Principal Application Developer

Hybrid preferred; Nashville-area candidates strongly preferred Notes Contract-to-Hire Exclusive opportunity Nashville-area Candidates Strongly Preferred Highest-level individual contributor role within Application Development Candidates should have demonstrable experience leading or governing AI-assisted software development initiatives across teams or organizations AI expertise is considered a core requirement, not a preferred qualification Principal Application Developer Title: Principal Application Developer Start Date: ASAP Duration: Contract-to-Hire Compliance Checks: Standard background check and employment verification Remote/On-site: Hybrid preferred; Nashville-area candidates strongly preferred Project Details/Open Reason: Client is seeking a Principal Application Developer to serve as the highest-level individual contributor within Application Development. This role will establish architecture standards, technical direction, AI governance, modernization strategies, and engineering best practices across multiple applications and teams. The ideal candidate possesses deep expertise in AI-assisted software engineering and can help shape how AI is adopted, governed, and scaled throughout the organization. Required Skills Enterprise application architectureAdvanced .NET / C#SQL ServerAPI architecture and integration designAzure Cloud architectureDevOps and CI/CDApplication security and governanceEnterprise modernization initiativesDeep expertise with AI-assisted software engineering workflowsExperience establishing AI development standards, governance, and guardrailsExperience evaluating AI coding platforms, coding agents, LLM technologies, and AI-enabled software delivery practicesAbility to define responsible AI engineering strategies balancing security, compliance, maintainability, and business objectives Desired Skills Distributed systems architectureMicroservicesAPI governanceObservability and platform engineeringHealthcare technology experienceInsurance or cost-containment systemsX12 integrations Day to Day Responsibilities Establish application architecture standards and technical roadmapsLead enterprise modernization initiativesEvaluate and approve complex technical designsDrive engineering quality, governance, and best practicesDefine AI-enabled development standards and controlsMentor senior developers and technical leadersPartner with technology leadership and business stakeholdersEvaluate emerging technologies and AI platforms