The Principal Software Engineer is responsible for leading the design, development, and evolution of scalable, resilient, reliable, and intelligent software systems. This role combines deep technical leadership with hands-on engineering expertise and requires a customer-centric, forward-looking mindset to integrate AI-driven development practices and agent-based architectures into modern software delivery.
The Principal Software Engineer serves as a technical authority and innovation leader, shaping architecture, mentoring engineers, and driving engineering excellence. Expertise in cloud-native architectures, modern development frameworks, and software engineering best practices is essential for delivering high-quality, secure, and scalable solutions.
Key ResponsibilitiesSoftware Engineering & Delivery- Design and develop full-stack applications while ensuring alignment with enterprise architecture standards.
- Participate in Agile software development practices and collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams.
- Design, modify, develop, and implement modern application components, tools, and services that support strategic business objectives.
- Build scalable, maintainable, resilient, and highly available distributed systems.
- Apply software security best practices throughout the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC).
- Identify, prevent, and remediate security vulnerabilities to protect systems and sensitive data.
- Serve as a technical leader and mentor, promoting innovation, accountability, and engineering excellence.
- Contribute to architectural decisions and technology strategy.
- Leverage AI-assisted development tools (e.g., GitHub Copilot and similar technologies) to improve engineering productivity and code quality.
- Design and implement agentic workflows throughout the software development lifecycle.
- Utilize AI technologies for:
- Code generation
- Code refactoring
- Code optimization
- Automated code review
- Quality analysis
- Intelligent test generation
- Defect detection
- Develop and integrate AI-powered applications and services.
- Build customer-facing solutions utilizing Large Language Models (LLMs).
- Implement AI-driven automation for engineering and operational processes.
- Develop multi-agent workflows for orchestration and automated decision-making.
- Apply advanced AI solution patterns including:
- Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG)
- Prompt engineering
- Context management
- Agent orchestration
- Tool integration
- Ensure secure, compliant, and responsible use of AI technologies, particularly when handling regulated financial data.
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Engineering, Mathematics, or a related technical discipline.
- 7+ years of hands-on software development experience delivering and supporting commercial software applications.
- Demonstrated experience leading, mentoring, and developing engineering talent.
- Strong experience developing applications using Node.js and modern Node.js frameworks.
- Hands-on experience with Java, Spring, and Spring Boot.
- Experience with modern front-end frameworks such as Angular, React, or similar technologies.
- Strong understanding of authentication and security protocols including OAuth and SAML.
- Experience implementing security controls and protecting enterprise systems and data.
- Experience building and supporting containerized applications using Docker, Kubernetes, and/or OpenShift.
- Cloud platform experience with AWS, Microsoft Azure, and/or Google Cloud Platform (GCP).
- Experience developing and deploying solutions that manage sensitive or regulated data.
- Strong knowledge of Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) processes.
- Experience with CI/CD pipelines and DevOps tooling, including:
- Jenkins
- Harness
- Git
- Bitbucket
- Nexus
- Experience with relational databases including:
- MySQL
- PostgreSQL
- Oracle
- Experience with NoSQL databases such as MongoDB.
- Strong understanding of data structures and algorithms.
- Experience utilizing code quality and code coverage tools.
- Strong verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills.
- Hands-on experience using AI-assisted development tools such as GitHub Copilot or equivalent.
- Familiarity with Large Language Models (LLMs) and AI application development concepts.
- Experience developing applications with Go and/or Python.
- Experience working with streaming and event-driven platforms including:
- Kafka
- Amazon Kinesis
- Amazon SQS
- Apache Storm
- 3+ years of experience within financial services, consumer banking, wealth management, or trading environments.
- Understanding of banking systems, operations, and financial services processes.
- Experience with Domain-Driven Design (DDD).
- Experience implementing Command Query Responsibility Segregation (CQRS).
- Cloud certifications such as:
- AWS Certified Solutions Architect
- AWS Certified Developer
- Equivalent Azure or GCP certifications
- Node JS
- Java
- Python
- GO
- Angular
- React
- Spring
- Spring Boot
- Node.js Frameworks
- AWS
- Azure
- GCP
- Docker
- Kubernetes
- OpenShift
- MySQL
- PostgreSQL
- Oracle
- MongoDB
- Jenkins
- Harness
- Git
- Bitbucket
- Nexus
- OAuth
- SAML
- Secure SDLC Practices
- GitHub Copilot
- Large Language Models (LLMs)
- Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG)
- Prompt Engineering
- Agentic AI Workflows
- Agent Orchestration
- AI Automation
- Lead digital-first banking transformation initiatives.
- Drive adoption of AI-powered and agentic software engineering practices.
- Influence enterprise architecture and next-generation development methodologies.
