Java Software Engineer Contract Jobs in Princeton, NJ

In the Technology division, we leverage innovation to build the connections and capabilities that power our Firm, enabling our clients and colleagues to redefine markets and shape the future of our communities. This is a Senior Software Engineering position at the Vice President level, which is part of the job family responsible for developing and maintaining software solutions that support business needs. About the Role We're hiring a senior hands on engineer for the Morgan Stanley Equity Swaps technology team - the platform behind a market-leading, global front-office business.

You'll be working hands-on inside a large-scale, real-time, event-driven system that processes significant volume every day, alongside a team actively modernizing the platform rather than just maintaining it. This isn't a role where seniority means stepping away from code. You'll be designing, architecting, and building core components yourself, while also shaping technical direction and mentoring less experienced engineers on the team.

Expect real ownership: you'll be trusted to make architectural calls, not just implement someone else's spec. What you'll do in the role: Building and evolving a multi-threaded, Linux-based, real-time Java platform handling high-throughput event flows Driving analysis, design, and architecture for complex, cross-team initiatives Working with an interesting tech stack: RDBMS alongside technologies like MongoDB, Kafka, IBM MQ, Hazelcast, and Snowflake Getting deeply hands-on with our large sharded MongoDB cluster, with the expectation of growing into one of the team's go-to subject matter expert on its design, performance, and operational behaviour Becoming a technical expert on our core cashflow calculator - not just the code, but the underlying numbers, so you can reason confidently about whether outputs are actually correct, not just whether the system ran without error Strengthening our test automation and deployment practices - we're steadily maturing toward greater CI/CD and are looking for engineers who want to help drive that evolution, rather than someone joining a fully-automated pipeline Participating in L3 support for North America on a fair rotation - as a senior engineer, you'll be relied on to lead the hard incidents and ambiguous problems Actively using AI tooling (Claude, Amp, Deep Search, and others) to accelerate the SDLC - we want engineers who are evolving their own workflow with AI while keeping strong technical judgment and oversight over what ships What you'll bring to the role: 10+ years of experience Java, server-side, concurrent/multi-threaded programming, with Spring Boot (Core Spring) and JUnit Solid understanding of message-based architectures (Kafka and/or IBM MQ) Strong RDBMS skills - Sybase and/or DB2 preferred - with proficiency writing complex SQL Unix/Linux scripting (Shell / Python) Sharp problem-solving and analytical ability, with a track record of owning full SDLC delivery Excellent written and verbal communication - you'll be expected to explain complex tradeoffs to non-technical stakeholders Genuine interest in learning the business the platform supports, not just the tech Desired Skills Experience operating or tuning large-scale sharded MongoDB clusters Comfort with financial calculations and a willingness to get into the weeds of numerical correctness, not just code correctness Knowledge of the Equity Derivatives business Experience integrating AI-assisted development tools into a real engineering workflow Who thrives here: Strong technical instincts and happy owning ambiguous, complex problems end-to-end Someone who wants technical leadership without giving up hands-on coding A collaborator who can push back constructively with demanding stakeholders and hold a clear technical position Genuine curiosity about the Equity Derivatives business itself, not just the codebase A "can-do," solutions-first attitude when architectural tradeoffs get contentious WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM MORGAN STANLEY: At Morgan Stanley, we raise, manage and allocate capital for our clients - helping them reach their goals. We do it in a way that's differentiated - and we've done that for 90 years.

Our values - putting clients first, doing the right thing, leading with exceptional ideas, committing to diversity and inclusion, and giving back - aren't just beliefs, they guide the decisions we make every day to do what's best for our clients, communities and more than 80,000 employees in 1,200 offices across 42 countries. At Morgan Stanley, you'll find an opportunity to work alongside the best and the brightest, in an environment where you are supported and empowered. Our teams are relentless collaborators and creative thinkers, fueled by their diverse backgrounds and experiences.

We are proud to support our employees and their families at every point along their work-life journey, offering some of the most attractive and comprehensive employee benefits and perks in the industry. There's also ample opportunity to move about the business for those who show passion and grit in their work. To learn more about our offices across the globe, please copy and paste https://www.morganstanley.com/about-us/global-offices into your browser

Expected base pay rates for the role will be between $155,000 and $215,000 per year at the commencement of employment. However, base pay if hired will be determined on an individualized basis and is only part of the total compensation package, which, depending on the position, may also include commission earnings, incentive compensation, discretionary bonuses, other short and long-term incentive packages, and other Morgan Stanley sponsored benefit programs. Morgan Stanley is an equal opportunity employer committed to building and maintaining a workforce that is diverse in experience and background.

Our recruiting efforts reflect our strong commitment to a culture of inclusion, where individuals are hired, developed, and advanced based on their skills and talents. Our workforce reflects a broad cross-section of the global communities in which we operate, bringing a variety of backgrounds, talents, perspectives, and experiences. For more information, please visit: https://www.morganstanley.com/people-opportunities/eeo.