Principal Engineer I

Western Alliance Bank • Phoenix, AZ

8d

About The Position

The Principal Engineer – Middleware Platforms provides senior technical leadership, engineering governance, and strategic direction for enterprise middleware technologies. This role is responsible for the design, implementation, and lifecycle management of middleware platforms, including IBM MQ as a Service, and ensures alignment with enterprise architecture, security, and operational standards. The role partners with Enterprise Architecture, Security, Operations, and Application teams to deliver secure, resilient, and production-ready middleware solutions while supporting audit, risk, and compliance requirements. Additional responsibilities include overseeing the lifecycle management of Datadog, NetBrain, and LiveNX to ensure these tools are properly governed, maintained, and configured in alignment with WAB standards and compliance requirements.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Engineering, or equivalent experience
• 10+ years of experience in middleware, platform, or integration engineering
• Deep expertise in IBM MQ and messaging platforms
• Hands-on experience with enterprise middleware technologies, including Tomcat; Apache, NGINX, ActiveMQ, IIS and .NET & Azure Service Bus
• Hand-on experience with Infrastructure and Application monitoring technology like DataDog, NetBrain, LiveNX/LiveWire
• Experience managing legacy systems and EOL platform transitions
• Experience supporting security, risk, audit, and compliance functions
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to present to technical and leadership audiences
• Experience in financial services or other regulated environments
• Experience with cloud and hybrid middleware architecture
• Prior experience in a Principal Engineer, Lead Engineer, or senior architecture role

Responsibilities

• Lead architecture, engineering, and operational ownership of IBM MQ as a Service, including availability, security, disaster recovery, and capacity planning
• Serve as the subject matter expert (SME) and escalation point for enterprise middleware platforms
• Provide engineering oversight and strategic technical guidance for enterprise monitoring platforms, ensuring optimal design, implementation, and operational effectiveness across infrastructure and application environments; DataDog, NetBrain, LiveNX/LiveWire
• Provide engineering oversight and technical guidance for middleware technologies including Tomca, Apache, NGINX, ActiveMQ, IIS and .NET & Azure Service Bus
• Define, implement, and maintain enterprise middleware engineering standards, best practices, and governance processes
• Partner with Enterprise Architecture to develop middleware reference architectures and ensure production readiness
• Manage lifecycle of middleware platforms, including legacy and end-of-life (EOL) technologies, migration strategies, and decommissioning
• Lead vulnerability remediation efforts and manage IT risk exceptions related to middleware platforms
• Collaborate with internal audit, risk, and compliance teams to support regulatory and audit requirements
• Develop and maintain middleware technology roadmaps aligned with enterprise strategy
• Create and maintain technical documentation, standards, and executive-level presentations
• Mentor engineers and drive consistency in middleware engineering practices across teams

Benefits

• Competitive salaries
• Ownership stake in the company
• Medical and dental insurance
• Time off
• 401k matching program
• Tuition assistance program
• Employee volunteer program
• Wellness program
• Opportunity to bolster business knowledge, learning the ins and outs of how successful companies operate and manage their finances

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Principal