Principal Software Engineer

The Principal Software Engineer sets the technical direction and architecture across Acme's production application portfolio, including enterprise analytics, conversational AI, document automation, ERP integration, e-commerce sync, manufacturing systems, and the AI automation platform. This is an individual-contributor role at the architect level. The Principal Engineer leads the design and delivery of the highest-complexity initiatives end-to-end, owns architectural patterns and engineering standards across the platform, and provides technical mentorship to senior and mid-level engineers. This role requires deep expertise across .NET, Azure, data, and modern AI development practices, and the ability to operate as a hands-on architect who writes production code.
Key Responsibilities:
• Set the technical direction and architecture across Acme's production application portfolio, including enterprise analytics, conversational AI, ERP integration, e-commerce sync, manufacturing systems, and the automation and agent platform.
• Lead the design and delivery of the highest-complexity initiatives end-to-end, from problem definition through architecture, implementation, deployment, and operations.
• Own architectural patterns, technology selection, and engineering standards across .NET, Azure, data, and AI application development.
• Partner with the CDIO on the multi-year technology roadmap and architectural direction.
• Drive technical alignment across product, manufacturing, finance, and supply chain partners by translating business requirements into deliverable architecture.
• Mentor senior and mid-level engineers through paired delivery, design partnership, and code reviews.
• Lead design reviews, architecture reviews, and the resolution of cross-system technical issues.
• Diagnose and resolve the most complex production issues across the application portfolio.
• Establish and maintain engineering practices including source-control standards, code-review processes, automated testing, observability, and incident response.
• Evaluate and adopt emerging technologies, particularly in AI, agentic systems, and developer productivity, and integrate them into the platform Maintain technical documentation including architecture decision records and design specifications.
• Lead incident response and post-mortem reviews for portfolio-impacting issues.
• Other duties as assigned.
What Makes You a Great Fit:
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field.
• 10+ years of progressive software engineering experience with a proven track record of designing, architecting, delivering, and supporting complex production systems at scale.
• Experience in manufacturing, food, beverage, or consumer packaged goods (CPG) environments is preferred.
• Infor M3 or other Tier 1 ERP integration experience is a plus.
• Deep expertise in Microsoft .NET/C# application development across the full technology stack, including backend services, APIs, integrations, distributed systems, and modern web applications built with technologies such as React and TypeScript.
• Advanced experience with Microsoft Azure, including the design, deployment, and support of cloud-native solutions leveraging App Service, Container Apps, Functions, Service Bus, Storage, Entra ID, and Azure SQL Managed Instance.
• Strong database and data engineering capabilities, including T-SQL development, performance optimization, ETL/ELT pipelines, dimensional modeling, and modern data platforms and tools such as Python, dbt, Airflow, Parquet, and Delta Lake.
• Experience designing and delivering AI-enabled applications utilizing retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), agents, structured outputs, tool integrations, evaluation frameworks, and AI-assisted development tools such as GitHub Copilot, Cursor, or Claude Code.
• Proven ability to make sound architectural decisions, establish technical standards, and drive scalable, maintainable solutions across multiple production systems and business functions.
• Strong DevOps and software delivery practices, including Git-based source control, CI/CD pipelines, automated testing, observability, monitoring, and operational excellence.
• Demonstrated success mentoring engineers, elevating engineering best practices, and fostering a culture of technical excellence, continuous improvement, and accountability.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to effectively influence and collaborate with technical teams, business stakeholders, and executive leadership.
• Commitment to ongoing professional development and completion of required training and standards of work.
Benefits, Acme Style:
• Competitive compensation.
• Opportunity to choose the medical plan that works best for your family