Principal Software Engineer

As a Principal Software Engineer specializing in back-end architecture and cloud-native development, you will serve as the bridge between Engineering and CloudOps/DevOps for the Equity Management platform, reporting to the Sr Director of Engineering and working closely with the Solution Architect. This is a specialized technical leadership role that combines strategic cloud thought leadership with hands-on implementation and influential team leadership - you'll analyze how our legacy application currently operates and architect its transformation into a modern, cloud-native solution while rolling up your sleeves to execute key technical implementations. You'll need to not only identify and implement solutions but also teach, influence, drive change, and hold teams accountable to cloud-native standards and best practices.

You will be joining the team at a pivotal transformation point with our application recently migrated to Azure Cloud but still operating with legacy patterns. We are looking for someone who can dissect complex legacy applications, understand their architectural DNA, and envision how to rebuild them as highly performant, scalable, and secure cloud-native solutions. You'll work day-to-day with our Solution Architect and team of Principal Application Engineers to set the technical roadmap and execute the re-architecture of our platform for optimal cloud performance.

This role is not an operations position - we have dedicated CloudOps/DevOps teams for infrastructure and build/deployment management. Instead, you'll focus on the engineering and software development challenges of transforming application architecture to leverage cloud capabilities.

Responsibilities

Application Analysis & Cloud Strategy:

• Analyze and document how our existing legacy application architecture and current cloud implementation operates, identifying areas of optimization in terms of performance, scalability, resource utilization and cost
• Collaborate with Solution Architects to define cloud-native transformation roadmap for optimal Azure performance and scalability
• Assess current application bottlenecks, dependencies, and architectural patterns that limit cloud effectiveness
• Design strategies to transform legacy services, database focused operations, and monolithic patterns into cloud-native alternatives
• Evaluate database modernization initiatives for read-optimization and integration with Azure cloud services
• Stay current with emerging cloud technologies, industry trends and apply them to our roadmaps

Cloud-Native Architecture & Implementation:

• