Java Programmer Contract Jobs in Claymont, DE (NOW HIRING)

Sr. Java Developer

Build the systems that operate critical logistics infrastructure.

Who We Are:

United States Cold Storage owns and operates one of the most complex temperature-controlled logistics networks in North America. Every day, our systems coordinate the storage and movement of food at national scale across a network of state-of-the-art distribution centers, including multiple highly automated warehouse facilities.

We continue to advance our core warehouse and logistics platforms. Our current focus is on modular, event-driven, API-first andcloudarchitectures. We continue to enhance reliability and accelerate engineering productivity by strengthening our SRE and AI practices.This is a large investment in innovation to continue to drive operational excellence at our facilities.

If you want to build durable systems that operate in the physical world at scale, this is that opportunity.

The Role:

US Cold Storage's software development team of over 100 engineers builds the logistics and warehouse management systems that power our national cold chain operations — mission-critical software where reliability isn't optional. We're looking for a Senior Java Developer with strong fundamentals: someone who writes clean, well-structured code, builds with observability in mind, and takes performance seriously from the start. They are familiar with API-first, event-driven microservices and want to build systems that will stand the test of time.

What You Will Own:

• Design and implement solutions to complex logistics domain problems, including distributed systems challenges like eventual consistency, idempotency, and transaction handling.
• Write production-quality code that is clean, well-tested, and maintainable — and hold that bar in code reviews.
• Build observability into your work: logging, metrics, alerting, and tracing that make systems understandable in production.
• Partner with Platform and Site Reliability teams to ensure your services are resilient, recoverable, and operationally sound.
• Contribute to technical design and architecture decisions within your team and across dependent systems.
• Write and maintain automated tests — unit, integration, and contract — as a first-class part of delivery.
• Identify and help address technical debt in a pragmatic, prioritized way.
• Mentor junior developers and contribute to a culture of technical excellence within your scrum team.

Technical Environment:

• Distributed engineering organization across the U.S., Colombia and more.
• Azure and OCI Multi-Region Infrastructure.
• Java monoliths and microservices with Spring and Hibernate.
• Infrastructure as Code using Terraform and Ansible.
• GitHub Actions and Jenkins for CI/CD.
• Observability using Dynatrace and Azure Monitor.

What We Are Looking For:

• BS/MS in Computer Science or a related field, or equivalent professional experience. 
• 8+ years of professional software development experience.
• Expert-level Java and Spring ecosystem knowledge.
• Strong foundation in architectural and coding principles — 12-factor apps, SOLID, clean code.
• Experience with event-driven patterns and message brokers such as Kafka or RabbitMQ.
• Track record of building observable, production-ready systems with meaningful test coverage.
• Hands-on experience with containerization (Docker, Kubernetes, or equivalent).
• Experience with CI/CD pipelines and modern DevOps practices.
• Proficiency in data modeling and query optimization across both relational and non-relational databases.
• Experience designing and documenting APIs (REST, OpenAPI).
• Familiarity with distributed systems patterns such as circuit breakers, retries, idempotency, and the saga pattern.

Preferred Experience:

• Azure or other major cloud platform experience.
• Logistics, warehousing, or supply chain domain knowledge.

Why This Role is Different:

Most senior developer roles put you in a box. This one doesn't — you'll work across a large, complex domain with engineers who take the craft seriously:

• Real distributed systems problems in a high-throughput logistics environment.
• A team that treats clean code, observability, and performance as professional standards, not nice-to-haves.
• Large enough to have interesting problems, grounded enough to actually ship.

If that sounds like the right environment, we'd like to hear from you.

Compensation & Structure:

• Salary Range: $145,000.00 - $165,000.00/yr.
• Location: Hybrid, Camden, NJ
• Travel: Less than 10% 
• Reports to: Software Development Manager

Operational Context:
This role is primarily technical and office-based, with occasional interaction in operational environments depending on system needs.

Benefits Include:

If annual hours are attained, these benefits may apply. Medical, Dental, Vision, Prescription, Legal Insurance, Pet Discount, Critical Illness, Accident Insurance, Hospital Indemnity, Long Term Care + Permanent Life Insurance, Identity Theft Protection, Short Term Disability Insurance, Long Term Disability Insurance, Supplemental Disability Insurance, Basic Life Insurance, Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance, Supplemental Life Insurance, Supplemental Spouse Life Insurance, Child Life Insurance, Loan Solution, Health Flexible Spending Account, Dependent Flexible Spending Account, Telemedicine, Virtual Primary Care, Prescription Savings Plan, Prescription Specialty Copay Assistance Program, Weight Management Program, Chronic Condition Management, Care Navigator Program, 24/7 Nurse Line, Expert Medical Opinion, Precious Additions Maternity Program, Health Advocacy, Employee Assistance Program, Digital Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Digital Physical Therapy, Behavioral and Mental Health Platforms, Auto and home discount program, Secure Travel Protection, Discount Programs, 401(k) plan, Education Assistance, Paid Time Off, Referral program & Commuter Benefit (NJ ONLY).

Physical & Operational Context:

May require physical effort associated with using the computer to access information, or occasional standing, walking, lifting needed to carry out everyday activities.  Effective communication, vision, and hearing are essential for safety and productivity.  Operate scanners, tablets, radios, phones, computers, and other essential equipment as required.  Additional work hours may be requested by management to help manage employee production, projects, and/or special events.  Engage in frequent personal interaction and communication.  Attend in-person meetings and/or training on a regular basis.  Possess strong arithmetic and reading skills.  Follow verbal instructions, written instructions, and company policies.  Work independently and coordinate with others.  Fast-paced environment, managing stress and meeting productivity standards. 

Additional Information:

Job functions may vary based on the area of operation. This description outlines the most common tasks required for the job.  Reasonable accommodation may be provided to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential duties.  This job description may not encompass all tasks necessary to complete the role.