Software Engineer Principal (Java Full Stack /Kafka)

Position Overview At PNC, our people are our greatest differentiator and competitive advantage in the markets we serve. We are all united in delivering the best experience for our customers. We work together each day to foster an inclusive workplace culture where all of our employees feel respected, valued and have an opportunity to contribute to the companyu2019s success. As a Software Engineer Principal within PNC's C&IB organization, you will be based in Pittsburgh, PA. The ideal candidate is a senior, hands on engineer who operates comfortably at an architectural levelu2014designing scalable services, modernizing legacy components, and guiding teams through complex technical decisionsu2014while remaining actively involved in implementation. You will collaborate closely with architects, product owners, and engineering leadership to ensure solutions are robust, secure, and aligned with business needs. As a Software Engineer Principal, you will play a critical technical leadership role in designing, building, and evolving large scale, business critical platforms. This role is delivery focused and scoped to influencing architecture and technical direction within a defined domain rather than owning enterprise wide strategy. You will mentor engineers, promote engineering best practices, and communicate complex technical concepts clearly to both technical and executive audiences. ________________________________________ Learning Mindset & Adaptability u2022 Demonstrated curiosity and interest in learning new technologies, frameworks, and problem domains. u2022 Comfort working across unfamiliar systems or codebases and ramping up quickly through hands on contribution. u2022 Ability to balance depth in core technologies with a broad working understanding of adjacent platforms and tools. u2022 Willingness to challenge existing approaches while remaining pragmatic and focused on delivery. Key Responsibilities u2022 Serve as a technical authority and hands on contributor for complex, distributed systems supporting Corporate & Institutional Bank and Treasury Management business capabilities. u2022 Partner with business and technology stakeholders to evaluate options, influence decisions, and achieve consensus on architectural and design approaches. u2022 Lead architecture and design decisions for microservices and event driven platforms, ensuring solutions are scalable, secure, resilient, and aligned with enterprise standards. u2022 Drive end to end technical ownershipu2014from solution design through implementation, deployment, and operational support. u2022 Strong problem solving skills, including the ability to break down complex problems, evaluate alternatives, and recommend sound solutions. u2022 Mentor and coach engineers across multiple teams, providing guidance on system design, coding practices, and technical growth. u2022 Establish and promote engineering best practices around code quality, testing, performance, security, and observability. u2022 Identify and proactively address technical debt, architectural risks, and performance bottlenecks. u2022 Ability to communicate complex technical concepts clearly and effectively to audiences at all levels of the organization, including senior executives. u2022 Champion a DevSecOps mindset, ensuring CI/CD, automation, reliability, and operational readiness are treated as first class concerns. Required Technical Expertise u2022 Strong understanding of software architecture principles, including microservices, event driven architectures, and domain driven design concepts. u2022 Broad foundational knowledge across networking, operating systems, and application security. u2022 Strong proficiency in Java, with deep hands on experience using Spring Boot, Hibernate, RESTful services, and microservices based architectures. u2022 Experience designing and developing solutions using: o Core Java o SQL (MySQL or equivalent relational databases) o Messaging and streaming platforms such as ActiveMQ and Kafka u2022 Hands on experience with authentication and authorization mechanisms, API frameworks (REST; GraphQL a plus), and persistence layers. u2022 Proven experience in database design, optimization, and data modeling across both relational and NoSQL data stores. Preferred / Desired Skills u2022 Interest in and exposure to a broad range of modern technologies, such as: o Agentic or applied AI use cases o Microsoft 365 Copilot and productivity focused AI tools o OpenShift and Kubernetes o Cloud platforms such as Azure or AWS u2022 Knowledge of performance tuning, application security, and scalability best practices. u2022 Experience with DevOps and cloud native practices, including: o CI/CD pipelines o Containerization and orchestration (OpenShift, Kubernetes) u2022 Hands on experience with CI/CD tooling such as Bitbucket, Jenkins, or similar platforms. PNC is an in-office company that fosters a supportive culture where employees can thrive and achieve balance. We encourage candidates to connect with their recruiter and hiring manager to understand workplace expectations and ensure the role aligns with their goals. PNC will not provide sponsorship for employment visas or participate in STEM OPT for this position. Job Description + Aligns business strategy with software solutions. + Proposes, designs & codes software solutions to address complex business needs. Oversees technical and procedural documentation required. + Leads complex problem solving. + Provides technical guidance and support to colleagues and solution development. + Displays an innovative approach to apply modern principles, methodologies and tools to advance business initiatives and capabilities. PNC Employees take pride in our reputation and to continue building upon that we expect our employees to be: + Customer Focused - Knowledgeable of the values and practices that align customer needs and satisfaction as primary considerations in all business decisions and able to leverage that information in creating customized customer solutions. + Managing Risk - Assessing and effectively managing all of the risks associated with their business objectives and activities to ensure they adhere to and support PNC's Enterprise Risk Management Framework. Qualifications Successful candidates must demonstrate appropriate knowledge, skills, and abilities for a role. Listed below are skills, competencies, work experience, education, and required certifications/licensures needed to be successful in this position. Preferred Skills Application Development, Business Management, Customer Solutions, Design, Group Problem Solving, Java Full Stack Development, MongoDB, Process Improvements, Release Management, Software Solutions, User Experience (UX) Design Competencies Application Design, Architecture, Packaged Application Integration, Product and Vendor Evaluation, Software Process Improvement (SPI), System Development Life Cycle, Technical Troubleshooting Work Experience Roles at this level typically require a university / college degree, with 5+ years of industry-relevant experience. Specific certifications are often required. In lieu of a degree, a comparable combination of education, job specific certification(s), and experience (including military service) may be considered. Education Bachelors Certifications No Required Certification(s) Licenses No Required License(s) Benefits PNC offers a comprehensive range of benefits to help meet your needs now and in the future. Depending on your eligibility, options for full-time employees include: medical/prescription drug coverage (with a Health Savings Account feature), dental and vision options; employee and spouse/child life insurance; short and long-term disability protection; 401(k) with PNC match, pension and stock purchase plans; dependent care reimbursement account; back-up child/elder care; adoption, surrogacy, and doula reimbursement; educational assistance, including select programs fully paid; a robust wellness program with financial incentives. In addition, PNC generally provides the following paid time off, depending on your eligibility: maternity and/or parental leave; up to 11 paid holidays each year; 9 occasional absence days each year, unless otherwise required by law; between 15 to 25 vacation days each year, depending on career level; and years of service. To learn more about these and other programs, including benefits for full time and part-time employees, visit . Disability Accommodations Statement If an accommodation is required to participate in the application process, please contact us via email at . Please include u201caccommodation requestu201d in the subject line title and be sure to include your name, the job ID, and your preferred method of contact in the body of the email. Emails not related to accommodation requests will not receive responses. Applicants may also call 877-968-7762 and say

Created: 2026-05-02