Assistant Director - Engineering, Mainframe Services

Principal Financial Group•Des Moines, IA

6d•Hybrid

About The Position

We’re looking for an Assistant Director of Engineering to join our Information Services team. In this role, you’ll lead the strategy and evolution of our mainframe platform while guiding an engineering team and vendor partners through a period of modernization and transformation. You’ll have the opportunity to: Set strategic direction: Define and execute the long-term strategy and roadmap for our mainframe platform, including modernization and transformational efforts Lead and inspire: Lead an infrastructure engineering team, setting direction, priorities, and clear accountability across a multi-layered global organization while coaching and developing engineering talent (both direct and matrixed), fostering a culture of ownership, collaboration, and continuous improvement across a global team Drive alignment: Partner with business and technology leaders to align platform capabilities with enterprise priorities and evolving business needs Innovate for impact: Ensure stability, resiliency, and performance of the platform through strong operational governance, root cause analysis, and continuous improvement practices Stay future-focused: Champion modernization, automation, and self-service capabilities to improve developer and user experience while optimizing cost and efficiency Vendor Management: Build and manage strong vendor relationships (including managed service partners), ensuring quality delivery, accountability, and alignment to business outcomes 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.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree (preference in a computer science, technology, engineering or math-related field) or equivalent experience
8+ years of enterprise-level technical experience, demonstrating progressive responsibility and impact
Formal people leadership experience, coaching talent, and building a culture of accountability and collaboration
Experience leading complex infrastructure or platform teams, with exposure to mainframe environments
Strong background in vendor management, including managing managed service providers and holding partners accountable for outcomes
Experience defining strategy, influencing across stakeholders, and leading through organizational and technology change
Proven ability to influence across global teams and leaders in a highly matrixed environment
Strong communication skills, with the ability to translate between technical and business stakeholders

Nice To Haves

4+ years of technology leadership managing and mentoring direct reports; proven ability to build strong teams and a culture of accountability
Deep experience with mainframe platforms and architecture
Experience leading modernization or platform transformation efforts (e.g., offloading, integration, or migration strategies)
Familiarity with capacity planning, infrastructure lifecycle management, and large-scale system integrations
Experience working in highly regulated environments with strong security and audit requirements
Background partnering closely with business units to align technology roadmaps to evolving business strategies

Responsibilities

Define and execute the long-term strategy and roadmap for our mainframe platform, including modernization and transformational efforts
Lead an infrastructure engineering team, setting direction, priorities, and clear accountability across a multi-layered global organization while coaching and developing engineering talent (both direct and matrixed), fostering a culture of ownership, collaboration, and continuous improvement across a global team
Partner with business and technology leaders to align platform capabilities with enterprise priorities and evolving business needs
Ensure stability, resiliency, and performance of the platform through strong operational governance, root cause analysis, and continuous improvement practices
Champion modernization, automation, and self-service capabilities to improve developer and user experience while optimizing cost and efficiency
Build and manage strong vendor relationships (including managed service partners), ensuring quality delivery, accountability, and alignment to business outcomes