Principal Software Engineer
Los Angeles, CA
Type: Contract-to-Hire
Category: Development
Industry: Financial Services
Reference ID: JN -072026-107846
Date Posted: 08/08/2026
Shortcut: http://careers.eliassen.com/MiNVNq
Description
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Description:
On-site in Los Angeles, CA
Our client seeks a Principal Software Engineer to lead backend services and APIs for a payment processing platform supporting prominent technology partners. The role will drive technical leadership across release engineering, DevOps pipelines, observability, reliability, and secure SDLC in an AI-enabled environment.
This is a contract to hire opportunity. Applicants must be willing and able to work on a w2 basis and convert to FTE following contract duration. For our w2 consultants, we offer a great benefits package that includes Medical, Dental, and Vision benefits, 401k with company matching, and life insurance.
Rate: $70.00 to $76.00/hr. w2
JN -072026-107846
Responsibilities:
Lead development of backend services and RESTful APIs for payment processing at scale.
Drive release engineering, Azure-based DevOps pipelines, and secure SDLC practices.
Design and optimize distributed, event-driven architectures using queues and messaging.
Implement observability with Datadog or equivalent, including alerting and incident response.
Own test automation frameworks and integrate suites into CI/CD.
Advance CI/CD workflows, platform reliability, and SLA adherence.
Collaborate with QA, Security, and Infrastructure for seamless deployments.
Mentor engineers and promote engineering best practices.
Translate stakeholder requirements into scalable technical solutions.
Operate in an AI-driven SDLC and implement intelligent testing capabilities.
Experience Requirements:
8+ years of software engineering experience with 2+ years as a hands-on technical lead.
Expertise in C#, .NET, SQL Server, and Azure services such as AKS, Service Bus, App Services, and Azure DevOps.
Strong knowledge of RESTful API design, OAuth2, and microservices.
Hands-on with queuing, multithreading, and distributed computing using Kafka, Service Bus, or MQ.
Proven ownership of test automation frameworks beyond unit testing, integrated with CI/CD.
Observability experience with Datadog or similar tools.
Experience in payments or financial services with high transaction volume.
Familiarity with GitHub Actions and container orchestration.
Secure coding and compliance in regulated environments such as PCI DSS or SOC 2.
Experience with Agile methodologies and tools such as JIRA.
Preferred: fintech environment experience, peer-to-peer payments exposure, stability and release management, open-source or publications, and leadership of scalable platform practices.
Education Requirements:
Bachelor's degree in computer science or related field, or equivalent work experience.
Recruitment Transparency Notice
Eliassen Group values transparency in our recruitment practices. Please be advised that Eliassen Group utilizes artificial intelligence (AI) tools as part of its initial application screening and hiring process. You may receive email and SMS notifications from the Eliassen Virtual Recruiting Team ( noreply@eliassen.com , 781-808-2924) inviting you to complete a brief voice screening as part of your application process. These tools assist our hiring teams in different ways, including but not limited to, assistance in reviewing application materials to help identify candidates whose qualifications most closely match the requirements of the position. All AI-assisted evaluations and responses are reviewed by human recruiters before any hiring decisions are made. The use of AI in our process is intended to support fairness, efficiency, and consistency, and Eliassen Group takes measures to prevent bias or discrimination in connection with its hiring practices. By proceeding, you acknowledge, agree, and consent to Eliassen Group's use of these tools, including AI tools, as part of the application and hiring process.
Skills, experience, and other compensable factors will be considered when determining pay rate. The pay range provided in this posting reflects a W2 hourly rate; other employment options may be available that may result in pay outside of the provided range.
W2 employees of Eliassen Group who are regularly scheduled to work 30 or more hours per week are eligible for the following benefits: medical (choice of 3 plans), dental, vision, pre-tax accounts, other voluntary benefits including life and disability insurance, 401(k) with match, and sick time if required by law in the worked-in state/locality.
If anyone reaches out to you about an open position connected with Eliassen Group, please ensure that you are working directly with us by confirming the following:
· When you work with Eliassen Group, all email communication will come from an Eliassen.com address, never Gmail, Yahoo, etc.
· Eliassen Group will never ask you for personal information (home address, bank account, or check routing number) until you have worked with someone clearly associated with Eliassen Group.
If you have any indication of fraudulent activity, please contact fraud@eliassen.com _.
About Eliassen Group:
Eliassen Group is a strategic consulting firm that helps organizations reach further and achieve more through our technology, business advisory, and life sciences solutions. For nearly 40 years, we have combined exceptional people, deep domain expertise, and intelligent capabilities to expand our clients' capacity and accelerate meaningful outcomes. We are driven by a purpose to positively impact the lives of our employees, clients, consultants, and the communities we serve.
Eliassen is committed to building a diverse and inclusive team from a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. We are an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer and all employment decisions are based on merit, performance, and business needs. Eliassen does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender identity or expression, sexual preference or orientation, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), marital status, creed, religion, physical or mental disability, genetic information, military or veteran status, age, ancestry, national origin, citizenship status, prohibited criminal record inquiries of applicants and employees, or any other category protected by federal, state, or local laws.
Don't miss out on our referral program! If we hire a candidate that you refer us to then you can be eligible for a $1,000 referral check!_
