Korn Ferry

Title: Principal AI Software Engineer - Java

Location: Westlake, TX - Onsite

Type: Contract to Hire

Position Overview:

Our client is scaling their global engineering organization and hiring multiple Principal Engineers to lead a large modernization effort of their Core Platform. This includes rewriting the core Application using a modern cloud‑native architecture, while simultaneously adding agentic AI capabilities to existing SaaS products.

These roles are 100% hands‑on, with direct ownership over architecture, coding, design patterns, and technical leadership.

Responsibilities:

• Lead the rewrite of the core platform using Java/Spring and AWS.
• Architect and build cloud‑native services with event‑driven patterns and strong reliability.
• Design and implement AI‑driven agentic automation flows in existing SaaS products.
• Use AI tools (Claude Code, Copilot, Cursor) to accelerate development.
• Define technical direction, standards, and best practices across teams.
• Own high‑scale distributed system design, testing, and observability.
• Mentor senior engineers and influence engineering strategy globally.

Requirements:

• 10-15+ years backend engineering experience, preferably at scale.
• Deep experience with Java, Spring Boot, AWS, microservices.
• Event‑driven architecture (SQS/SNS/Kinesis), idempotency, and distributed system design.
• Experience embedding AI in products (agents, workflows, orchestration) or strong interest with demonstrable adoption of AI dev tools.
• Strong architecture, code quality, and technical leadership skills.
• Experience modernizing legacy systems a major plus.

About Korn Ferry

Korn Ferry unleashes potential in people, teams, and organizations. We work with our clients to design optimal organization structures, roles, and responsibilities. We help them hire the right people and advise them on how to reward and motivate their workforce while developing professionals as they navigate and advance their careers. To learn more, please visit Korn Ferry at www.Kornferry.com