Principal Software Engineer

Powering the world’s payments ecosystem

ACI powers the payments ecosystem – globally, and you power ACI.  You’ll innovate, collaborate, and grow – in an energetic technology culture with decades of proven success.  ACIers – in all roles and levels – are truly your colleagues and many are your friends. Our size and reach allow you to see the global impact of your work. You are visible, your talents are valued, and you are empowered to shape the future of payments.

As a Principal Software Engineer in Norcross, GA or Omaha, NE, you will join a diverse, passionate team, dedicated to powering the world’s payments ecosystem!

The Principal Software Engineer defines technical vision and architecture for major initiatives across multiple teams. This senior technical leadership position drives engineering excellence, sets standards, influences product roadmap with technical insights, and serves as a technical authority for complex challenges across the organization.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Technical Vision & Strategy

• Define technical vision and architecture for major cross-team initiatives
• Lead design reviews and set engineering standards across multiple teams
• Influence product roadmap with technical insights and innovation opportunities
• Evaluate and adopt new technologies including AI/ML to improve engineering productivity

Technical Leadership & Problem Solving

• Identify and resolve complex technical challenges that span multiple systems
• Drive technical excellence and best practices across engineering organization
• Serve as technical escalation point for critical issues and architectural decisions
• Lead architecture reviews and provide guidance on system design

Cross-Organizational Impact

• Represent engineering in cross-organizational initiatives and strategic planning
• Mentor senior engineers and technical leads across teams
• Drive adoption of engineering best practices and architectural patterns
• Build strategic technical relationships with partners and stakeholders

QUALIFICATIONS

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field; Master's preferred
• Equivalent experience (10+ years) may substitute for degree

Experience

• 8-12 years of software engineering with demonstrated technical leadership
• Proven track record of delivering complex, large-scale software systems
• Experience leading technical initiatives across multiple teams
• Strong influence on technical direction and engineering culture
• Payments, financial services, or regulated industry experience preferred

Technical Skills

• Expert software architect with large-scale system design experience
• Deep expertise across multiple technical domains and technology stacks
• Advanced knowledge of distributed systems, microservices, and cloud architectures
• Experience with performance optimization at scale and system reliability
• Strong understanding of security architecture and compliance requirements
• Proficiency in evaluating and adopting emerging technologies including AI/ML
• Expert proficiency in multiple programming languages and frameworks – Java, J2EE, Python
• Rest API
• Angular
• Databases: Oracle and PostgreSQL
• CI/CD To