Principal Application Engineer (Core Banking Platform)

Navy Federal Credit Union; Pensacola (FL); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Navy Federal Credit Union leads a key Core Banking Modernization program, driving dual-core coexistence across on‑premise and cloud platforms to enable a complete migration to a new core banking system.

The Principal Engineer will provide enterprise technical leadership, define integration patterns, and govern data migration strategies while partnering with architecture, security, and transformation teams to ensure scalable, secure, and resilient solutions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or related discipline, or equivalent.
• 15+ years of software engineering, solution architecture, and enterprise technology experience in Core Banking domain.
• Advanced knowledge of Core Banking platforms (e.g. Fiserv, FIS).
• Experience blending Core Banking with Retail Banking, Payments, Lending, or Products and Pricing (e.g. Zafin).
• Proven track record delivering large-scale modernization, migration, or digital transformation initiatives from mainframe to SaaS.
• Hands-on with cloud-native architectures, distributed systems, APIs (e.g. Mulesoft), event-driven solutions (Kafka), and enterprise integrations patterns.
• DevSecOps, CI/CD pipelines with Jenkins, automated testing, and modern software practices.
• Experience in highly regulated environments and strong security/compliance focus.
• Knowledge of mainframe modernization and data migration strategies.

Responsibilities

• Serve as principal technical authority for dual-core coexistence across banking platforms.
• Define design for Core Banking modernization coexistence (on premise and cloud) and data migration strategy.
• Define complete transaction lifecycle across origin to GL outcomes.
• Develop integration patterns for dual-core routing via APIs, messaging, events, and microservices.
• Manage cloud core platform with focus on data processing and reconciliation.
• Design data egress patterns to internal and external platforms.
• Establish ownership, routing, and servicing models for transactions and accounts.
• Engineer routing patterns for migration, shadow, and fallback scenarios.

Skills

Core banking

Cloud-native

API platforms

Event-driven

DevSecOps

CI/CD pipelines

Security & compliance

Distributed systems

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/IT/Engineering

Tools

Mulesoft

Apache Kafka

Jenkins

Job description

Overview

Navy Federal Credit Union currently does not provide sponsorship for this role. Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States without the need for current or future sponsorship.

The Principal Engineer, Core Banking Modernization will provide enterprise-level technical leadership for the design, implementation, certification, and evolution of the capabilities required to operate NFCU's legacy and modern banking platforms as one logical banking ecosystem. The role will lead the engineering of the Core Banking Platform, with focus on dual-core coexistence. This role partners closely with business, product, architecture, engineering, and transformation teams to translate strategic objectives into scalable, secure, and resilient technology solutions.

The Principal Engineer provides deep technical expertise in core banking platforms, system integration, cloud-native architectures, DevSecOps, and modernization methodologies. This role will support the implementation and delivery of our Core Banking modernization program with a specific focus on co-existence of on premise and cloud banking platforms as an enabler for complete migration to a new core banking platform.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the principal technical authority for dual-core coexistence across banking platforms
• Responsible for the solution/application design for implementing the Core Banking modernization program's coexistence (on premise and cloud) model and data migration/integration strategy
• Define the complete transaction lifecycle from originating channel through transport, ingestion, validation, decomposition, state resolution, routing, core processing, reconciliation, settlement, accounting, and General Ledger outcomes.
• Develops the integration design patterns for dual core routing (validate, enrich ,locate, route) inbound data to banking applications from internal and external platforms utilizing APIs, messaging services, event-driven architectures, and microservices
• Responsible for managing the mechanics of the cloud core platform with focus on data processing and reconciliation
• Develops the integration design patterns for data egress from core banking platform to other internal and external platforms utilizing APIs, messaging services, event-driven architectures, and microservices
• Define and govern ownership, account-location, servicing-authority, and routing models that determine which core processes each transaction, account, member relationship, and servicing action.
• Engineer routing patterns for single-core, cross-core, split-post, shadow, replay, migration, and fallback scenarios for banking transactions
• Define engineering controls that preserve transaction atomicity, ordering, idempotency, balance integrity, posting completeness, and financial finality across both cores
• Lead the adoption of AI-enabled software engineering capabilities, including intelligent code generation, test case creation, impact analysis, and documentation generation.
• Design AI-driven observability and operational intelligence capabilities to proactively detect anomalies, identify root causes, and improve platform resiliency.
• Design repeatable migration patterns covering data migration, synchronization, validation, cutover, rollback, stabilization, and legacy retirement
• Establish development standards, coding practices, security controls, and quality gates for modernization initiatives.
• Collaborate with infrastructure, security, and operations teams to implement end-to-end operational readiness and monitoring capabilities.
• Mentor senior engineers and development teams to strengthen organizational technical capabilities.
• Facilitate technical workshops, design sessions, architecture reviews, and modernization planning activities.
• Research and evaluate emerging technologies relevant to core banking and financial services modernization.
• Contribute to strategic technology planning and modernization roadmaps.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or related discipline, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 15+ years of software engineering, solution architecture, and enterprise technology experience in Core Banking domain.
• Advanced knowledge of Core Banking platforms (e.g. Fiserv, FIS) .
• Significant experience in intersection of Core Banking with Retail Banking, Payments, Lending, or Products and Pricing (e.g.Zafin) environments
• Proven experience designing and delivering large-scale modernization, migration, or digital transformation initiatives migrating from mainframe systems to SaaS application.
• Hands‑on experience with cloud-native architectures, distributed systems, API platforms (e.g. Mulesoft), event-driven solutions (e.g.Apache Kafka), and enterprise integrations patterns .
• Significant experience implementing DevSecOps, CI/CD pipelines using Jenkins and open source tools, automated testing frameworks, and modern software engineering practices.
• Experience working within highly regulated environments.
• Deep knowledge of security, compliance, resiliency, and operational excellence principles.
• Experience with automated testing, CI/CD pipelines, observability, monitoring, and site reliability concepts.
• Strong understanding of application modernization and legacy migration strategies.

