Principal Software Engineer — Cloud-Native Architect & Mentor

Follett Corporation; Westchester (IL); Presencial; USD 150.000 - 210.000; Jornada completa

Descripción de la vacante

Follett Higher Education in Westchester, IL seeks a Principal Software Engineer to lead hands-on delivery, set technical direction, and drive modernization across the engineering org. You will ship complex production systems, architect scalable solutions, and mentor senior engineers while aligning technical work with business goals.

We expect 10+ years of software experience, deep AWS and full-stack skills, and a proven ability to lead multi-team initiatives, including cloud migrations and

Formación

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent in a related discipline.
• 10+ years of experience in software engineering.
• Recent, sustained hands-on development of production systems; continues to write and ship code as a core part of the role.
• Deep expertise in AWS, Python, and JavaScript/TypeScript; working proficiency in C#.
• Experience with relational databases (PostgreSQL, MSSQL).
• Proven track record of designing and delivering large-scale, distributed systems.
• Experience setting technical direction and architecture across multiple teams or an engineering organization.
• Experience leading legacy modernization and cloud-native migration.
• Excellent problem-solving skills with a focus on pragmatic, high-impact solutions.
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to convey complex technical concepts to technical and non-technical stakeholders, including executives.

Responsabilidades

• Design, build, and ship production code for the most complex, high-risk, or cross-team work on the product roadmap.
• Own technical outcomes across engineering, from design through production.
• Build reference implementations, prototypes, and proofs of concept that establish patterns adopted across engineering.
• Lead code and design reviews on high-impact changes, focusing on design and long-term maintainability.
• Lead response to critical production incidents through resolution and root-cause fix.
• Define and evolve the engineering-wide target architecture and technical roadmap, balancing scalability, cost, and maintainability against delivery constraints.
• Set multi-year technical direction and sequence the initiatives to reach it; identify cross-team risks and dependencies early.
• Make and document build-vs-buy, platform, and technical-debt investment recommendations through written design proposals.
• Personally drive cloud-native adoption on AWS, legacy system transformation, and platform standardization.
• Raise engineering standards across teams: CI/CD, observability, automated testing, and automation.
• Mentor senior engineers and technical leads across engineering through pairing, code review, and design feedback; develop the next generation of technical leaders.
• Partner with Directors of Engineering on technical strategy, priorities, and sequencing.
• Advise the VP of Engineering, product, and business leadership on technical strategy, trade-offs, and risk in business terms.
• Serve as the senior technical escalation point across engineering, resolving technical disagreements between teams.

Conocimientos

AWS

Python

JavaScript/TypeScript

C#

PostgreSQL & MSSQL

Educación

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Descripción del empleo

Follett Higher Education in Westchester, IL seeks a Principal Software Engineer to lead hands-on delivery, set technical direction, and drive modernization across the engineering org. You will ship complex production systems, architect scalable solutions, and mentor senior engineers while aligning technical work with business goals.

We expect 10+ years of software experience, deep AWS and full-stack skills, and a proven ability to lead multi-team initiatives, including cloud migrations and