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Freelance Java Developer Startup Jobs in Chicago, IL

project44

Senior Software Engineer - LSP

Chicago, IL · On-site

$126K - $166K/yr

It's the scope and ownership of an AI startup, backed by the infrastructure of a $124M business ... Strong programming and debugging skills with proficiency in Java * Experience designing and ...

project44

Senior Software Engineer - LSP

Chicago, IL

$126K - $166K/yr

It's the scope and ownership of an AI startup, backed by the infrastructure of a $124M business ... Strong programming and debugging skills with proficiency in Java * Experience designing and ...

project44

Senior Software Engineer - LSP

Chicago, IL · On-site

$126K - $166K/yr

It's the scope and ownership of an AI startup, backed by the infrastructure of a $124M business ... Strong programming and debugging skills with proficiency in Java * Experience designing and ...

project44

Senior Software Engineer - LSP

Chicago, IL · On-site

$126K - $166K/yr

It's the scope and ownership of an AI startup, backed by the infrastructure of a $124M business ... Strong programming and debugging skills with proficiency in Java * Experience designing and ...

Huntington

Principal Innovation Engineer

Rosemont, IL · On-site

This role requires strong hands-on full-stack engineering skills, the mindset of a startup ... Java, Python, TypeScript/JavaScript, or similar), with the ability to rapidly learn and apply new ...

Elevance Health

Distinguished AI Engineer

Chicago, IL · On-site

Strong programming expertise in Python, Java, or similar required. * Deep experience with APIs ... Experience working in a Fortune 100 regulated company, startup, and or top-tier technology firm ...

Array

Senior Go Software Engineer

Chicago, IL · On-site +1

$80 - $100/hr

... Java in a fast-paced environment (like a startup). * 4+ years experience building and scaling a ... Engineering Leadership Interview, How We Work Interview. Array Offers All Full Time Employees the ...

Array

Senior Go Software Engineer

Chicago, IL · On-site +1

$80 - $100/hr

... Java in a fast-paced environment (like a startup). * 4+ years experience building and scaling a ... Engineering Leadership Interview, How We Work Interview. Array Offers All Full Time Employees the ...

Attune

Software Engineer, Applied AI (FDE)

Chicago, IL · Hybrid

Experience in a startup or high-growth environment where you wore multiple hats Nice-to-Haves ... Java or Kotlin experience * Experience in healthcare, health tech, or compliance-driven industries ...

Iterable

Senior Software Engineer (Channels)

Chicago, IL · On-site +1

$133K - $212K/yr

... Best Startup Employers in 2022. Notably, Iterable has also been listed on Wealthfront's Career ... Proficiency in at least one modern programming language (ideally Scala and/or Java) * Experience ...

Iterable

Software Engineer II

Chicago, IL · Remote

$100K - $137K/yr

... Best Startup Employers in 2022. Notably, Iterable has also been listed on Wealthfront's Career ... Proficiency in at least one modern programming language (ideally Scala and/or Java) * Experience ...

Grindr

Staff Software Engineer, Backend

Chicago, IL · On-site

$152K - $203K/yr

Experience with the JVM and at least one JVM language such as Java, Kotlin, and Scala. Experience ... We're embedding AI into our product and operations, moving with startup speed while operating at ...

Convr

Forward Deployed Engineer

Schaumburg, IL · Remote

Salary: Forward Deployed Software Engineer About Convr: Convr is an AI underwriting, data, and ... startup environments. * Strong coder with shown proficiency in TypeScript/JavaScript, Python, Java ...

Convr

Forward Deployed Engineer

Schaumburg, IL · On-site +1

$150K - $170K/yr

Forward Deployed Software Engineer About Convr: Convr is an AI underwriting, data, and intelligent ... startup environments. * Strong coder with shown proficiency in TypeScript/JavaScript, Python, Java ...

