Principal Software Engineer- Onsite

Paychex Inc.; Detroit, Northern (MI, KY); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Eccalon in Detroit is seeking a Principal Software Engineer to provide technical leadership across complex, large-scale systems. You will drive architecture, set technical strategy, and partner with engineering leadership, product, and business stakeholders to ensure scalable, reliable solutions aligned with long-term goals.

The role requires 8+ years of experience, strong in distributed systems and cloud platforms, with a track record of leading cross-team initiatives, code reviews, and

Qualifications

• 8+ years of professional software engineering experience.
• Strong design and operating of large-scale production systems.
• Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP) and CI/CD.
• Proven ability to lead technical initiatives across teams and mentor engineers.

Responsibilities

• Define and evolve system architectures across multiple teams or domains.
• Lead design of large-scale, distributed, and mission-critical systems.
• Establish and enforce technical standards, best practices, and design principles.
• Drive long-term technical vision and architectural consistency.
• Mentor engineers and review high-risk or high-impact technical decisions.

Skills

Java

Python

Go

JavaScript/TypeScript

C#

Education

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

Tools

AWS

Azure

GCP

CI/CD

Microservices

Job description

EOE Statement Eccalon provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

EEO is the law.

Category Information Technology

Description

Principal Software Engineer

Location: Detroit, MI- Onsite

Type: Full-time

Security Clearance: No clearance required, must be clearable.

Job Description

We are seeking a Principal Software Engineer to provide technical leadership across complex, large-scale software systems. This role is for a highly experienced engineer who drives architecture, influences technical strategy, and solves the organization’s most challenging engineering problems. The Principal Software Engineer operates with broad scope and autonomy, partnering closely with engineering leadership, product, and business stakeholders to ensure systems are scalable, reliable, and aligned with long-term company goals.

Responsibilities

• Technical Leadership & Architecture
  • Define and evolve system architectures across multiple teams or domains
  • Lead design of large-scale, distributed, and mission-critical systems
  • Establish and enforce technical standards, best practices, and design principles
  • Drive long-term technical vision and architectural consistency
• Complex Problem Solving
  • Tackle the most complex technical challenges across the organization
  • Evaluate trade-offs across performance, reliability, scalability, security, and cost
  • Lead root-cause analysis of major system issues and outages
  • Guide modernization and refactoring of legacy systems
• Cross-Team Impact
  • Influence technical direction across multiple teams and initiatives
  • Partner with product and leadership on roadmap feasibility and system constraints
  • Act as a technical advisor to senior engineers, managers, and executives
  • Review and guide high-risk or high-impact technical decisions
• Mentorship & Engineering Excellence
  • Mentor senior and mid-level engineers
  • Elevate engineering quality through design reviews and code reviews
  • Share knowledge through documentation, talks, and technical forums
  • Model a culture of ownership, quality, and technical rigor

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field (or equivalent experience)
• 8+ years of professional software engineering experience
• Demonstrated impact designing and operating large-scale production systems
• Strong proficiency in one or more programming languages such as Java, Python, Go, JavaScript/TypeScript, C#, or similar
• Deep understanding of system design, distributed systems, and software architecture
• Experience leading technical initiatives across teams
• Experience building distributed, cloud-native, or high-availability systems
• Expertise with APIs, microservices, messaging, and data-intensive systems
• Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP)
• Strong understanding of CI/CD, observability, reliability, and security practices
• Background in performance optimization and scalability planning

Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy

Eccalon provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

About the Organization

Eccalon provides global solutions to the most challenging technological issues of the 21st-century, and our evolving portfolio spans five major markets: Machine Learning, Cybersecurity, Aerospace & Defense, Material Sciences, Advance Manufacturing, Sports Science, Biotechnology, and Health & Life Sciences.

Why Join Us?

Eccalon's Executives foster a supportive work environment allowing our teams to thrive, and have a fierce dedication to innovation, security, and people. Our culture is built on inclusion, teamwork, trust, and we are committed to offering career advancement opportunities to all employees. Encouraging a healthy and balanced life, we offer an extensive benefits package to support the wellness of our employees and their families. You will be joining a team of innovators, working with cutting edge technologies, supporting mission critical projects, and making an impact.

This position is currently accepting applications.