Title: Principal Software Engineer ( Drools and Java)
Location: Durham, NC
Duration: 12+ months
Rate: 70-80/hr on W2
Drools – at least 3-5 years of Recent/Dedicated experience w
Drools in addition to previous development experience.
Principal Level - should have 10+ years of overall/hands-on
development, primarily back-end w Java tech stack before moving into Drools
**Need to have designed Drools rules engine and built
Frameworks From Scratch – not interested in candidates that have only
participated in or used existing frameworks Shooting. If we need to go higher,
we should be able to get exception but keep rates/markups within reason please
24 months, but the manager would prefer to take this resource perm eventually
The Fidelity Insurance Group (FIG) Technology team is a
small, growing team in Enterprise Services with a “Start Up” feel. We are
seeking an upbeat, hardworking Principal Drools & Java Software Engineer to
join us in defining the future for our organization. We will have a focus on
modernizing and building innovative cloud-native experiences, capabilities, and
platforms in support of millions of customers who are seeking products that
provide guaranteed income and/or protection. We are an emerging group in
Fidelity with strategic financial backing.
Job Title: Principal Software Engineer
The Role
We are seeking a Principal Drools and Java Engineer to lead the design,
evolution, and operational excellence of our business rules and underwriting
decisioning capabilities. This role sits at the intersection of software
architecture, domain modeling, and business policy enablement, shaping how
complex rules are authored, executed, governed, and scaled across the
enterprise.
As a Principal Engineer, you will act as a technical authority and trusted
advisor, influencing architecture, standards, and long-term strategy while
remaining hands-on with critical systems.
The Expertise and Skills You Bring
Technical Experience & Depth
10+ years of
professional software engineering experience, with deep expertise in Java
and enterprise application development.
5+ years of hands-on
experience building and operating Drools-based (or equivalent BRMS)
solutions in production environments.
Deep knowledge of
object-oriented design, domain-driven design, and clean architecture
principles.
Strong understanding of:
Stateless vs. stateful
rule execution models
Decision tables, DRL,
and rule flows
Rule performance
tuning, conflict resolution, and lifecycle management
Experience using
copilot (or AI in general) as part of engineering practices
Architecture & Systems Design
Proven ability to own
and evolve rules engine architectures, including rule authoring patterns,
execution strategies, versioning, and governance.
Experience designing
scalable, resilient Java services that integrate rules engines with
distributed systems (RESTful APIs, messaging, event-driven architectures).
Strong understanding of
performance, memory management, and operational characteristics of
rules-based systems.
Leadership & Influence
Demonstrated ability to
lead technically without formal authority, influencing architecture and
engineering decisions across teams.
Experience leading
technical design reviews and providing architectural guidance for complex
systems.
Strong mentorship
mindset, with a track record of elevating senior and mid-level engineers.
Collaboration & Business Enablement
Ability to partner
closely with product owners and domain experts to translate business
policy into clear, executable decision logic.
Experience supporting
DevOps/SRE practices, including deployment strategy, monitoring, and
observability for rules-driven services.
Comfortable representing
engineering perspectives in cross?organization architectural discussions
and modernization initiatives.
Information
Locations Durham, NC (Hybrid)Position Open to Only localsIndustry Information TechnologyStatus OpenJob Age 8 Day'sCreated Date 04/23/2026No.of Positions 1Duration 12+ monthsZip Code