Convr

Forward Deployed Engineer

Schaumburg, IL · On-site

$150K - $170K/yr

Forward Deployed Software Engineer About Convr: Convr is an AI underwriting, data, and intelligent ... startup environments. * Strong coder with shown proficiency in TypeScript/JavaScript, Python, Java ...

Grindr

Staff Full Stack Engineer

Chicago, IL · On-site

$152K - $203K/yr

Strong back-end experience in at least one modern language (Java, Kotlin, Node.js, Python, or Go ... We're embedding AI into our product and operations, moving with startup speed while operating at ...

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How much do freelance java developer startup jobs pay per hour?

As of Jun 21, 2026, the average hourly pay for freelance java developer startup in Chicago, IL is $58.41, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $50.53 and $65.38 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is the difference between Freelance Java Developer Startup vs Freelance Java Developer Corporate?

AspectFreelance Java Developer StartupFreelance Java Developer Corporate
Work EnvironmentIndependent, flexible, project-basedRemote or office-based, structured projects
Client InteractionDirect with startups or small teamsOften with corporate clients or departments
Project ScopeVaried, often innovative or MVP developmentLong-term, maintenance, or enterprise solutions
Required CredentialsJava certification, portfolio, experienceJava certification, experience, possibly more formal credentials

Freelance Java Developer Startup roles typically involve working independently on diverse projects for startups, emphasizing innovation and flexibility. In contrast, Freelance Java Developer Corporate roles often focus on structured, long-term projects for established companies, with more formal client interactions and expectations.

What are the most commonly searched types of Java Developer Startup jobs in Chicago, IL? The most popular types of Java Developer Startup jobs in Chicago, IL are:
What are popular job titles related to Freelance Java Developer Startup jobs in Chicago, IL? For Freelance Java Developer Startup jobs in Chicago, IL, the most frequently searched job titles are:
What job categories do people searching Freelance Java Developer Startup jobs in Chicago, IL look for? The top searched job categories for Freelance Java Developer Startup jobs in Chicago, IL are:
Freelance Java Developer Startup jobs near you
Senior Software Engineer - LSP

Senior Software Engineer - LSP

project44

Chicago, IL • On-site

$126K - $166K/yr

Full-time

Posted 3 days ago

Job description

Why p44LSP.ai?
At project44, we believe in better - and p44LSP.ai is what better looks like for the logistics service provider market.
For years, project44 focused on global shippers as our core customer. That focus worked. Our Shipper business is a category leader growing 20% year-over-year. That strength is what makes the next chapter possible.
Shippers and LSPs are fundamentally different businesses. Shippers buy logistics software to support their core operations. Logistics Service Providers - freight forwarders, brokers, and 3PLs - sell logistics as their product. Their software is their competitive edge. They buy fast, build on APIs and agents, and reward teams that ship in weeks, not quarters.
This is why we created p44LSP.ai: a dedicated, AI-native division built to serve the LSP market with the focus, speed, and resources it deserves. It's the scope and ownership of an AI startup, backed by the infrastructure of a $124M business - 259K carriers, billions of shipment outcomes, agents in production, and direct access to project44's data graph, carrier network, and enterprise relationships.
This is a small, hand-picked team operating across Chicago, San Francisco, Bangalore, and the EU. Flat org. Forward-deployed engineering. AI coding tools across the workflow. Agents as the product surface. Customers who pilot in weeks and tell you what they think directly.
The LSP market is moving fast. AI agent startups are growing 300%+ year-over-year, and seven of eight sell to LSPs. We have the data position, the platform, the customers, and now the team. We're hiring the engineers who will build it with us.
AI at project44
We expect every project44 team member, regardless of role or function, to actively leverage AI in their day-to-day work. Whether you're building product, serving customers, managing people, or running operations, AI is a tool you're expected to use with intent, curiosity, and judgment. We don't expect everyone to be a data scientist. We do expect everyone to be an intelligent user of AI: able to identify where it adds value, direct it effectively, evaluate outputs critically, and govern it responsibly. We invest in our team's AI fluency because we believe it's a competitive advantage for every person at project44, not just our engineers
If you're driven to solve meaningful problems, leverage AI to scale rapidly, drive impact daily, and be part of a high-performance team - we should talk.
The Role
You will work in a fast-paced Agile environment designing, building, and operating backend systems that power decision intelligence capabilities for logistics service providers. You won't be a cog in a large engineering machine - you'll be close to the product, close to customers, and shipping things that matter.
What You'll Work On
  • Design, build, and operate backend systems that power decision intelligence capabilities, using AI and analytics to help LSP customers make informed, timely, and confident supply chain decisions
  • Build services and workflows that reduce manual effort and enable action - helping customers collaborate more effectively with carriers and partners
  • Own and modernize core platform services such as identity and access management (IAM) and search infrastructure, keeping them secure, scalable, and extensible as new AI capabilities are introduced
  • Transform large-scale logistics data into actionable insights - supporting recommendations, decision support, and automated actions
  • Partner closely with product, data, and design to translate ambiguous customer problems into well-scoped, scalable technical solutions
  • Build and operate systems on Google Cloud Platform (GCP), leveraging managed services for reliable, scalable backend delivery
  • Take shared ownership of development, testing, deployment, and operations for your team's systems
  • Participate in on-call rotation, debugging and resolving issues across your team's services
  • Improve observability, monitoring, and operational tooling to ensure system reliability
  • Contribute to technical design discussions, code reviews, and documentation - setting a high bar for quality and maintainability
  • Mentor and support other engineers through code reviews, pairing, and technical guidance

