Principal Software Engineer (.NET Technical Lead)

ntrs; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 137,000 - 234,000; Full time

Job summary

Northern Trust is seeking a Principal Software Engineer (.NET Technical Lead) in Chicago to drive design, architecture, and delivery of cloud-native, scalable financial applications. You will mentor teams, define technical standards, and collaborate with product, architecture, and security stakeholders to balance speed and reliability.

The role requires deep .NET, cloud, microservices, and AI-assisted development experience, strong leadership, and a track record delivering enterprise-grade

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related discipline.
• 10+ years of software engineering experience with enterprise-scale systems.
• 5+ years of experience in technical leadership, solution design, systems analysis, or project leadership roles.
• Strong expertise in: C#
• .NET Core / ASP.NET Core
• Entity Framework Core
• SQL Server
• REST APIs
• Microservices Architecture
• Experience with: Kafka or equivalent messaging platforms
• Docker and Kubernetes
• Azure and/or AWS
• Git, GitHub, Azure DevOps, Jenkins, or similar CI/CD tools
• Strong understanding of SDLC, design patterns, distributed systems, Agile, and DevOps practices.
• Hands-on with GitHub Copilot and AI-assisted tools to accelerate development

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership, mentorship, and guidance to engineering teams.
• Serve as the principal designer for major systems and applications, defining architectures and standards.
• Partner with stakeholders to translate requirements into scalable technical solutions.
• Design, develop, and support applications using C#, .NET Core/.NET, ASP.NET Core, EF Core, SQL Server, and modern APIs.
• Architect and implement microservices and event-driven solutions using Kafka.
• Design and deploy cloud-native solutions with Azure and/or AWS, Docker, and Kubernetes.
• Drive adoption of CI/CD, automated testing, DevOps, and secure software practices.
• Lead technical planning, solution design, and status reporting for strategic initiatives.
• Ensure compliance with enterprise standards, audit requirements, change controls, and data security.
• Collaborate with vendors and partners as needed.
• Evaluate new technologies and patterns to improve outcomes and efficiency.
• Champion AI-powered development tools to enhance productivity and code quality.

Skills

C#

NET Core/.NET

ASP.NET Core

Entity Framework Core

SQL Server

REST APIs

Microservices Architecture

Kafka

Docker

Kubernetes

Azure

AWS

Git

GitHub

CI/CD

DevOps

AI‑assisted tooling

GitHub Copilot

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related discipline

Tools

Kafka

Docker

Kubernetes

Azure DevOps

Jenkins

GitHub

Terraform

Job description

About Northern Trust

As a global leader in innovative wealth management, asset servicing, asset management and banking services, Northern Trust (Nasdaq: NTRS) is proud to guide the world's most successful individuals, families, corporations and institutions.

Since 1889, we have aligned our efforts with our three guiding Principles That Endure: Service, Expertise, and Integrity. Together, they reflect the three cornerstones of business conduct which we strive to instill in our employees, whom we call partners, and to provide to our clients and the communities we serve worldwide.

With more than 135 years of financial experience and over 24,000 partners, we serve the world's most sophisticated clients using leading technology and exceptional service.

Principal Software Engineer (.NET Technical Lead)

Global Engineering is seeking a Principal Software Engineer (.NET Technical Lead) to provide technical leadership for the design, development, and delivery of modern cloud-native applications and platforms. This role serves as a senior technical leader and principal designer, working closely with business, product, architecture, and engineering teams to deliver scalable, resilient, secure, and high-performing solutions.

The ideal candidate combines deep hands‑on expertise in .NET development, cloud technologies, microservices architecture, and AI‑assisted software engineering with strong leadership, communication, and project delivery skills.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership, mentorship, and guidance to engineering teams, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and engineering excellence.
• Serve as the principal designer for major systems and applications, defining architectures, technical standards, and implementation strategies.
• Partner with business stakeholders, product teams, and architects to translate business requirements into scalable technical solutions.
• Design, develop, and support applications using C#, .NET Core/.NET, ASP.NET Core, Entity Framework Core, SQL Server, and modern API frameworks.
• Architect and implement microservices and event‑driven solutions leveraging Kafka and related messaging technologies.
• Design and deploy cloud‑native solutions utilizing Azure and/or AWS, Docker, Kubernetes, and Infrastructure as Code.
• Drive adoption of CI/CD, automated testing, DevOps, and secure software development practices.
• Lead technical project planning, solution design, implementation, and status reporting for strategic initiatives.
• Ensure compliance with enterprise standards, audit requirements, change management controls, and data security policies.
• Collaborate with vendors, consultants, and technology partners as needed.
• Evaluate and recommend emerging technologies, tools, and architectural patterns to improve business outcomes and operational efficiency.
• Champion the use of AI‑powered development tools such as GitHub Copilot, Microsoft Copilot, and AI‑assisted engineering platforms to enhance developer productivity, code quality, testing, and documentation.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related discipline.
• 10+ years of software engineering experience with enterprise‑scale systems.
• 5+ years of experience in technical leadership, solution design, systems analysis, or project leadership roles.
• Strong expertise in: C#
• .NET Core / ASP.NET Core
• Entity Framework Core
• SQL Server
• REST APIs
• Microservices Architecture
• Experience with: Kafka or equivalent messaging platforms
• Docker and Kubernetes
• Azure and/or AWS
• Git, GitHub, Azure DevOps, Jenkins, or similar CI/CD tools
• Strong understanding of software development lifecycle (SDLC), design patterns, distributed systems, Agile, and DevOps practices.
• Hands‑on experience using GitHub Copilot and other AI‑assisted software engineering tools to accelerate software development and improve engineering effectiveness.
• Proven ability to lead complex technical initiatives and influence technical direction across multiple teams.
• Excellent communication, analytical, problem‑solving, and stakeholder management skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Financial Services experience.
• Knowledge of Infrastructure as Code tools such as Terraform.
• Familiarity with modern security frameworks including OAuth, JWT, SAML, SSO, and Identity Management solutions.

Salary Range

$137,400 - 233,600 USD

Salary range is a good faith estimate of base pay. Northern Trust provides a comprehensive benefits package including retirement benefits (401k and pension), health and welfare benefits (medical, dental, vision, spending accounts and disability), paid time off, parental and caregiver leave, life & accident insurance, and other voluntary and well‑being benefits. Northern Trust also provides a discretionary bonus program that may include an equity component.

Work Authorization

Applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S. without the need for employment‑based visa sponsorship now or in the future. Northern Trust will not sponsor applicants for U.S. work visa sta