Description
Principal Software Engineer
Job Summary
The Principal Software Engineer is responsible for leading the design, development, and evolution of scalable, resilient, reliable, and intelligent software systems. This role combines deep technical leadership with hands-on engineering expertise and requires a customer-centric, forward-looking mindset to integrate AI-driven development practices and agent-based architectures into modern software delivery.
The Principal Software Engineer serves as a technical authority and innovation leader, shaping architecture, mentoring engineers, and driving engineering excellence. Expertise in cloud-native architectures, modern development frameworks, and software engineering best practices is essential for delivering high-quality, secure, and scalable solutions.
Key Responsibilities
Software Engineering & Delivery
AI-Driven Development & Agentic Engineering
Leverage AI-assisted development tools (e.g., GitHub Copilot and similar technologies) to improve engineering productivity and code quality.
Design and implement agentic workflows throughout the software development lifecycle.
Utilize AI technologies for:
Code generation
Code refactoring
Code optimization
Automated code review
Quality analysis
Intelligent test generation
Defect detection
Develop and integrate AI-powered applications and services.
Build customer-facing solutions utilizing Large Language Models (LLMs).
Implement AI-driven automation for engineering and operational processes.
Develop multi-agent workflows for orchestration and automated decision-making.
Apply advanced AI solution patterns including:
Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG)
Prompt engineering
Context management
Agent orchestration
Tool integration
Ensure secure, compliant, and responsible use of AI technologies, particularly when handling regulated financial data.
Required Qualifications
Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Engineering, Mathematics, or a related technical discipline.
7+ years of hands-on software development experience delivering and supporting commercial software applications.
Demonstrated experience leading, mentoring, and developing engineering talent.
Strong experience developing applications using Node.js and modern Node.js frameworks.
Hands-on experience with Java, Spring, and Spring Boot.
Experience with modern front-end frameworks such as Angular, React, or similar technologies.
Strong understanding of authentication and security protocols including OAuth and SAML.
Experience implementing security controls and protecting enterprise systems and data.
Experience building and supporting containerized applications using Docker, Kubernetes, and/or OpenShift.
Cloud platform experience with AWS, Microsoft Azure, and/or Google Cloud Platform (GCP).
Experience developing and deploying solutions that manage sensitive or regulated data.
Strong knowledge of Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) processes.
Experience with CI/CD pipelines and DevOps tooling, including:
Jenkins
Harness
Git
Bitbucket
Nexus
Experience with relational databases including:
MySQL
PostgreSQL
Oracle
Experience with NoSQL databases such as MongoDB.
Strong understanding of data structures and algorithms.
Experience utilizing code quality and code coverage tools.
Strong verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills.
Hands-on experience using AI-assisted development tools such as GitHub Copilot or equivalent.
Familiarity with Large Language Models (LLMs) and AI application development concepts.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience developing applications with Go and/or Python.
Experience working with streaming and event-driven platforms including:
Kafka
Amazon Kinesis
Amazon SQS
Apache Storm
3+ years of experience within financial services, consumer banking, wealth management, or trading environments.
Understanding of banking systems, operations, and financial services processes.
Experience with Domain-Driven Design (DDD).
Experience implementing Command Query Responsibility Segregation (CQRS).
Cloud certifications such as:
AWS Certified Solutions Architect
AWS Certified Developer
Equivalent Azure or GCP certifications
Technical Skills
Programming Languages
Front-End Technologies
Frameworks
Cloud Platforms
Containerization & Orchestration
Databases
DevOps & CI/CD
Security
AI & Emerging Technology
What Sets This Role Apart
Hours & Work Schedule
Some job boards have started using jobseeker-reported data to estimate salary ranges for roles. If you apply and qualify for this role, a recruiter will discuss accurate pay guidance.
Equal Employment Opportunity
Citizens, its parent, subsidiaries, and related companies (Citizens) provide equal employment and advancement opportunities to all colleagues and applicants for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, citizenship, physical or mental disability, perceived disability or history or record of a disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity or expression, genetic information, genetic characteristic, marital or domestic partner status, victim of domestic violence, family status/parenthood, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, pregnancy/childbirth/lactation, colleague's or a dependent's reproductive health decision making, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or any other category protected by federal, state and/or local laws. At Citizens, we are committed to fostering an inclusive culture that enables all colleagues to bring their best selves to work every day and everyone is expected to be treated with respect and professionalism. Employment decisions are based solely on merit, qualifications, performance and capability.