Principal Software Engineer (.NET Technical Lead)

Northern Trust • Chicago, IL

1d • $137,400 - $233,600 • Hybrid

About The Position

Global Engineering is seeking a Principal Software Engineer (.NET Technical Lead) to provide technical leadership for the design, development, and delivery of modern cloud-native applications and platforms. This role serves as a senior technical leader and principal designer, working closely with business, product, architecture, and engineering teams to deliver scalable, resilient, secure, and high-performing solutions. The ideal candidate combines deep hands-on expertise in .NET development, cloud technologies, microservices architecture, and AI-assisted software engineering with strong leadership, communication, and project delivery skills.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related discipline.
• 10+ years of software engineering experience with enterprise-scale systems.
• 5+ years of experience in technical leadership, solution design, systems analysis, or project leadership roles.
• Strong expertise in: C#, .NET Core / ASP.NET Core, Entity Framework Core, SQL Server, REST APIs, Microservices Architecture.
• Experience with: Kafka or equivalent messaging platforms, Docker and Kubernetes, Azure and/or AWS, Git, GitHub, Azure DevOps, Jenkins, or similar CI/CD tools.
• Strong understanding of software development lifecycle (SDLC), design patterns, distributed systems, Agile, and DevOps practices.
• Hands-on experience using GitHub Copilot and other AI-assisted software engineering tools to accelerate software development and improve engineering effectiveness.
• Proven ability to lead complex technical initiatives and influence technical direction across multiple teams.
• Excellent communication, analytical, problem-solving, and stakeholder management skills.

Nice To Haves

• Financial Services experience.
• Knowledge of Infrastructure as Code tools such as Terraform.
• Familiarity with modern security frameworks including OAuth, JWT, SAML, SSO, and Identity Management solutions.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership, mentorship, and guidance to engineering teams, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and engineering excellence.
• Serve as the principal designer for major systems and applications, defining architectures, technical standards, and implementation strategies.
• Partner with business stakeholders, product teams, and architects to translate business requirements into scalable technical solutions.
• Design, develop, and support applications using C#, .NET Core/.NET, ASP.NET Core, Entity Framework Core, SQL Server, and modern API frameworks.
• Architect and implement microservices and event-driven solutions leveraging Kafka and related messaging technologies.
• Design and deploy cloud-native solutions utilizing Azure and/or AWS, Docker, Kubernetes, and Infrastructure as Code.
• Drive adoption of CI/CD, automated testing, DevOps, and secure software development practices.
• Lead technical project planning, solution design, implementation, and status reporting for strategic initiatives.
• Ensure compliance with enterprise standards, audit requirements, change management controls, and data security policies.
• Collaborate with vendors, consultants, and technology partners as needed.
• Evaluate and recommend emerging technologies, tools, and architectural patterns to improve business outcomes and operational efficiency.
• Champion the use of AI-powered development tools such as GitHub Copilot, Microsoft Copilot, and AI-assisted engineering platforms to enhance developer productivity, code quality, testing, and documentation.

Benefits

• retirement benefits (401k and pension)
• health and welfare benefits (medical, dental, vision, spending accounts and disability)
• paid time off
• parental and caregiver leave
• life & accident insurance
• other voluntary and well-being benefits
• discretionary bonus program that may include an equity component

What This Job Offers

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