- Partner with engineering leaders to shape the future of software delivery and innovation.
Hours & Work Schedule
- Hours per Week: 40
- Work Schedule: Monday - Friday
Equal Employment Opportunity
Citizens, its parent, subsidiaries, and related companies (Citizens) provide equal employment and advancement opportunities to all colleagues and applicants for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, citizenship, physical or mental disability, perceived disability or history or record of a disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity or expression, genetic information, genetic characteristic, marital or domestic partner status, victim of domestic violence, family status/parenthood, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, pregnancy/childbirth/lactation, colleague’s or a dependent’s reproductive health decision making, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or any other category protected by federal, state and/or local laws. At Citizens, we are committed to fostering an inclusive culture that enables all colleagues to bring their best selves to work every day and everyone is expected to be treated with respect and professionalism. Employment decisions are based solely on merit, qualifications, performance and capability.
Equal Employment and Opportunity Employer
Job Applicant Data Privacy Policy
Background Check
Any offer of employment is conditioned upon the candidate successfully passing a background check, which may include initial credit, motor vehicle record, public record, prior employment verification, and criminal background checks. Results of the background check are individually reviewed based upon legal requirements imposed by our regulators and with consideration of the nature and gravity of the background history and the job offered. Any offer of employment will include further information.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Engineering, Mathematics, or related technical discipline
- 7+ years of hands-on software development experience delivering and supporting commercial software applications
- Demonstrated experience leading, mentoring, and developing engineering talent
- Strong experience developing applications using Node.js and modern Node.js frameworks
- Hands-on experience with Java, Spring, and Spring Boot
- Experience with modern front-end frameworks such as Angular or React
- Strong understanding of authentication and security protocols including OAuth and SAML
- Experience implementing security controls and protecting enterprise systems and data
- Experience building and supporting containerized applications using Docker, Kubernetes, and/or OpenShift
- Cloud platform experience with AWS, Microsoft Azure, and/or Google Cloud Platform (GCP)
- Experience developing and deploying solutions that manage sensitive or regulated data
- Strong knowledge of Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) processes
- Experience with CI/CD pipelines and DevOps tooling including Jenkins, Harness, Git, Bitbucket, Nexus
- Experience with relational databases including MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle
- Experience with NoSQL databases such as MongoDB
- Strong understanding of data structures and algorithms
- Experience utilizing code quality and code coverage tools
- Strong verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills
- Hands-on experience using AI-assisted development tools such as GitHub Copilot
- Familiarity with Large Language Models (LLMs) and AI application development concepts
- Experience developing applications with Go and/or Python
- Experience working with streaming and event-driven platforms including Kafka, Amazon Kinesis, Amazon SQS, Apache Storm
- 3+ years of experience within financial services, consumer banking, wealth management, or trading environments
- Understanding of banking systems, operations, and financial services processes
- Experience with Domain-Driven Design (DDD) and CQRS
- Cloud certifications such as AWS Certified Solutions Architect, AWS Certified Developer, or equivalent Azure/GCP certifications
Citizens Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Citizens and has not been reviewed or approved by Citizens.
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Healthcare Strength — Healthcare coverage is positioned as comprehensive, with multiple plan options and preventive care highlighted as fully covered. Mental-health support is also emphasized through EAP-style counseling access and app-based support.
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Retirement Support — Retirement benefits are described as meaningful, including an employer match and additional company contributions in some descriptions. Stock purchase features and occasional profit-sharing framing add to the overall retirement-and-wealth picture.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Time-off benefits are described as generous, including a substantial PTO bank, paid holidays, and sizeable parental leave. Adoption assistance and emergency backup care are also presented as part of the leave-related support set.
Citizens Insights
What We Do
As one of the oldest and largest financial services firms in the United States with a history dating back to 1828, we’re committed to providing solutions and expertise that support our customers, clients, colleagues, and communities in what’s next on their own unique journey. We invest in the humans who build the logic, ideas, and innovations that bring new technologies to life. Investments in AI, cloud computing, machine learning and automation provide our engineers the tools that enable us to remain competitive and win in today’s environment. At Citizens, we recognize that the journey to accomplishment is no longer linear and that individuals are made of all they have done and all they are going to do. Whether you’re considering banking with us or looking to work with us, you’ll find a customer-centric culture and a supportive, collaborative workforce at Citizens. You’re made ready and so are we. If you're ready to advance your career in technology and security, learn more about opportunity's Citizens offers here: https://jobs.citizensbank.com/digital-transformation
Why Work With Us
We empower the colleagues that power our tech. With growth & upskilling opportunities and sought-after benefits, plus a diverse culture of people and perspectives, we help our colleagues achieve career goals. Because innovation can’t happen without the minds and hearts of our people. Technology is constantly evolving, and we believe you can too.
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