Principal Engineer

About this role

Wells Fargo is seeking a Principal Engineer to provide enterprise-level technical leadership for the modernization and convergence of Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC), Testing & Monitoring, and Audit platforms.

This role will drive the transformation of vendor-centric and legacy solutions into a unified ecosystem built on reusable digital experiences, shared services, common data capabilities, and AI-powered platforms. The Principal Engineer will define the technology strategy and architecture while remaining deeply engaged with engineering teams to solve complex technical challenges and deliver practical outcomes.

In this role, you will:

• Act as an advisor to leadership to develop or influence applications, network, information security, database, operating systems, or web technologies for highly complex business and technical needs across multiple groups
• Lead the strategy and resolution of highly complex and unique challenges requiring in-depth evaluation across multiple areas or the enterprise, delivering solutions that are long-term, large-scale and require vision, creativity, innovation, advanced analytical and inductive thinking
• Translate advanced technology experience, an in-depth knowledge of the organizations tactical and strategic business objectives, the enterprise technological environment, the organization structure, and strategic technological opportunities and requirements into technical engineering solutions
• Provide vision, direction and expertise to leadership on implementing innovative and significant business solutions
• Maintain knowledge of industry best practices and new technologies and recommends innovations that enhance operations or provide a competitive advantage to the organization
• Strategically engage with all levels of professionals and managers across the enterprise and serve as an expert advisor to leadership.

Required Qualifications

• 7+ years of Engineering experience, or equivalent demonstrated through one or a combination of the following: work experience, training, military experience, education

Desired Qualifications

• Strong hands-on experience in Java, Spring Boot, REST APIs, microservices, distributed systems, and enterprise integration patterns.
• Strong frontend architecture and development experience using React and TypeScript.
• Experience modernizing platforms built on commercial products such as Archer, ServiceNow, or similar enterprise systems.
• Proven experience building reusable platforms, common services, and shared engineering capabilities.
• Hands-on experience with Generative AI, Agentic AI, RAG architectures, vector databases, embeddings, and orchestration frameworks.
• Experience building AI-enabled enterprise solutions using Python.
• Knowledge of Knowledge Graphs, semantic search, graph databases, and ontology-based architectures.
• Experience with cloud-native platforms, containers, DevSecOps, observability, resiliency, and operational excellence.
• Strong understanding of data governance, auditability, security, privacy, regulatory compliance, and operational risk.
• Demonstrated ability to balance strategic architecture with hands-on engineering engagement.
• Strong communication, mentoring, and stakeholder influence skills.
• Lead architecture and engineering strategy across GRC, Testing & Monitoring, and Audit modernization initiatives.
• Drive adoption of common technologies including React, Java-based microservices, shared data platforms, and Python-based AI services.
• Define reusable capabilities, integration patterns, data models, and platform services that can be leveraged across multiple domains.
• Ensure architectural alignment across major programs while enabling teams to deliver independently.
• Lead evaluation and adoption of emerging technologies including Agentic AI, Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), Knowledge Graphs, and intelligent automation.
• Identify opportunities to simplify the technology landscape through consolidation, standardization, and platform reuse.
• Partner with business, risk, audit, compliance, security, and engineering leaders to deliver scalable, secure, and regulatory-compliant solutions.
• Serve as a hands-on technology leader through architecture reviews, design sessions, prototyping, code reviews, and complex problem resolution.

Job Expectations

• Shape the target-state architecture across GRC, Testing & Monitoring, and Audit platforms.
• Establish a common technology stack centered on React, Java microservices, shared data capabilities, and AI-enabled platforms.
• Drive the development of reusable interfaces, common services, enterprise data capabilities, and an AI control plane for intelligent automation.
• Ensure solutions are scalable, secure, resilient, auditable, and aligned with regulatory requirements.
• Maintain deep hands-on involvement with critical architecture, design, and engineering decisions.
• Challenge legacy approaches and promote modernization, simplification, automation, and reuse.
• Mentor engineers and architects while elevating engineering standards across the organization.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and convert promising innovations into practical business solutions.
• Operate as an enterprise Principal Engineer, focusing on platform strategy, architectural alignment, and measurable business outcomes.

Posting End Date:

We Value Equal Opportunity

Wells Fargo is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other legally protected characteristic.

Employees support our focus on building strong customer relationships balanced with a strong risk mitigating and compliance-driven culture which firmly establishes those disciplines as critical to the success of our customers and company. They are accountable for execution of all applicable risk programs (Credit, Market, Financial Crimes, Operational, Regulatory Compliance), which includes effectively following and adhering to applicable Wells Fargo policies and procedures, appropriately fulfilling risk and compliance obligations, timely and effective escalation and remediation of issues, and making sound risk decisions. There is emphasis on proactive monitoring, governance, risk identification and escalation, as well as making sound risk decisions commensurate with the business unit's risk appetite and all risk and compliance program requirements.

Candidates applying to job openings posted in Canada: Applications for employment are encouraged from all qualified candidates, including women, persons with disabilities, aboriginal peoples and visible minorities. Accommodation for applicants with disabilities is available upon request in connection with the recruitment process.

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Drug and Alcohol Policy

Wells Fargo maintains a drug free workplace. Please see our to learn more.

Wells Fargo Recruitment and Hiring Requirements:

a. Third-Party recordings are prohibited unless authorized by Wells Fargo.

b. Wells Fargo requires you to directly represent your own experiences during the recruiting and hiring process.