Lead Senior AI Developer

Partnering with Aquent Talent, a leading financial services institution is undergoing a significant technical transformation, modernizing its core technology infrastructure and enhancing its Broker-Dealer Systems. This is a unique opportunity to contribute to an organization that empowers individuals to make an impact on their careers, fostering innovative thought and creative problem-solving to challenge the status quo and transform the finance industry.

About the Role

We are seeking an exceptional Senior AI Developer Tech Lead to drive innovation at the intersection of cutting-edge AI technology and complex financial domains. In this pivotal role, you will lead the charge in modernizing core technology infrastructure and building intelligent systems that directly impact millions of people's financial security. Your expertise will be instrumental in shaping the future of our platforms, making a tangible difference in the lives of our customers and contributing to a significant technical evolution.

What You'll Do

• Lead AI-focused workflows across the System Development Life Cycle, encompassing implementation, refactoring, unit testing, regression support, code reviews, scripting, automation, troubleshooting, and documentation.
• Apply engineering judgment and validation while leveraging AI assistance for common development tasks such as code suggestions, test generation, review support, and automation scripts, always ensuring correctness and quality.
• Drive the adoption of AI-assisted development practices to reduce context switching and accelerate delivery across typical engineering workflows.
• Act as a Tech Lead, mentoring and grooming junior developers, fostering a culture of technical excellence and innovation.
• Design and architect systems from scratch in greenfield environments, bringing visionary solutions to life.
• Establish team-level practices for effective AI-assisted development, leveraging agentic workflows, spec-driven development (translating low-level design artifacts into structured specs that guide AI-assisted implementation), custom instructions, and prompt engineering.
• Contribute to IT transformations and system modernization initiatives, migrating legacy platforms to distributed, modern architectures.

Must-Have Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related technical field, or equivalent practical experience.
• 12+ years of professional software engineering experience in actively developing large-scale software using Java, Spring framework, cloud development, and Web Services supporting high volume transactions in a highly available environment.
• 2+ years of hands-on experience with AI/ML implementation and production deployment.
• 6+ years of experience working with containers and microservices in the cloud.
• 6+ years of experience in cloud deployment in a continuous integration and continuous delivery model (CI/CD).
• 5+ years of experience with major cloud platforms.
• 5+ years' experience working with relational and NoSQL databases.
• 2+ years prior experience in IT Transformations and system modernization initiatives from legacy to distributed platforms.
• Hands-on experience with Large Language Models.
• Demonstrated exposure to, or hands-on experience with, AI coding assistants used across day-to-day engineering workflows in the SDLC.
• Practical familiarity with AI-powered development tools within IDE/CLI-style workflows.
• Working knowledge of agentic workflows, spec-driven development, and custom instructions and prompt engineering, with the ability to establish team-level practices for effective AI-assisted development.
• Domain Expertise: Understanding of broker-dealer capabilities and operations.
• Communication: Excellent communication skills; proven ability to communicate and lead other engineers in a collaborative environment.
• Execution Focus: Collaborative mindset coupled with a bias for action to effectively engage with fellow developers, Architects, and adjacent teams.

Nice-to-Have Qualifications

• Master's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, related degree, OR related practical experience.
• Good knowledge of messaging technologies.
• Experience in Financial Services industry.
• Experience in Test Driven Development, QA Automation and Quality mindset and behaviors.
• Proficient in developing architectural and design diagrams, functional and technical specifications, and automated test processes.
• Willingness to learn all aspects of tech stack and document.
• Ability to research and document production and test environments along with architecture and design work.
• Knowledge of Agile methodology and experience in an Agile working environment.
• Experience with project management and collaboration tools.

Please note: This position is available on a W-2 employment basis only and is not open to Corp-to-Corp (C2C) arrangements. The client is also unable to provide employment-based visa sponsorship or transfers for this role.

#LI-LP1

About Aquent Talent:

Aquent Talent connects the best talent in marketing, creative, and design with the world's biggest brands.

Our eligible talent get access to amazing benefits like subsidized health, vision, and dental plans, paid sick leave, and retirement plans with a match.

Aquent is an equal-opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, and other legally protected characteristics. We're about creating an inclusive environment-one where different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives are valued, and everyone can contribute, grow their careers, and thrive.