Staff SW Engineer

Candescent is the leading cloud-based digital banking solutions provider for financial institutions. We are transforming digital banking with intelligent, cloud-powered solutions that connect account opening, digital banking, and branch experiences for financial institutions. Our advanced technology and developer tools enable seamless, differentiated customer journeys that elevate trust, service, and innovation. Success here requires flexibility in a fast-paced environment, a client-first mindset, and a commitment to delivering consistent, reliable results as part of a performance-driven, values-led team.  With team members around the world, Candescent is an equal opportunity employer.Staff Software EngineerPosition SummaryWe are seeking talented Principal Engineers to lead the architectural vision and evolution of our SaaS platform into a modern, resilient, and AI-powered ecosystem. This role plays a critical part in shaping our long-term technology strategy, providing cross-team technical leadership, and ensuring our platform is secure, scalable, performant, and data driven. Principal Engineers work across product domains to design efficient, future-proof solutions that align with strategic objectives, proactively reducing technical roadblocks and coordinating dependencies across teams.A primary focus of this role is driving the consolidation of multiple banking products into a unified, extensible platform with a shared architecture—promoting consistency, operational efficiency, and accelerated innovation. The Principal Engineer will also guide the design of scalable APIs, enhance developer experience, and lead efforts to enable seamless integration with fintech partners, core banking systems, and third-party providers. This is a highly collaborative and strategic role for a forward-thinking engineer who is passionate about platform transformation and delivering long-term impact. This title may also be called Architect.Key Areas of ResponsibilityDefine and drive platform architecture strategy focused on scalability, modularity, security, and resilienceLead platform consolidation and modernization into a unified, extensible architectureChampion architecture best practices including domain-driven and event-driven design, and cloud-native principlesDesign secure, extensible API ecosystems for internal and external developers and fintech partnersDefine developer experience standards including sandbox environments, documentation, and onboarding flowsCollaborate with Product, Engineering, and Data teams to embed AI/ML, analytics, and personalization into platform capabilitiesDefine and enforce standards for API governance, system design, observability, and securityEvaluate emerging technologies for future adoptionCollaborate with InfoSec, SRE, and DevOps to ensure reliability, compliance, and operational healthProduct Design and DevelopmentCreate and maintain architectural artifacts including solution blueprints, dependency maps, and design specificationsCollaborate with Portfolio and Product leadership to align technology solutions with strategic business goalsEstablish and enforce technical standards, policies, and guidelines for product teamsWork with product teams to ensure architectural alignment with product backlogs and technical directionProvide technical leadership through mentoring, code reviews, and guidance on architecture principles and design patternsManage architectural risks and dependencies across teams and systemsProduct Strategy, Vision, and PlanningDevelop automation and CI/CD strategy and communicate the vision to Product and Engineering ManagersAdvise Product Managers on DevOps enhancements, technical gaps, and product roadmap prioritiesEnsure technical solutions align with DevOps principles through close collaboration with engineering teamsQualifications10+ years of experience in software engineering and enterprise architectureDeep expertise in designing and managing API-first platforms and developer ecosystemsExperience with fintech and banking standards including ISO 20022, Open Banking, and FDXStrong understanding of cloud-native technologies such as GCP, AWS, Kubernetes, containers, and service meshProficient in distributed systems, multi-tenancy, and event-driven architectureHands-on experience integrating AI/ML into product and platform architectureStrong grasp of financial regulatory, security, and data compliance requirementsProven leadership in guiding high-performing engineering teamsExpertise in SRE and DevOps practices including CI/CD tools like GitHub, Jenkins, and Google Cloud BuildStrong collaboration and communication skills to lead cross-functional initiatives and articulate complex conceptsAutomation-first mindset with a drive to optimize delivery pipelines and eliminate manual processesStatement to Third Party AgenciesTo ALL recruitment agencies: Candescent only accepts resumes from agencies on the preferred supplier list. Please do not forward resumes to our applicant tracking system, Candescent employees, or any Candescent facility. Candescent is not responsible for any fees or charges associated with unsolicited resumes.