Principal Engineer

At ABB, we help industries run leaner and cleaner-and every person here makes that happen. You'll be empowered to lead, supported to grow, and proud of the impact we create together. Join us and help run what runs the world.

This Position reports to:

What we believe in

ABB's Process Automation business area enables customers to operate some of the world's largest and most complex industrial infrastructures, helping them outrun - leaner and cleaner.

We offer a broad range of automation, electrification and digital solutions for process, hybrid and maritime industries, including industry-specific integrated control and software as well as measurement and analytics solutions and services.

Your role and responsibilities

In this role, we are looking for an experienced Principal Engineer & Full Stack Software Architect to join our Process Control Platform (PCP) / Operations R&D Organization. The role requires a highly accomplished technical leader with extensive experience in software architecture, full-stack development, and industrial automation systems to define and drive the architecture of ABB's next-generation Automation Vision Distributed Control System (DCS) platform.

The candidate will be responsible for establishing the technical vision and architectural direction for DCS Human Machine Interface (HMI) and runtime operations capabilities, ensuring scalable, secure, high-performing, and innovative industrial automation solutions. This role combines deep technical expertise with strong leadership capabilities to deliver mission-critical control systems that power industrial operations globally.

The work model for the role is: Hybrid

This role is contributing to the Process Control Platform (PCP) / Operations R&D function in Bengaluru, India. Main stakeholders include Product Management, Global R&D teams, UX/UI teams, Quality Engineering teams, DevOps teams, System Engineering teams, and customers across asset-intensive industries.

You will be mainly accountable for:

. Define and drive the overall software architecture for the Automation Vision DCS platform, including HMI and runtime operations components.

. Design scalable, maintainable, secure, and high-performance full-stack solutions spanning frontend applications, backend services, middleware, and real-time operational systems.

. Establish architectural principles, design standards, technology frameworks, and best practices across the DCS platform ecosystem.

. Create and maintain architecture artifacts including system design documentation, interface specifications, architectural decision records, and technical roadmaps.

. Evaluate and recommend appropriate technologies, frameworks, tools, and platforms to support long-term product strategy and engineering objectives.

. Ensure platform architecture aligns with industrial automation standards and cybersecurity requirements including IEC 62443, OPC UA, ISA-95, and related industry frameworks.

. Lead architecture reviews and drive technical excellence across distributed engineering teams.

Engineering Leadership & Collaboration

. Provide technical leadership, mentorship, and architectural guidance to engineering teams across frontend, backend, and runtime development domains.

. Facilitate architectural discussions, design reviews, and key technical decision-making activities throughout the software development lifecycle.

. Champion software engineering best practices including clean code principles, SOLID design principles, design patterns, test-driven development, and engineering quality standards.

. Collaborate closely with Product Management teams to translate business requirements into scalable and sustainable technical solutions.

. Work effectively with cross-functional teams including UX/UI, Quality Engineering, DevOps, and System Engineering teams to ensure cohesive product development and delivery.

. Identify, analyze, and resolve complex technical challenges, architectural bottlenecks, and performance constraints.

. Drive innovation initiatives through the evaluation and adoption of emerging technologies including Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Edge Computing, Cloud Computing, and Industrial IoT capabilities applicable to DCS solutions.

Product Development & Implementation

. Contribute hands-on to the development of critical architectural components, frameworks, and proof-of-concept implementations.

. Design and develop Human Machine Interface (HMI) applications using modern frontend technologies and user experience best practices.

. Architect and implement backend services, APIs, microservices, and supporting platform capabilities.

. Develop reusable frameworks, libraries, design patterns, and shared components that improve engineering productivity and product consistency.

. Conduct performance analysis, profiling, optimization, and tuning activities to ensure high availability and responsiveness of critical system components.

Technology Strategy & Innovation

. Contribute to the long-term technical strategy and product roadmap for the Automation Vision DCS platform.

. Identify opportunities for platform modernization, technology upgrades, and architectural improvements aligned with business priorities.

. Assess industry trends, competitive landscapes, and emerging technologies to influence strategic technical direction.

. Participate in technology scouting activities and evaluation of third-party technologies and solutions.

. Support intellectual property initiatives including innovation disclosures, patents, technical publications, and white papers.

Qualifications for the role:

. Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical discipline. Master's degree or PhD in a relevant field is preferred.

. 12+ years of software engineering experience, including a minimum of 5 years in software architecture or technical leadership roles.

. 5+ years of experience within industrial automation domains such as Distributed Control Systems (DCS), SCADA, control systems, or other mission-critical operational environments.

. Proven track record of architecting and delivering large-scale, distributed, enterprise-grade software systems.

. Extensive hands-on experience with full-stack software development, including frontend applications, backend services, databases, APIs, and distributed architectures.

. Demonstrated experience leading technical teams, mentoring engineers, and driving architectural decisions across cross-functional organizations.

. Background in real-time systems, industrial automation, aerospace, or other safety-critical and mission-critical application domains.

. Strong expertise in frontend development technologies including React, JavaScript, and TypeScript.

. Extensive experience with backend technologies including .NET Core, microservices architectures, and API development.

. Hands-on experience with containerization and orchestration technologies including Docker and Kubernetes, with exposure to OpenShift and MicroShift platforms considered advantageous.

. Familiarity with Generative AI technologies, including practical experience leveraging Copilot solutions, Agentic AI frameworks, or AI-assisted development methodologies to accelerate engineering productivity.

. Strong understanding of industrial automation technologies including DCS and SCADA architectures and implementations.

. Experience with industrial HMI and SCADA development frameworks such as WinCC, Ignition, FactoryTalk, or similar platforms.

. Knowledge of industrial communication protocols including OPC UA, Modbus, PROFINET, and EtherNet/IP.

. Proven experience designing microservices architectures and micro frontend solutions supporting scalable enterprise applications.

. Solid understanding of event-driven architectures, domain-driven design principles, and distributed systems design patterns.

. Expertise in designing high-availability, fault-tolerant, and resilient systems supporting critical industrial operations.

. Experience with performance optimization, scalability strategies, security architecture, and threat modeling practices.

. Strong understanding of DevOps practices including CI/CD pipelines, containerization strategies, deployment automation, and cloud-native engineering principles.

. Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities with the ability to address complex technical challenges.

. Strong verbal and written communication skills with the ability to effectively communicate technical concepts to diverse stakeholders.

. Demonstrated leadership, mentoring, and stakeholder management capabilities within global and cross-functional teams.

. Strategic mindset with strong attention to detail, adaptability, and continuous learning orientation.

More about us

ABB is a leading global technology company that energizes the transformation of society and industry to achieve a more productive and sustainable future. The Process Automation (PA) business area automates, electrifies, and digitalizes some of the world's most complex industrial infrastructures.

Through its five divisions, ABB serves customers across energy, process, and hybrid industries-including hydrocarbons, chemicals, water, mining, minerals, pulp and paper, marine, and ports. Process Automation stands at the center of some of society's most important transformations, helping energy-intensive industries achieve safer, smarter, and more sustainable operations while enabling a prosperous, low-carbon future.

ABB India is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment and provides equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants. Employment may be subject to applicable pre-employment screening and background verification as per company policy.

Building a cleaner, smarter future takes all kinds of minds: the curious, the courageous, and the creative. We welcome people from all backgrounds and experiences.

Ready to make an impact Apply today or visit www.abb.com to learn more about the impact of our solutions across the globe.

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