Sr Software Engineer II

Principal Financial Group • Des Moines, IA

3d

About The Position

Principal is seeking a Senior Software Engineer II for its insurance technology team. This is a hands-on, leadership-by-example role focused on developing and enhancing an insurance platform that supports enrollment and onboarding across insurance products. The engineer will help architect systems that simplify access to benefits and modernize software development. The role initially supports a platform built with Ruby on Rails and AWS, with the technology stack expected to evolve over time.

The position owns software design and development across the full lifecycle, from requirements and solution architecture through testing and production. It collaborates with product managers, designers, engineers, and other stakeholders to clarify requirements, assess technical and product trade-offs, and deliver roadmap initiatives. Senior technical leadership includes setting development approaches, influencing architecture, reviewing code, mentoring engineers, and resolving complex technical problems. The role is also accountable for quality, predictable delivery, and adapting to changing platform and business needs.

The engineering organization works in a product-driven Agile/Lean DevOps environment, emphasizing innovation, experimentation, customer focus, and collaboration with end users and product owners. Work arrangements may be in-office, hybrid, or remote for employees residing more than 30 miles from Des Moines, Iowa, or Charlotte, North Carolina. The appropriate arrangement is determined with the employee’s leader.

The targeted base salary range is $127,000–$158,000 per year. Non-sales employees may participate in a bonus program. Salaried employees receive Flexible Time Off, with no accrued bank or set number of days. The position is pension eligible. Applicants needing immigration sponsorship now or in the future are not being considered. Principal uses AI tools to support initial application review, fraud prevention, and candidate matching; final hiring decisions involve human recruiters.

Requirements

• Associate or bachelor’s degree, preferably in computer science, technology, engineering, mathematics, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• At least 8 years of work experience or equivalent experience.
• Proven experience designing solution architectures and building scalable web applications.
• Experience with Ruby on Rails and a modern frontend framework such as React, or comparable backend framework experience that can be applied effectively in a Rails environment.
• Extensive enterprise-level experience designing, developing, testing, and supporting software applications.
• Strong experience with AWS cloud-based technology.
• Experience incorporating AI coding assistants, such as Cursor or Claude, into daily workflows, with rigorous review and validation of AI-generated code.
• Experience in insurance, financial services, or another regulated industry.
• Ability to break down complex problems, reduce ambiguity, and drive solutions forward.
• Strong collaboration skills and experience working across product, engineering, and business teams.
• Commitment to continuous learning and helping other engineers grow through coaching, mentoring, and knowledge sharing.
• Strong communication skills, including explaining technical concepts to business stakeholders and translating business objectives into actionable technical solutions.

Nice To Haves

• A degree in computer science, technology, engineering, mathematics, or a related field.
• Experience with Ruby on Rails and React.
• Experience in insurance or financial services.

Responsibilities

• Own the design and development of scalable software solutions across the full development lifecycle, from requirements and solution architecture through testing and production.
• Build and enhance applications using Ruby on Rails or similar modern application frameworks and AWS, adapting as the technology stack evolves and identifying opportunities to incorporate AI and agentic AI capabilities.
• Partner with product managers, designers, engineers, and stakeholders to refine requirements, evaluate technical and product trade-offs, and deliver prioritized roadmap initiatives.
• Provide technical leadership by establishing development approaches, influencing architectural decisions, reviewing code, mentoring engineers, and helping solve complex technical problems.
• Own software quality through automated testing, peer code reviews, performance planning, secure coding practices, and reliable CI/CD pipelines.
• Deliver software predictably by developing accurate estimates, communicating progress and risks, and taking accountability for projects from requirements through production.
• Use AI coding assistants in daily workflows to support delivery speed, test generation, and code quality, while rigorously reviewing and validating generated code.
• Collaborate with end users and product owners to understand and respond to emerging business needs.

Benefits

• Flexible Time Off for salaried employees, with no accrued bank or set number of days.
• Pension eligibility.
• Opportunity for non-sales employees to participate in a bonus program.
• Comprehensive benefits intended to support employees’ physical, financial, and social well-being.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: Associate degree