Principal Front End Engineer - Paze

Early Warning (Zelle); Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Early Warning is seeking a Principal Front End Engineer to define and advance our front-end architecture and engineering standards. You will lead enterprise-scale initiatives and mentor teams to deliver scalable, accessible user experiences across products.

You will partner with product, UX, and architecture to shape roadmaps, drive modernization, and build production-grade web SDKs for external partners and merchant integrations.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in CS or related field, or equivalent experience.
• 15+ years of progressive experience in designing and developing complex software or web-based systems.
• Production-grade web SDKs, including JavaScript/TypeScript API design, browser compatibility, versioning, observability."
• Deep expertise in front-end architecture, web platform engineering, and enterprise-scale delivery.
• Proven success leading cross-functional teams to create technical solutions and drive strategic initiatives.
• Advanced knowledge of SDLC, DevOps, automated testing, and modern web technologies.
• Experience with front-end frameworks, API integration, CI/CD, source control, and cloud-delivered services.
• Exceptional communication and presentation skills across levels.
• Background and drug screen.

Responsibilities

• Defines and advances enterprise front-end strategy, architecture, and standards across multiple teams.
• Establishes guardrails for quality, accessibility, maintainability, testing, and scalability.
• Owns technical product design and architecture for critical front-end platforms and initiatives.
• Partners with product management, software engineering, UX, and architecture to align with roadmaps.
• Builds production-grade web SDKs for external integrations and secure flows.
• Mentors engineers and drives modernization opportunities across the organization.
• Represents the organization in high-impact technical discussions with senior stakeholders.

Skills

Strong communication & presentation

Cross-functional leadership

Front-end architecture

Cloud & CI/CD familiarity

JavaScript/TypeScript expertise

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field (or equivalent)

Tools

CI/CD pipelines

Browser debugging tools

Web SDK development

Job description

At Early Warning, we've powered and protected the U.S. financial system for over thirty years with cutting-edge solutions like Zelle, Paze, and so much more. As a trusted name in payments, we partner with thousands of institutions to increase access to financial services and protect transactions for hundreds of millions of consumers and small businesses.

Positions located in Scottsdale, San Francisco, Chicago, or New York follow a hybrid work model to allow for a more collaborative working environment.

Candidates responding to this posting must independently possess the eligibility to work in the United States, for any employer, at the date of hire. This position is ineligible for employment Visa sponsorship.

Overall Purpose

As Paze continues to grow, we're investing heavily in the next generation of our web platform. We're looking for a front-end engineering leader who has built modern applications from the ground up, understands the rapidly evolving front-end ecosystem, and can define a scalable architecture that delivers exceptional user experiences while enabling teams to move quickly.

The Principal Front End Engineer is the highest-level front-end individual contributor and serves as the enterprise or product technical leader. This role is responsible for defining and advancing the organization's front-end engineering vision, setting standards for technical excellence, and shaping major architectural and strategic initiatives across teams. The Principal Front End Engineer is a recognized thought leader, trusted advisor, and catalyst for technical and organizational change, reflecting the source Principal profile's emphasis on enterprise standards, architecture ownership, mentoring, cross-functional partnership, and future-state technical vision.

Essential Functions

• Defines and advances enterprise front-end engineering strategy, architecture, and standards across multiple teams and initiatives.
• Establishes principles and guardrails for quality, accessibility, maintainability, operational readiness, testing, and scalability.
• Owns technical product design and architecture for critical front-end platforms and strategic initiatives.
• Partners with product management, software engineering, UX, and architecture to shape engineering approaches and align with technology roadmaps.
• Building production-grade web SDKs for external partner or merchant integrations for secure browser-based flows
• Identifies and drives adoption of industry best practices, emerging technologies, and modernization opportunities.
• Provides enterprise-level guidance on cloud alignment, CI/CD, automated testing, and sustainable engineering practices.
• Acts as a senior point of expertise on difficult engineering issues and strategic technical decisions.
• Mentors engineers and technical leaders across the organization and serves as a role model for engineering excellence.
• Builds trusted relationships across functions and influences change that improves engineering outcomes, delivery capability, and organizational maturity.
• Represents the organization in high-impact technical discussions with senior stakeholders, customers, or executive leadership as appropriate.
• Executive c

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Systems, or related technical field, or equivalent experience.
• Typically 15 or more years of progressive experience designing and developing complex software or web-based systems.
• Prior experience designing, building, and supporting production-grade web SDKs, including JavaScript/TypeScript API design, browser compatibility, versioning, backward compatibility, developer documentation, integration patterns, performance, security, and observability.
• Deep expertise in front-end architecture, web platform engineering, application design, and enterprise-scale delivery.
• Proven success leading cross-functional teams to create technical solutions and drive strategic initiatives.
• Advanced knowledge of SDLC best practices, software development methodologies, DevOps practices, and automated testing approaches.
• Strong experience with modern web technologies, front-end frameworks, API integration, CI/CD, source control, and cloud-aligned delivery models.
• Exceptional communication and presentation skills, with the ability to influence all levels of the organization.
• Background and drug screen.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree or Ph.D. in Computer Science or related technical field.
• Experience leading major modernization efforts involving cloud migration, platform transformation, or large-scale architecture redesign.
• Expertise in design systems, performance engineering, front-end observability, and enterprise web governance.
• Broad exposure to related technologies such as monitoring, orchestration, and cloud infrastructure, consistent with the Principal source profile's preferred qualifications.

Competencies

• Enterprise technical leadership
• Vision and strategy
• Executive c