Principal Engineer – Cloud-Native Microservices (Payments & Business Banking)

Synechron is looking for a Principal Engineer to lead the design and development of cloud-native, microservices-based architectures in the Payments and Business Banking domain. This role involves influencing architectural decisions, driving innovation, and mentoring senior engineers to deliver secure, high-performance solutions aligned with compliance standards. The Principal Engineer will shape the technical vision, ensuring scalable and resilient solutions that advance capabilities and support critical business operations.

Must Have

• Extensive proficiency in Java (Java 8+ preferred) and Spring Boot for building large-scale, distributed systems.
• Proven experience designing and implementing cloud-native solutions on AWS, leveraging services such as Lambda, Aurora PostgreSQL, and MSK (Kafka).
• Strong knowledge of microservices architecture, event-driven systems, and best practices for scalability and security.
• Experience with AWS cloud services in production environments, including security, monitoring, and cost-optimized solutions.
• Hands-on expertise with CI/CD pipelines, particularly using GitHub Actions or similar automation tools.
• Deep understanding of API design and management, including REST and messaging patterns.
• Familiarity with modern workflow orchestration frameworks such as Temporal for complex business process automation.
• Experience with cloud security principles, data governance, and compliance regulations.
• Over 12 years of progressive experience in software engineering with at least 4+ years in technical leadership roles at scale.
• Extensive experience architecting and implementing cloud-native microservices in AWS or equivalent environments.
• Proven expertise in financial services or banking domain with a focus on payments and compliance standards.
• Demonstrated ability to influence architecture and technology strategy across large teams.
• Experience with automation, DevOps practices, and cost-effective cloud solutions.

Good to Have

• Knowledge of containerization with Docker and orchestration with Kubernetes.
• Experience with other cloud platforms (Azure, GCP) and multi-cloud integrations.
• Familiarity with infrastructure-as-code tools like Terraform or AWS CloudFormation.
• Understanding of DevOps best practices, automated testing, and monitoring.
• Programming Languages: Groovy, Kotlin, or Python for scripting and automation.
• Frameworks & Libraries: Reactor, Project Lombok, or other reactive libraries.
• Data & APIs: GraphQL, gRPC.
• DevOps & CI/CD: Automated testing frameworks, monitoring solutions like Prometheus, DataDog.

Job Summary

Synechron is seeking an experienced Principal Engineer to lead the design and development of cloud-native, microservices-based architectures within the Payments and Business Banking domain. As a technical authority and strategic thought leader, you will influence architectural decisions, drive innovation, and mentor senior engineers to deliver secure, high-performance solutions aligned with compliance standards. Your expertise will shape the technical vision, ensuring scalable and resilient solutions that advance our capabilities and support critical business operations.

Software Requirements

Required Skills:

• Extensive proficiency in Java (Java 8+ preferred) and Spring Boot for building large-scale, distributed systems
• Proven experience designing and implementing cloud-native solutions on AWS, leveraging services such as Lambda, Aurora PostgreSQL, and MSK (Kafka)
• Strong knowledge of microservices architecture, event-driven systems, and best practices for scalability and security
• experience with AWS cloud services in production environments, including security, monitoring, and cost-optimized solutions
• Hands-on expertise with CI/CD pipelines, particularly using GitHub Actions or similar automation tools
• Deep understanding of API design and management, including REST and messaging patterns
• Familiarity with modern workflow orchestration frameworks such as Temporal for complex business process automation
• Experience with cloud security principles, data governance, and compliance regulations

Preferred Skills:

• Knowledge of containerization with Docker and orchestration with Kubernetes
• Experience with other cloud platforms (Azure, GCP) and multi-cloud integrations
• Familiarity with infrastructure-as-code tools like Terraform or AWS CloudFormation
• Understanding of DevOps best practices, automated testing, and monitoring

Overall Responsibilities

• Architect, develop, and evolve large-scale, distributed, cloud-native architectures tailored for financial services, ensuring high performance, reliability, and security
• Define and enforce technical standards, patterns, and best practices across teams to foster uniformity and excellence in cloud-native development
• Lead strategic technical discussions, influencing architecture choices and ensuring adherence to compliance and regulatory standards
• Drive the adoption of event-driven and workflow orchestration frameworks (e.g., Temporal) for complex business processes
• Oversee the CI/CD strategy, enabling robust automation, quality gates, and zero-downtime deployments
• Collaborate with product, security, and compliance teams to align technological solutions with organizational objectives
• Mentor senior engineers, fostering technical excellence, knowledge sharing, and continuous improvement
• Develop and contribute to the long-term technology roadmap, supporting innovation and modernization initiatives
• Manage cross-team dependencies, track project milestones, and communicate program status to stakeholders and leadership

Technical Skills (By Category)

Programming Languages:

• Essential: Java 8+ (Spring Boot framework)
• Preferred: Groovy, Kotlin, or Python for scripting and automation

Frameworks & Libraries:

• Essential: Spring Boot, Spring Cloud, Kafka client libraries, Temporal SDK
• Preferred: Reactor, Project Lombok, or other reactive libraries

Cloud & Infrastructure:

• Essential: AWS core services (Lambda, Aurora PostgreSQL, MSK, CloudWatch, IAM)
• Preferred: Kubernetes, Terraform, CloudFormation

Data & APIs:

• Essential: REST API design, messaging patterns, API Gateway, secure API management
• Preferred: GraphQL, gRPC

DevOps & CI/CD:

• Essential: GitHub Actions, Jenkins, or equivalent CI/CD tools
• Preferred: Automated testing frameworks, monitoring solutions like Prometheus, DataDog

Security & Compliance:

• Essential: Cloud security best practices, encryption, identity management, governance standards

Experience Requirements

• Over 12 years of progressive experience in software engineering with at least 4+ years in technical leadership roles at scale
• Extensive experience architecting and implementing cloud-native microservices in AWS or equivalent environments
• Proven expertise in financial services or banking domain with a focus on payments and compliance standards
• Demonstrated ability to influence architecture and technology strategy across large teams
• Experience with automation, DevOps practices, and cost-effective cloud solutions
• Proven success in mentoring engineers, fostering technical excellence, and leading complex initiatives

Day-to-Day Activities

• Lead the technical design, implementation, and optimization of large-scale, distributed, cloud-native architectures
• Drive architectural discussions, review code, and enforce development standards
• Collaborate with cross-disciplinary teams including product managers, security specialists, and platform engineers
• Mentor senior and junior engineers, fostering a culture of excellence and continuous learning
• Oversee the automation of deployment pipelines, infrastructure provisioning, and system monitoring
• Troubleshoot performance bottlenecks, security issues, or operational risks, implementing timely solutions
• Monitor evolving industry trends, evaluate new technologies, and incorporate innovative solutions
• Regularly review project progress against milestones, escalating risks and dependencies to leadership

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related field
• Relevant certifications such as AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional, AWS DevOps Engineer, or equivalent cloud certifications preferred
• Extensive hands-on experience designing, deploying, and managing cloud-native microservices in production environments

Professional Competencies

• Strong analytical and strategic thinking skills for assessing complex technical challenges
• Excellent leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills
• Ability to influence technical decisions and shape organizational architecture strategies
• Resilient and adaptable, with a focus on continuous enhancement of systems and processes
• Passionate about innovation, best practices, and advancing organizational technology maturity
• Demonstrated ability to prioritize and manage multiple initiatives effectively