Principal Software Engineer

Liberty Mutual Fire Insurance Co.; Portsmouth (NH); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Liberty Mutual is seeking a Principal Software Engineer to help lead the modernization and globalization of our Surety underwriting technology platform. This hybrid role requires two days in the office weekly in our Portsmouth, Boston, or Plano tech hubs.

You will shape the technical direction, collaborate with product partners, and guide delivery teams as we evolve to a React, TypeScript, NestJS, and AWS-based architecture.

Qualifications

• Extensive principal-level software engineering experience.
• Strong experience designing scalable, maintainable systems.
• Proven ability to lead technical discussions and drive design decisions.
• Experience working in agile environments and collaborating across engineering, product, and operations.
• Ability to coach and influence engineers at multiple levels.
• Experience supporting modernization efforts and/or complex enterprise systems is strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

• Help shape the technical direction for Surety underwriting modernization, including the transition from legacy systems to a modern React / NestJS platform
• Partner with product, engineering, and delivery teams to translate Surety business needs into scalable, globally capable technical solutions
• Provide technical guidance and design support for contractor-led delivery teams to improve consistency, quality, and execution predictability
• Provide technical leadership and architectural guidance for one or more engineering teams
• Lead design discussions and help shape system and application-level solutions
• Review and influence technical decisions to improve quality, consistency, maintainability, and scalability
• Mentor engineers and help raise the technical bar across the teams

Skills

Technical leadership

Mentoring engineers

Cross-functional

Ambiguity handling

Communication

Education

Bachelor's or Master's degree in technical or business

Tools

React

NestJS

AWS

Job description

Liberty Mutual is building the future of Surety Underwriting through the modernization and globalization of our technology platform, and we're looking for a Principal Software Engineer to help lead that effort.

This is a hybrid position requiring two days in the office a week in our Portsmouth, Boston, or Plano tech hub locations.

We cannot consider candidates that require visa sponsorship or candidates that currently are on an F1 or OPT visa at this time.

In this role, you'll work within GRS Distribution & Underwriting Technology , specifically Product Enablement, helping shape the technical direction for the Surety domain as we evolve from legacy systems to a modern React, TypeScript, NestJS, and AWS-based architecture . You'll partner with engineering leadership, solution engineers, product partners, and delivery teams to design scalable solutions, guide execution, and help deliver a more modern and globally capable Surety platform.This is a role for someone who thrives in complex environments, enjoys solving ambiguous problems, and can balance near‑term delivery needs with long‑term technical health. You'll partner closely with fellow Principal engineers, engineering leadership, solution engineers, product partners, and delivery teams to design practical, scalable solutions and guide execution from concept through implementation.

What you’ll do

• Help shape the technical direction for Surety underwriting modernization, including the transition from legacy systems to a modern React / NestJS platform
• Partner with product, engineering, and delivery teams to translate Surety business needs into scalable, globally capable technical solutions
• Provide technical guidance and design support for contractor-led delivery teams to improve consistency, quality, and execution predictability
• Provide technical leadership and architectural guidance for one or more engineering teams
• Lead design discussions and help shape system and application-level solutions
• Review and influence technical decisions to improve quality, consistency, maintainability, and scalability
• Mentor engineers and help raise the technical bar across the teams

Qualifications

What we’re looking for

• A strong technical leader with deep experience in designing and building software systems with engineering excellence
• Comfortable operating in ambiguous, evolving environments with multiple stakeholders
• Experience developing with AI Engineering practices such as Agentic Development, Spec-driven development and other practices
• Able to influence without authority and align teams around clear technical direction
• Pragmatic about tradeoffs and focused on delivering durable solutions
• Skilled at mentoring engineers and raising team capability
• Able to balance hands-on technical work with broader leadership responsibilities
• Communicative, collaborative, and effective in cross-functional settings

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in software engineering, with demonstrated principal-level technical impact
• Strong experience designing scalable, maintainable systems
• Proven ability to lead technical discussions and drive design decisions
• Experience working in agile environments and collaborating across engineering, product, and operations
• Ability to coach and influence engineers at multiple levels
• Experience supporting modernization efforts and/or complex enterprise systems is strongly preferred
• Eight or more years of software engineering experience

Education

• A bachelor's or master's degree in a technical or business discipline, or equivalent experience

Why join us

This is an opportunity to make a meaningful technical impact in a business‑critical area while helping shape the evolution of Surety technology within a major enterprise organization. You'll have the chance to work on complex problems, influence architecture and delivery, and help build systems that support long‑term growth and modernization.

About Us

Pay Philosophy: The typical starting salary range for this role is determined by a number of factors including skills, experience, education, certifications and location. The full salary range for this role reflects the competitive labor market value for all employees in these positions across the national market and provides an opportunity to progress as employees grow and develop within the role. Some roles at Liberty Mutual have a corresponding compensation plan which may include commission and/or bonus earnings at rates that vary based on multiple factors set forth in the compensation plan for the role.At Liberty Mutual, our goal is to create a workplace where everyone feels valued, supported, and can thrive. We build an environment that welcomes a wide range of perspectives and experiences, with inclusion embedded in every aspect of our culture and reflected in everyday interactions. This comes to life through comprehensive benefits, workplace flexibility, professional development opportunities, and a host of opp