Principal Software Engineer - Java, Spring Boot, 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 company’s success. As a Software Engineer Principal within PNC's Lending Technology organization, you will be based in Pittsburgh PA or Dallas TX.

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

The ideal candidate is a hands-on technical leader who enjoys solving complex engineering challenges, mentoring developers, influencing technology strategy, and collaborating with business and technology stakeholders to deliver impactful solutions.

Key Responsibilities

Technical Leadership

• Lead the design, development, and implementation of enterprise-grade software solutions using Java, Spring Boot, Kafka, and Microservices architecture.
• Serve as the technical lead for a team of 5-10 engineers across onshore and offshore locations.
• Establish engineering standards, code quality practices, and development methodologies across the team.
• Drive technical decision-making and architectural discussions while balancing scalability, performance, security, and maintainability.
• Conduct architecture reviews, code reviews, and technical mentoring to elevate team performance.

Software Engineering

• Design and develop high-performance backend services and APIs using Java and Spring Boot.
• Build and enhance event-driven solutions leveraging Kafka for real-time processing and system integration.
• Develop and maintain microservices that support critical business capabilities and customer-facing applications.
• Create scalable, resilient, and highly available software solutions aligned with enterprise architecture standards.
• Troubleshoot complex production issues and drive root-cause analysis and resolution.

Team Leadership & Delivery

• Lead Agile delivery efforts and coordinate work across distributed teams.
• Provide technical guidance, coaching, and mentorship to engineers at various experience levels.
• Collaborate with Product Owners, Architects, DevOps, QA, and business stakeholders to ensure successful project execution.
• Manage technical dependencies, risks, and delivery timelines.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Partner with business and technology stakeholders to understand requirements and translate them into scalable technical solutions.
• Communicate technical concepts and recommendations to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Influence technology roadmaps and support strategic initiatives across the organization.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or related field (or equivalent experience).
• 10+ years of software engineering experience with a strong focus on backend development.
• 5+ years of experience designing and developing enterprise applications using Java and Spring Boot.
• Proven experience leading technical teams of 5-10 engineers, including both onshore and offshore resources.
• Extensive experience building and deploying Microservices-based architectures.
• Strong experience implementing event-driven solutions using Kafka.
• Demonstrated ability to engage and influence stakeholders across multiple levels of the organization.

Technical Skills

• Expert-level Java development experience.
• Strong proficiency with Spring Boot and related Spring ecosystem technologies.
• Deep understanding of Microservices architecture, API design, and distributed systems.
• Hands-on experience with Apache Kafka and event-driven architectures.
• Strong coding, debugging, performance tuning, and problem-solving skills.
• Experience with CI/CD pipelines, source control, and modern software development practices.
• Solid understanding of software design patterns, object-oriented programming, and system integration principles.

Leadership Skills

• Demonstrated ability to lead, mentor, and develop engineering talent.
• Strong collaboration and communication skills.
• Proven ability to operate effectively in fast-paced, enterprise environments.
• Ability to balance hands-on development responsibilities with technical leadership duties.

Nice-to-Have Qualifications

• Experience using Generative AI tools (e.g., GitHub Copilot, ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, or similar platforms) for software development, code generation, testing, documentation, and code maintenance.
• Experience evaluating and implementing AI-assisted development practices to improve engineering productivity and code quality.
• Cloud platform experience (AWS, Azure, or GCP).
• Experience within highly regulated industries such as banking or financial services.

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

Apache Kafka, Application Development, Business Management, Customer Solutions, Design, Group Problem Solving, Java, Process Improvements, Release Management, Software Solutions, Spring Boot, Technical Leadership, 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 pncthrive.com.

Disability Accommodations Statement

If an accommodation is required to participate in the application process, please contact us via email at AccommodationRequest@pnc.com. Please include “accommodation request” 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 "Workday" for accommodation assistance. All information provided will be kept confidential and will be used only to the extent required to provide needed reasonable accommodations.

At PNC we foster an inclusive and accessible workplace. We provide reasonable accommodations to employment applicants and qualified individuals with a disability who need an accommodation to perform the essential functions of their positions.

Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO)

PNC provides equal employment opportunity to qualified persons regardless of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, veteran status, or other categories protected by law.

This position is subject to the requirements of Section 19 of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (FDIA) and, for any registered role, the Secure and Fair Enforcement for Mortgage Licensing Act of 2008 (SAFE Act) and/or the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), which prohibit the hiring of individuals with certain criminal history.

California Residents

Refer to the California Consumer Privacy Act Privacy Notice to gain understanding of how PNC may use or disclose your personal information in our hiring practices.