Software Engineer (Hybrid- Des Moines)

Principal International; Des Moines (IA); Hybrid; USD 77,000 - 112,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension Eligible

Hybrid work arrangements

Job summary

Principal International is seeking an experienced Software Engineer to join the Sales Compensation Technology area on the accounting and finance team in Des Moines, IA. The role focuses on event‑driven financial systems built on AWS using TypeScript with a culture of ownership and continuous learning.

You will own features end to end, collaborate with partners, and contribute to scalable, secure solutions while adhering to engineering standards and best practices.

Qualifications

• Associate's or bachelor's degree in a computer science, technology, engineering or math field or equivalent experience.
• 2+ years engineering experience, ideally with full stack exposure.
• Experience with API or event‑driven applications in a modern software language.
• Excellent planning, organizational, problem‑solving, analytical, decision‑making and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with engineers, architects, and business partners to build high‑quality, event‑driven systems that drive meaningful business outcomes.
• Own features end to end, from technical design and implementation through testing, deployment, and ongoing maintenance.
• Solve increasingly complex problems that improve finance systems, platform scalability, and system performance.
• Take on work of growing complexity, learning quickly, incorporating feedback, and continuously improving the quality of your solutions.
• Participate actively in pairing, mob programming, and design discussions, learning from teammates while strengthening overall team outcomes.
• Use AI‑assisted development tools to improve productivity, testing, and code quality.

Skills

2+ years engineering experience

Full stack exposure

Experience with API or event‑driven

Typescript

AWS

Team collaboration

Education

Associate's or Bachelor's degree

Tools

GitHub Copilot

AWS Cloud Platform

Job description

What You'll Do

We’re looking for an experienced Software Engineer to join our Sales Compensation Technology area on the accounting and finance team. Our team builds event-driven financial systems on AWS using TypeScript and modern software development approaches.

You’ll join a product-focused engineering team with minimal legacy constraints, a high degree of ownership, and a culture of continuous learning and technical excellence.

If you’re excited by solving complex problems, collaborating closely with product partners, and delivering meaningful outcomes through small, iterative improvements, you’ll feel right at home on our team.

You’ll have the opportunity to:

• Collaborate with engineers, architects, and business partners to build high-quality, event-driven systems that drive meaningful business outcomes
• Own features end to end, from technical design and implementation through testing, deployment, and ongoing maintenance
• Solve increasingly complex problems that improve our finance systems, platform scalability, and system performance
• Take on work of growing complexity, learning quickly, incorporating feedback, and continuously improving the quality of your solutions
• Participate actively in pairing, mob programming, and design discussions, learning from teammates while strengthening overall team outcomes
• Use AI-assisted development tools (e.g., GitHub Copilot) to improve productivity, testing, and code quality
• Follow established engineering, security, and quality standards while experimenting with new tools, practices, and industry trends

As Principal continues to modernize its systems, this role will offer you an exciting opportunity to build solutions that will directly impact our long-term strategy and tech stack, all while ensuring that our products are robust, scalable, and secure!

Operating at the intersection of financial services and technology, Principal builds financial tools that help our customers live better lives. We take pride in being a purpose‑led firm, motivated by our mission to make financial security accessible to all. Our mission, integrity, and customer focus have made us a trusted leader for more than 140 years.

Who You Are

• Associate's or bachelor's degree (preference in a computer science, technology, engineering or math‑related field or equivalent experience) or equivalent experience
• 2+ years engineering experience, ideally with full stack exposure
• Experience with API or event‑driven applications in a modern software language
• Excellent planning, organizational, problem‑solving, analytical, decision‑making and communication skills
• Must have the desire to learn new technology and continuously grow

Skills That Will Help You Stand Out

• Hands‑on experience working with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure)
• Experience with Typescript
• Curiosity about system design, decoupling, and modern architecture patterns
• Using AI tools, GitHub Copilot, etc.

Salary Range Information

Salary ranges below reflect targeted base salaries. Non‑sales positions have the opportunity to participate in a bonus program. Sales positions are eligible for sales incentives, and in some instances a bonus plan, whereby total compensation may far exceed base salary depending on individual performance. Actual compensation for all roles will be based upon geographic location, work experience, education, licensure requirements and/or skill level and will be finalized at the time of offer.

Salary Range (Non-Exempt expressed as hourly; Exempt expressed as yearly)

$77,000 - $112,000 / year

Salary Details

The following salary ranges reflect market‑specific compensation for this position across multiple job levels. Candidates will be evaluated to determine the appropriate job level based on their skills and experience.

• Software Engineer II: $77,000 - $92,000 / year
• Software Engineer III: $94,000 - $112,000 / year

Time Off Program

Flexible Time Off (FTO) is provided to salaried (exempt) employees and provides the opportunity to take time away from the office with pay for vacation, personal or short‑term illness. Employees don’t accrue a bank of time off under FTO and there is no set number of days provided.

Pension Eligible

Yes

Work Environments

This role is located in our corporate office in Des Moines, IA. We offer an in‑office and hybrid (blending at least three office days in a typical workweek) work arrangements in Des Moines, IA. There is an expectation for this role to work on site at least 3 days a week.

Job Level

We’ll consider talent at Software Engineer II and Software Engineer III level with the right experience and skills.

Our Engineering Culture

Through our product‑driven Agile/Lean DevOps environment, we’ve fostered a culture of innovation and experimentation across our development teams. As a customer‑focused organization, we work closely with our end users and product owners to understand and rapidly respond to emerging business needs.

Collaboration is embedded into everything we do – from the products we develop to the quality service we provide. We’re driven by the belief that diversity of thought, background, and perspective is critical to creating the best products and experiences for our customers.

Work Authorization/Sponsorship

At this time, we’re not considering applicants that need any type of immigration sponsorship (additional work authorization or permanent work authorization) now or in the future to work in the United States. This includes, but IS NOT LIMITED TO: F1‑OPT, F1‑CPT, H‑1B, TN, L‑1, J‑1, etc. For additional information around work authorization needs please use the following links.

Nonimmigrant Workers and Green Card for Employment‑Based Immigrants

Investment Code of Ethics

For Principal Asset Management positions, you’ll need to follow an Investment Code of Ethics related to personal and business conduct as well as personal trading activities for you and members of your household. These same requirements may also apply to other positions across the organization.

Experience Principal

At Principal, we value connecting on both a personal and professional level. Together, we’re imagining a more purpose‑led future for financial services – and that starts with you. Our success depends on the unique experiences, backgrounds, and talents of our employees. And we support our employees the same way we support our customers: with comprehensive, competitive benefit offerings crafted to protect their physical, financial, and social well‑being. Check out our careers site to learn more about our purpose, values and benefits.

Principal is an Equal Opportunity Employer

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.

Posting Window

We will accept applications for 3 full days following the Original Posting Date, after which the posting may remain open or be removed based upon applications received. If we choose to post the job again, we will accept additional applications for at least 1 full day following the Most Recently Posted Date. Please submit applications in a timely manner as there is no guarantee the posting will be available beyond the applicable deadline.

Original Posting Date

9/18/2026

Most Recently Posted Date

9/18/2026

Principal uses artificial intelligence tools to assist in reviewing and evaluating job applications, fraud prevention, and candidate matching and comparisons. These AI tools support our human recruiters in the initial review process but do not make final hiring decisions without human involvement. By submitting your application, you acknowledge this use of AI in our recruitment process. Please review our Workforce (U.S.) Privacy Notice for more details on our practices and your data privacy rights.