Principal Software Engineer - Full Stack

Fifth Third Bank•Cincinnati, OH

23h

About The Position

Make banking a Fifth Third better® We connect great people to great opportunities. Are you ready to take the next step? Discover a career in banking at Fifth Third Bank. GENERAL FUNCTION: The Principal Software Engineer is a senior technical leader responsible for designing, building, and evolving scalable, secure software systems while providing day-to-day technical leadership for a development team. This role blends hands-on engineering with architectural ownership, mentorship, and accountability for engineering excellence and delivery outcomes. The Principal Engineer acts as a trusted technical authority across the stack and a key partner to product, design, and leadership stakeholders.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science/Information Systems or equivalent combination of education and work experience
Six+ years of engineering or other IT work experience relevant to the position.
Strong expertise in object-oriented and functional design principles
Experience building and maintaining RESTful services and distributed systems
Prior experience with knowledge of Git and GitHub
Proficiency with modern frontend and backend technologies (Angular, Java/Kotlin, Spring Boot)
Experience with relational databases and SQL/PL-SQL
Understanding of Software Development Methodologies
Understanding of security best practices
Strong problem solving skills
Strong collaboration skills
Excellent verbal and written communication skills

Responsibilities

Technical Leadership & Architecture Lead the design and evolution of scalable, maintainable, and secure full-stack solutions across frontend, backend, APIs, data stores, and cloud infrastructure
Serve as the primary technical authority for the team, driving architectural decisions, engineering standards, and best practices
Review system designs and code to ensure performance, reliability, testability, security, and long-term maintainability
Identify, prioritize, and proactively address technical debt and systemic risks
Stay current with modern technologies and introduce new tools or patterns where they deliver clear value
Hands-On Engineering Contribute high-quality, production-ready code across the stack (Angular, Java/Kotlin, Spring Boot, RDBMS/PL-SQL, APIs)
Lead complex feature development, critical initiatives, proof-of-concepts, and technical spikes
Troubleshoot and resolve complex issues spanning multiple services and layers
Champion strong automated testing practices, CI/CD pipelines, and operational reliability
Team Leadership & Mentorship Provide technical leadership for an agile development squad, setting clear expectations for quality, delivery, and engineering behavior
Mentor and coach engineers through code reviews, design discussions, and ongoing technical guidance
Foster a culture of collaboration, psychological safety, accountability, and continuous improvement
Support hiring, onboarding, and development of engineering talent
Accountability & Execution Take ownership of technical outcomes, delivery commitments, and engineering excellence
Align technical work with business priorities and product outcomes
Identify risks early and clearly communicate tradeoffs, impacts, and mitigation strategies
Participate fully in agile ceremonies, planning, estimation, and prioritization
Cross-Functional Collaboration Communicate complex technical concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders
Partner closely with product managers, designers, architects, operations, and other engineering leaders
Act as a trusted technical advisor to leadership and cross-functional teams
Engineering Excellence & Risk Management Influence and improve engineering processes, development practices, and team workflows
Participate in and contribute to communities of practice and shared standards
Ensure appropriate controls, documentation, and compliance with audit and risk requirements
Operate within the organization’s risk appetite while consistently prioritizing customer and colleague outcomes