Desired Qualifications

• Advanced knowledge of mainframe-based FIS banking core and modern core banking technology.
• Knowledge of Oracle cloud technologies, Azure and hybrid cloud architectures.

Additional Information

Hours

• Monday - Friday, 8:00AM - 4:30PM

Location

• 820 Follin Lane, Vienna, VA 22180
• 5510 Heritage Oaks Drive, Pensacola, FL 32526
• 141 Security Drive, Winchester, VA 22602

About Us

Navy Federal provides much more than a job. We provide a meaningful career experience, including a culture that is energized, engaged and committed; and fierce appreciation for our teams, who are rewarded with highly competitive pay and generous benefits and perks. Our approach to careers is simple yet powerful: Make our mission your passion.* FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For 2026* Yello and WayUp Top 100 Internship Programs 2025* Computerworld Best Places to Work in IT 2026* Most Loved Workplace - America's Top Most Loved Workplaces 2025* 2025 PEOPLE Companies That Care* Newsweek Most Trustworthy Companies in America 2026* Military Times 2025 Best for Vets Employers* Forbes 2026 America's Best Large Employers* Forbes 2025 America's Best Employers for New Grads* Forbes 2025 America's Best Employers for Tech Workers* 2025 RippleMatch Campus Forward Award Winner for Overall Excellence* Military.com Top Military Spouse Employers 2025* 2026 Handshake Early Talent Award* Newsweek America's Greatest Workplaces for Culture, Belonging and Community 2026From Fortune Magazine. 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All rights reserved. Used under license. Fortune and Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For are registered trademarks of Fortune Media IP Limited and are used under license. Fortune Magazine, Fortune Media (USA) Corporation, and its affiliates are not affiliated with, and do not endorse products or services of, Navy Federal Credit Union.

Equal Employment Opportunity

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, sex, color, religion, national origin, disability, veteran status, pregnancy, sexual orientation, genetic information, gender identity or any other basis protected by applicable law.

Accommodations

If you need accommodation or assistance for a qualifying condition to complete the online application (or during any stage of the hiring process), you can contact Navy Federal's Medical Accommodations team at [e-mail] or by calling 1-888-503-6013. This team cannot provide any information on job postings or application status.

Disclaimers

Navy Federal reserves the right to fill this role at a higher/lower grade level based on business need. An assessment may be required to compete for this position. Job postings are subject to close early or extend out longer than the anticipated closing date at the hiring team's discretion based on qualified applicant volume. Navy Federal Credit Union assesses market data to establish salary ranges that enable us to remain competitive. You are paid within the salary range, based on your experience, location and market position. For additional details regarding compensation and benefits, review the Benefits page of the Navy Federal Career Site.

Protect Yourself from Job Scams

Navy Federal Credit Union jobs are posted on our career site, jobs.navyfederal.org and reputable job boards (e.g., LinkedIn, Indeed). We do not post jobs on social media marketplaces, messaging apps or unverified websites. We will never ask candidates for payment, bank details or personal financial information during the hiring process.

Bank Secrecy Act

Remains cognizant of and adheres to Navy Federal policies and procedures, and regulations pertaining to the Bank Secrecy Act.