffing in Talent Satisfaction in the United States and Great Place to Work in the United Kingdom and Mexico.
Everforth Apex uses a virtual recruiter as part of the application process. Click for more details. By applying for this job, you agree to receive calls, AI-generated calls, text messages, or emails from Everforth Apex and its affiliates, and contracted partners. Frequency varies for text messages. Message and data rates may apply. Carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages. You can reply STOP to cancel and HELP for help. You can access our privacy policy at
Everforth Apex Benefits Overview: Everforth Apex offers a range of supplemental benefits, including medical, dental, vision, life, disability, and other insurance plans that offer an optional layer of financial protection. We offer an ESPP (employee stock purchase program) and a 401K program which allows you to contribute typically within 30 days of starting, with a company match after 12 months of tenure. Everforth Apex also offers a HSA (Health Savings Account on the HDHP plan), a SupportLinc Employee Assistance Program (EAP) with up to 8 free counseling sessions, a corporate discount savings program and other discounts. In terms of professional development, Everforth Apex hosts an on-demand training program, provides access to certification prep and a library of technical and leadership courses/books/seminars once you have 6+ months of tenure, and certification discounts and other perks to associations that include CompTIA and IIBA. Everforth Apex has a dedicated customer service team for our Consultants that can address questions around benefits and other resources, as well as a certified Career Coach. You can access a full list of our benefits, programs, support teams and resources within our 'Welcome Packet' as well, which an Everforth Apex team member can provide.
Everforth Apex Systems is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate or allow discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions), age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, genetic information, registered domestic partner status, marital status, disability, status as a crime victim, protected veteran status, political affiliation, union membership, or any other characteristic protected by law. Everforth Apex will consider qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable law.
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