Principal Engineer II - Infrastructure as Code Engineer

Western Alliance Bank • Phoenix, AZ

1d • Onsite

About The Position

As a Principal Engineer II, you will be the recognized authority for Infrastructure as Code (IaC), leveraging deep technical expertise and broad cross-domain knowledge to ensure enterprise solutions are secure, compliant, reliable, and scalable. This role involves leading large-scale, complex design initiatives for mission-critical platforms and services, collaborating with business and project sponsors to define requirements and technical direction. You will provide hands-on technical leadership and subject matter expertise in core and adjacent domains, guiding solution architecture and automation strategies while adhering to security, compliance, and operational standards. The position requires active engagement with Application, Platform, and IT teams to identify automation opportunities, analyze software stacks, and optimize deployment pipelines. You will facilitate cross-team collaboration, foster technical dialogue, and lead design discussions to align engineering outcomes with business goals. Additionally, you will develop clear technical narratives for both IT and business stakeholders, mentor junior engineers, and contribute to the continuous improvement of the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) by applying Microsoft best practices and leveraging Git-based SDLC workflows (Azure DevOps, GitLab, GitHub).

Requirements

• 10+ years of relevant professional experience in technology, engineering, or related domains.
• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Software Engineering, or a related field required.
• Advanced expert knowledge of Financial Services or Banking environments, including enterprise operations, risk management, and regulatory considerations.
• Advanced to expert understanding of regulatory and legal compliance obligations, applicable rules and regulations, industry standards, and best practices within a regulated financial institution.
• Proven experience leading cross-functional teams and managing multiple concurrent initiatives, with deep expertise in one or more core banking domains (e.g., Deposits, Loans, Operations, or Reporting).
• Demonstrated ability to define, articulate, and walk through high-level process designs, translating business, regulatory, and operational requirements into scalable technical solutions.
• Experience partnering with regulatory bodies (e.g., CFPB, OCC, FRB) to support audits, examinations, and ongoing collaboration efforts as required.
• Proficiency in the Microsoft ecosystem, including Azure, Microsoft 365, and Active Directory, with hands-on experience designing and implementing modern infrastructure solutions aligned with Microsoft best practices.
• Experience working closely with network, server, storage, application teams, and product owners to design and deliver automation and infrastructure solutions.
• Self-motivated and capable of working effectively with distributed teams across multiple locations and organizational boundaries.
• Strong understanding of strategic, emerging, and evolving technology trends, with the ability to assess applicability and enterprise value.
• Demonstrated ability to build trust, credibility, and respect as a thoughtful leader, capable of influencing and persuading business leaders, IT leadership, and engineering teams.
• Enterprise-first, objective mindset, remaining unbiased toward specific technologies or vendors; decisions driven by data, analysis, and proof-of-concept results.
• Ability to work effectively in highly collaborative, team-based environments, including complex, matrixed organizations.
• Advanced to expert familiarity with enterprise capability models across IT, including awareness of existing application and infrastructure platforms to maximize reuse while introducing new solutions where appropriate.
• Proven experience in the design, enhancement, and enforcement of IT governance frameworks, ensuring compliance with published standards, procedures, and architectural controls.
• Advanced written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to clearly convey complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree or MBA preferred, or equivalent professional experience.
• Prior leadership experience preferred, including technical leadership, solution ownership, or oversight of complex, enterprise-scale initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the recognized authority for Infrastructure as Code (IaC), applying deep technical expertise and broad cross-domain knowledge to ensure enterprise solutions are secure, compliant, reliable, and scalable.
• Lead large-scale, complex design initiatives that support mission critical platforms and services, partnering closely with business and project sponsors to define requirements, objectives, and technical direction.
• Provide hands-on technical leadership and subject matter expertise across core and adjacent domains, guiding solution architecture and automation strategies while ensuring adherence to security, compliance, and operational standards.
• Actively engage with Application, Platform, and IT teams to identify automation opportunities, analyze software stacks, and optimize deployment pipelines.
• Facilitate collaboration across multiple teams, foster productive technical dialogue, and lead design discussions that align engineering outcomes with business goals.
• Develop clear, impactful technical narratives and presentations tailored to both IT and business stakeholders.
• Mentor and coach junior engineers, raising overall team capability, and contributing to the continuous improvement of the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC).
• Help advance organizational maturity by applying Microsoft best practices and leveraging Git-based SDLC workflows through platforms such as Azure DevOps, GitLab, or GitHub.
• Design end-to-end solution architectures that can be effectively handed off to lower-level engineers for execution, ensuring platform reuse, standardization, and scalability where possible.
• Review and validate technical designs and implementation plans developed by engineers and analysts to ensure high-quality solutions that can support the volumetric, performance, and reliability requirements of business partners.
• Develop and maintain Infrastructure as Code (IaC) solutions using Terraform, including Cloud resource provisioning in Azure, Automated environment buildouts, and Disaster recovery environment deployments.
• Design and implement Golden Image baselines and establish a controlled revision and lifecycle management process to support secure and consistent deployments.
• Customize environment buildouts to meet applications specific requirements while maintaining adherence to enterprise standards and reusable patterns.
• Build and maintain comprehensive measurement and observability dashboards that provide actionable performance insights into key banking applications, enabling operational decision-making while enforcing IT standards.
• Serve as a liaison between IT and Application teams to identify, prioritize, and drive automation opportunities across infrastructure and deployment pipelines.
• Manage Ansible Linux hosts and oversee the Azure Marketplace deployment and operation of the Ansible Automation Platform, ensuring stability, security, and scalability.
• Produce and maintain formal solution documentation independently or in partnership with Architecture teams, including: Physical and logical architecture diagrams, Cross-referenced use-case and deployment models, and Documentation suitable for long-term operational reference.
• Enforce architectural and operational standards and contribute to the creation, refinement, and enhancement of IT procedures that support infrastructure and operational teams across the organization.

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 your business knowledge, learning the ins and outs of how successful companies operate and manage their finances, giving you invaluable hands-on experience to help grow your career!

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Principal
• Number of Employees: 501-1,000 employees