Principal Software Engineer

Jobtailor; New York (NY); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Jobtailor seeks an experienced engineering leader to define the technical vision and architecture for major cross-team initiatives in a fast-growing environment. You will drive design reviews, set engineering standards, and influence the product roadmap with AI/ML-driven insights.

The role demands mentoring senior engineers and guiding architectural patterns across multiple domains. You will champion scalable, secure, distributed systems and partner with stakeholders to align technical decisions

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or related field; Master’s preferred.
• 10+ years of software engineering with demonstrated technical leadership.
• Proven track record delivering large-scale systems and leading initiatives.
• Experience guiding architecture across multiple teams and domains.
• Payments/financial services or regulated industry experience preferred.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management.

Responsibilities

• Define technical vision and architecture for cross-team initiatives.
• Lead design reviews and set engineering standards across teams.
• Influence product roadmap with technical insights and innovation.
• Adopt AI/ML to improve engineering productivity.
• Mentor senior engineers and technical leads.
• Drive adoption of best practices and architectural patterns.
• Represent engineering in strategic planning and partnerships.

Skills

Software Architecture

Distributed Systems

Cloud Architectures

AI/ML Integration

Technical Leadership

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science

Master's Degree Preferred

Tools

Microservices

AWS

Azure

Security Architecture

Job description

• Define technical vision and architecture for major cross-team initiatives
• Lead design reviews and set engineering standards across multiple teams
• Influence product roadmap with technical insights and innovation opportunities
• Evaluate and adopt new technologies including AI/ML to improve engineering productivity
• Identify and resolve complex technical challenges that span multiple systems
• Drive technical excellence and best practices across engineering organization
• Serve as technical escalation point for critical issues and architectural decisions
• Lead architecture reviews and provide guidance on system design
• Represent engineering in cross-organizational initiatives and strategic planning
• Mentor senior engineers and technical leads across teams
• Drive adoption of engineering best practices and architectural patterns
• Build strategic technical relationships with partners and stakeholders

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field; Master's preferred
• Equivalent experience (10+ years) may substitute for degree
• 8-12 years of software engineering with demonstrated technical leadership
• Proven track record of delivering complex, large-scale software systems
• Experience leading technical initiatives across multiple teams
• Strong influence on technical direction and engineering culture
• Payments, financial services, or regulated industry experience preferred
• Expert software architect with large-scale system design experience
• Deep expertise across multiple technical domains and technology stacks
• Advanced knowledge of distributed systems, microservices, and cloud architectures
• Experience with performance optimization at scale and system reliability
• Strong understanding of security architecture and compliance requirements
• Proficiency in evaluating and adopting emerging technologies including AI/ML
• Talented in AI tool adoption and integrating AI capabilities across systems
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills
• Strong cross-team influence and stakeholder management
• Strategic thinking with ability to connect technical decisions to business outcomes
• Leadership through influence without direct authority

Core Competencies

Demonstrates expertise in software architecture and large-scale system design, with a strong focus on distributed systems, microservices, and cloud architectures. Proven ability to lead technical initiatives, mentor teams, and drive engineering best practices while aligning technical decisions with business outcomes.

Highest-signal resume keywords

• Software Architecture
• Large-Scale System Design
• Distributed Systems
• AI/ML Integration
• Technical Leadership

ATS Optimization Keywords

Hard Skills

• Software Engineering
• System Reliability
• Performance Optimization
• Microservices
• Cloud Architectures
• Security Architecture
• Technical Vision
• Engineering Standards
• Technical Escalation
• Emerging Technologies

Soft Skills

• Exceptional Communication
• Cross-Team Influence
• Stakeholder Management
• Strategic Thinking
• Mentoring

Certifications & Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science
• Master's Degree Preferred

Industry Keywords

• Payments
• Financial Services
• Regulated Industry