Principal Engineer I - AI Full Stack Engineer

Western Alliance Bank•Phoenix, AZ

20h•Onsite

About The Position

As a Principal Engineer I, you will serve as a senior technical contributor within your domain, applying deep expertise across multiple engineering disciplines to design and deliver complex solutions. This role is embedded within the Lending and Card Operations technology teams, with a primary focus on supporting the Lending Service Fabric (LSF) through modern, AI enabled full stack solutions. In this role, you will partner closely with architects, product owners, and business stakeholders to translate requirements into secure, compliant, and scalable designs. You will apply AI forward engineering practices, guide technical implementation decisions, and help establish reusable patterns that improve delivery efficiency while aligning with WAB engineering and governance standards. Provide senior‑level technical leadership for Lending and Card Operations initiatives, contributing to solution architecture and engineering decisions aligned to business and regulatory requirements. Design and deliver AI‑enabled, cloud‑native full‑stack solutions that support loan and card processing, servicing, operations, and reporting, ensuring scalability, security, and compliance. Design and implement AI‑forward capabilities, including Prompt Engineering, MCP, and RAG‑based patterns, under established architectural guidance to improve automation, decisioning, and developer productivity. Design, build, and maintain enterprise APIs using Azure API Management (APIM), ensuring consistent security, versioning, throttling, observability, and lifecycle management. Own assigned portions of end‑to‑end technical solution design, producing clear and executable designs that can be delivered by engineering teams while adhering to WAB architecture standards and reuse of enterprise capabilities. Lead hands‑on full‑stack development across Azure, .NET, Python, React (Vite), SQL, and ETL pipelines, following modern DevOps practices using GitHub, Azure DevOps, and Azure Pipelines. Apply AI‑assisted development practices (e.g., GitHub Copilot and approved internal LLMs) to improve development speed and code quality while adhering to governance and security controls. Contribute to observability, performance, and reliability practices to ensure Lending and Card systems meet operational, security, and audit requirements. Review technical designs, code, and delivery plans developed by engineers to ensure solutions meet performance, resilience, and compliance expectations. Partner with business, architecture, security, and risk teams to translate Lending and Card requirements into compliant technical solutions, communicating effectively with both technical and non‑technical stakeholders. Mentor engineers and promote adoption of AI‑forward, cloud‑first, and platform‑driven engineering practices within the Lending and Card Operations technology teams.

Requirements

8+ years of experience in software engineering or IT development, with demonstrated experience supporting Lending, Card, or Financial Services platforms.
Hands‑on experience designing and developing cloud‑native applications on the Azure platform, including APIs, data integrations, and full‑stack solutions.
Practical experience applying AI‑assisted development techniques (e.g., Prompt Engineering, RAG patterns, or GenAI development tools) in an enterprise environment.
Strong experience with .NET, Python, modern JavaScript frameworks (React preferred), SQL, and ETL technologies.
Bachelor’s degree in a related field required; Master’s degree or MBA preferred.
Working knowledge of regulatory and legal compliance obligations, industry standards, and secure software development practices in a regulated environment.
Proven experience collaborating with cross‑functional teams and delivering multiple initiatives concurrently within an Agile or DevOps environment.
Familiarity with enterprise capability models, IT governance frameworks, and architectural review processes.
Strong verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to clearly explain technical concepts to business and technology stakeholders.

Nice To Haves

Previous technical leadership or lead‑engineer experience preferred.
Advanced knowledge of Financial Services or Banking, with exposure to Lending or Card Operations strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Provide senior‑level technical leadership for Lending and Card Operations initiatives, contributing to solution architecture and engineering decisions aligned to business and regulatory requirements.
Design and deliver AI‑enabled, cloud‑native full‑stack solutions that support loan and card processing, servicing, operations, and reporting, ensuring scalability, security, and compliance.
Design and implement AI‑forward capabilities, including Prompt Engineering, MCP, and RAG‑based patterns, under established architectural guidance to improve automation, decisioning, and developer productivity.
Design, build, and maintain enterprise APIs using Azure API Management (APIM), ensuring consistent security, versioning, throttling, observability, and lifecycle management.
Own assigned portions of end‑to‑end technical solution design, producing clear and executable designs that can be delivered by engineering teams while adhering to WAB architecture standards and reuse of enterprise capabilities.
Lead hands‑on full‑stack development across Azure, .NET, Python, React (Vite), SQL, and ETL pipelines, following modern DevOps practices using GitHub, Azure DevOps, and Azure Pipelines.
Apply AI‑assisted development practices (e.g., GitHub Copilot and approved internal LLMs) to improve development speed and code quality while adhering to governance and security controls.
Contribute to observability, performance, and reliability practices to ensure Lending and Card systems meet operational, security, and audit requirements.
Review technical designs, code, and delivery plans developed by engineers to ensure solutions meet performance, resilience, and compliance expectations.
Partner with business, architecture, security, and risk teams to translate Lending and Card requirements into compliant technical solutions, communicating effectively with both technical and non‑technical stakeholders.
Mentor engineers and promote adoption of AI‑forward, cloud‑first, and platform‑driven engineering practices within the Lending and Card Operations technology teams.

Benefits

competitive salaries
an ownership stake in the company
medical and dental insurance
time off
a great 401k matching program
tuition assistance program
an employee volunteer program
a wellness program
opportunity to bolster business knowledge
learning the ins and outs of how successful companies operate and manage their finances
invaluable hands-on experience to help grow your career