Principal Software Engineer

Principal Software Engineer

• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Full time
• Opening on: May 4 2026
• Hybrid
• Ascensus

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Ascensus is the leading independent technology and service platform powering savings plans across America, providing products and expertise that help nearly 16 million people save for a better today and tomorrow.

Ascensus does not provide visa sponsorship now or in the future and does not hire candidates working under OPT/EAD (Student, STEM, etc)

Position Summary

As a Principal Software Engineer, you will lead and hands-on contribute within a Scrum team to deliver complex solutions that align with our software architecture strategy, coding standards, and organizational policiespartnering across disciplines to clarify requirements, make sound technical tradeoffs, and ship reliable software through a modern delivery pipeline focused on automation, quality, and frequent releases. You will mentor engineers, provide architecture and technical guidance in your areas of expertise, and continuously evaluate emerging technologies and practicesincluding AI-assisted engineering and intelligent automationrecommending adoption paths that strengthen delivery while meeting security, privacy, and enterprise governance expectations.

Job Functions, Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Analyze requirements and propose solutions that meet business goals; estimate and plan work across the Agile lifecycle. Use AI where it helps to explore options, prototype, and surface risksthen ground decisions in constraints and evidence.
• Implement complex changes to the codebase using team standards, source control, unit testing, and CI/CD. Use AI-assisted coding to move faster without sacrificing quality: small increments, clear intent, peer review, and tests that prove correctness.
• Diagnose complex application issues to root cause and resolution. Use AI to suggest hypotheses or steps when useful; confirm with logs, metrics, and reproducible evidence.
• Support testing and clear written descriptions of changes. Use AI to speed drafting of cases, scenarios, or docs; engineers own accuracy, completeness, and customer clarity.
• Collaborate in Scrum activities, pair programming, and code review; help refine team norms for AI-assisted work (reviews, secure usage, quality gates) as part of continuous improvement.
• Work with the Product Owner to understand and influence the roadmap, with ownership for architecture and technical deliveryincluding automation and AI-enabled capabilities that fit enterprise governance and non-functional requirements.
• Lead or support technical research and innovation: evaluate platforms, models, tooling, and integration patterns; participate in architecture discussions with a consistent lens on security, privacy, model lifecycle, and operations.
• Lead by example as coach and mentor; give steady feedback on technical and architectural choices, incidents, and safe rollout of AI-related changes (evaluation, monitoring, guardrails).
• Protect Ascensus confidential information and follow approved AI and data-handling policies so data is not exposed, mis-transmitted, or disclosed without authorization.
• Demonstrate the I-Client philosophy and Core ValuesPeople Matter, Quality First, and Integrity Alwaysincluding transparent, ethical use of AI that earns trust with clients and colleagues..
• Diagnose complex application issues to root cause and resolution. Use AI to suggest hypotheses or steps when useful; confirm with logs, metrics, and reproducible evidence.
• Support testing and clear written descriptions of changes. Use AI to speed drafting of cases, scenarios, or docs; engineers own accuracy, completeness, and customer clarity.
• Collaborate in Scrum activities, pair programming, and code review; help refine team norms for AI-assisted work (reviews, secure usage, quality gates) as part of continuous improvement.
• Work with the Product Owner to understand and influence the roadmap, with ownership for architecture and technical deliveryincluding automation and AI-enabled capabilities that fit enterprise governance and non-functional requirements.
• Lead or support technical research and innovation: evaluate platforms, models, tooling, and integration patterns; participate in architecture discussions with a consistent lens on security, privacy, model lifecycle, and operations.
• Lead by example as coach and mentor; give steady feedback on technical and architectural choices, incidents, and safe rollout of AI-related changes (evaluation, monitoring, guardrails).
• Protect Ascensus confidential information and follow approved AI and data-handling policies so data is not exposed, mis-transmitted, or disclosed without authorization.
• Demonstrate the I-Client philosophy and Core ValuesPeople Matter, Quality First, and Integrity Alwaysincluding transparent, ethical use of AI that earns trust with clients and colleagues.

Experience, Skills, Knowledge Requirements

• Bachelors degree in computer science, engineering, or equivalent experience
• Strong technical leadership with the ability to engage both technical and non-technical audiences and produce clear technical documentation and diagrams
• Proficiency with modern AI coding and analysis tools (e.g., IDE assistants, chat-based models, automation) to accelerate development while maintaining quality, security, and accountability
• Ability to design effective AI-assisted workflows, evaluate AI-generated output, and exercise sound judgment on when not to rely on automation
• Minimum 8 years of professional experience developing software & systems on the Microsoft Technology Stack using C# and .Net
• Basic Experience with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript
• Strong experience with a relational database such as Sybase, MSSQL, Oracle
• Strong experience with distributed systems, Services Oriented Architecture, RESTful services and Microservices development
• Strong understanding of web technologies such as HTTP, Apache, HTTP Proxies
• Strong experience with multi-threaded applications and memory management
• Strong experience with continuous integration and deployment (CI/CD), automation, and related tools

Nice to Have

• Hands-on experience with C/C++, Python, Apache, Nginx, Redis, jQuery, PowerShell, or similar languages and platforms
• Experience with modern JavaScript frameworks (React preferred; Angular, Knockout, or Bootstrap acceptable)
• Experience with containerization and orchestration technologies, including Docker and Kubernetes
• Experience maintaining and evolving legacy codebases
• Strong understanding of object-oriented design principles, including SOLID, design patterns, data structures, and algorithms
• Proven ability to write clean, maintainable code using best practices such as unit testing, TDD, CI/CD, automation, and refactoring
• Strong experience with Agile SDLC methodologies
• Excellent problem-solving, communication, and troubleshooting skills

The national average salary range for this role is $150-170k in base pay, exclusive of any bonuses and benefits. This base salary range represents the low and high end of the salary range for this position. Actual salary offered will vary and may be above or below the range based on various factors including but not limited to location, experience, performance, and internal pay alignment. We do not anticipate that candidates hired will begin at the top of the range however, from time to time, it may occur on a case-by-case basis. Other rewards and benefits may include: 401(k) match, Medical, Dental, Vision, Paid-Time-Off, etc. For more information, please visit careers.ascensus.com/#Benefits.

We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer

Be aware of employment fraud. All email communications from Ascensus or its hiring managers originate from @ascensus.com or @futureplan.com email addresses. We will never ask you for payment or require you to purchase any equipment. If you are suspicious or unsure about validity of a job posting, we strongly encourage you to apply directly through our website.