Principal Software Development Engineer (PBM AI Solutions)

CVS Health Corporation; Buffalo Grove (IL); On-site; USD 144,000 - 288,000; Full time

Job summary

CVS Health is seeking a Principal (Director Level) Software Development Engineer to lead the architecture, design, and delivery of next-generation digital applications across cloud platforms. You will shape scalable, secure, AI-enabled solutions in a highly regulated healthcare environment.

The role blends hands-on full-stack development with strategic leadership, guiding teams toward API-first, microservices architectures while mentoring engineers and aligning with product roadmaps.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required or equivalent experience.
• 10+ years in full-stack software engineering and delivery on cloud-native platforms.
• 5+ years in senior/principal/architect roles with API-first and microservices.

Responsibilities

• Define and communicate the broader vision and IT strategy.
• Serve as the primary liaison for stakeholders to define strategy and execution.
• Establish epics and initiatives aligned to the product roadmap.
• Develop and maintain roadmaps connecting business needs with technical solutions.
• Use performance data to drive continuous improvement.
• Mentor and lead high-performing teams to solve complex problems.

Skills

Full-stack engineering

Cloud-native architectures

Frontend frameworks

Backend services

Agile/Scrum

AI integration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or Engineering

Tools

GCP

AWS

Azure

GKE

BigQuery/Spanner/BigTable

Job description

We’re building a world of health around every individual - shaping a more connected, convenient and compassionate health experience. At CVS Health®, you’ll be surrounded by passionate colleagues who care deeply, innovate with purpose, hold ourselvesaccountable and prioritize safety and quality in everything we do. Join us and be part of something bigger - helping to simplify health care one person, one family and one community at a time.

Role Summary

At CVS Health®, you’ll be working with a team of passionate colleagues who care deeply, innovate with purpose, hold themselvesaccountable and prioritize safety and quality in everything we do. Do you enjoy innovation while having fun doing it? If the answer yes, then this role might be for you! Join us and be part of something bigger, innovative and simplification in healthcare.

We are seeking a highly experienced and innovative Principal (Director Level) Software Development Engineer to lead the application architecture, design, development, delivery of next-generation digital applications (including Reporting and financial solutions), and optimization of scalable, secure, and high-performance solutions leveraging AI across all major cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, and GCP). This role requires deep technical expertise, AI-enabled solutions, strategic thinking, scalable digital platforms, and enterprise integrations that power critical healthcare and pharmacy experiences and a passion for driving excellence in software engineering practices.

This is a senior technical leadership role for a hands-on engineer who can operate across the full stack—from intuitive front-end applications to resilient backend services—while setting architectural direction, influencing engineering standards, and mentoring teams. The ideal candidate combines deep technical expertise, platform thinking, and strong collaboration skills to build secure, scalable, Frontend and API-first solutions in a highly regulated environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Define and communicate the broader vision, executing the IT strategy in alignment with organizational standards
• Serve as the primary point of contact for stakeholders, including architects, application owners, and engineers, to define overall strategy, prioritization, and execution
• Establish epics and initiatives that align with strategic goals and support the product roadmap
• Develop and maintain roadmaps that align critical business needs with scalable technical solutions
• Leverage performance data to create feedback loops that drive continuous insight and improvement
• Champion strong product management and agile mindsets by actively communicating team successes and identifying areas for growth
• Build and lead high-performing teams capable of overcoming complex technical challenges to solve business-critical problems

Required Qualifications

• 10+ progressive years of experience in defining and driving full stack software engineering, architecture and delivery cloud native platforms for large-scale distributed systems and digital platforms
• 5+ years in hands on experience as senior/principal/architect roles building cloud native applications with cloud technologies such as GCP, AWS, AZURE, GKE, Google DBs (Bigquery, Spanner, BigTable) or other PaaS with deep expertise in API-first and microservices architectures
• 5+ years of experience using front end development tools like Angular, React, React TypeScript, React JS
• 5+ years of experience in building backend functionality using Python, API Forge, Rest API, Java
• 5+ years of experience working in a Scrum iterative delivery, using Agile concepts such as Sprint planning, CI/CD
• 3+ years of hands‑on experience integrating AI/GenAI capabilities

Preferred Qualifications

• 12+ years preferred with advanced STEM degree
• Act as a technical advisor to engineering and product leadership
• Influence cross-team technical direction and strategy
• Establish and promote engineering best practices
• Mentor and coach engineers across levels
• Experience with AI development tools such as Cursor, Copilot, Vertex AI Studio, Claude Code, will be a plus
• Experience building enterprise healthcare or regulated-industry platforms
• Familiarity with healthcare data, privacy, and compliance requirements
• Exposure to ML-Ops and AI lifecycle management
• Experience with identity, security, and privacy architectures
• Track record of influencing architecture across large organizations
• Experience contributing to platform or developer ecosystem strategies
• Strong foundational knowledge in AI, with prior experience using AI technologies such as OpenAI, Gemini, and Agentic AI automation
• Experience in the healthcare domain
• Experience with cloud networking and firewall implementation for new platforms.
• Experience with application and database migration and modernization to the cloud

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field or equivalent experience

Pay Range

The typical pay range for this role is:

$144,200.00 - $288,400.00

This pay range represents the base hourly rate or base annual full-time salary for all positions in the job grade within which this position falls. The actual base salary offer will depend on a variety of factors including experience, education, geography and other relevant factors. This position is eligible for a CVS Health bonus, commission or short-term incentive program in addition to the base pay range listed above. This position also includes an award target in the company’s equity award program.

Our people fuel our future. Our teams reflect the customers, patients, members and communities we serve and we are committed to fostering a workplace where every colleague feels valued and that they belong.

Great benefits for great people

We take pride in offering a comprehensive and competitive mix of pay and benefits that reflects our commitment to our colleagues and their families.

This full-time position is eligible for a comprehensive benefits package designed to support the physical, emotional, and financial well‑being of colleagues and their families. The benefits for this position include medical, dental, and vision coverage, paid time off, retirement savings options, wellness programs, and other resources, based on eligibility.

Additional details about available benefits are provided during the application process and on Benefits Moments.

We anticipate the application window for this opening will close on: 10/16/2026

Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with all federal, state and local laws.