What We're Looking For
Qualifications
  • 5+ years of professional experience building large-scale, cloud-based systems
  • Strong programming and debugging skills with proficiency in Java
  • Experience designing and building scalable Java-based microservices
  • Experience designing and consuming APIs and web services (REST, OpenAPI/Swagger)
  • Experience working with NoSQL and/or relational databases (MongoDB, DynamoDB, Postgres, or similar)
  • Experience working in an Agile software development environment
  • Comfortable using AI-assisted development tools (Cursor, Claude, GitHub Copilot, or similar) while maintaining high standards for code quality and correctness

Nice to Have
  • Event-driven systems and stream-processing pipelines (Kafka, Kinesis, or similar)
  • Containerization and orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes)
  • Experience designing or working with agentic AI systems - multi-step or autonomous LLM-powered workflows
  • Familiarity with agentic AI frameworks or patterns: task planning, tool invocation, stateful agents, workflow orchestration
  • Building platform or framework-level solutions that enable AI-driven automation and decision-making

How You Work
  • Clear communicator - you can explain technical decisions through design docs, discussions, and reviews, and work well with both technical and non-technical partners
  • Analytical and comfortable with ambiguity - you make tradeoffs explicit and navigate uncertainty without waiting to be told what to do
  • Strong sense of ownership - you voice ideas, take feedback, and iterate toward better solutions

Work Authorization: Candidates must be authorised to work in the US without current or future employer-sponsored visa support.
In-office Commitment: Our office is where ideas spark, connections thrive, and innovation comes alive. We are looking for candidates who are enthusiastic and committed to joining our team on-site, in our beautiful headquarters 3 days a week. Together, we're building something extraordinary-learn, grow, and thrive in our fast-paced, transformative environment.
Diversity & Inclusion
At project44, we're designing the future of how the world moves. As we work to deliver a truly world-class product, we're intentionally building teams that reflect the unique communities we serve. We're focused on creating a company where all team members can bring their authentic selves to work every day.
project44 is an equal opportunity employer. If you share our values and passion for the future of logistics, we'd love to review your application. Even if you don't meet 100% of the requirements, please consider applying - studies show you can still be a strong candidate at 50%.
For any accommodation needed during the hiring process, please email recruiting@project44.com.

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