Principal Engineer

We are seeking a Principal Engineer for a contract position (six months or longer) based in Scottsdale, Arizona. This role offers the opportunity to lead technical strategy and hands-on engineering work in a complex, regulated financial services environment.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute technical strategy at the principal/architect level
• Architect and oversee distributed, low-latency systems operating in regulated financial environments
• Integrate applied AI/ML capabilities, including large language models and intelligent automation, into production systems
• Provide technical leadership while maintaining hands-on engineering involvement
• Influence and collaborate with senior management on technical direction and priorities

Qualifications

• Required
• 12+ years of software engineering experience
• 5+ years focused on fraud prevention, payments, or banking technology
• Deep domain expertise in at least one of the following: payment networks, transaction monitoring, authorization systems, or identity verification
• Demonstrated experience architecting distributed, low-latency systems in regulated financial environments
• Strong applied AI/ML fluency, including model integration, LLM-augmented tooling, or intelligent automation in production
• Proven track record defining and executing technical strategy at staff, principal, or architect level
• Ability to operate effectively as a hands-on engineer while influencing at the senior management tier
• Knowledge of industry standards and regulations including PCI-DSS, BSA/AML, Reg E, and network rules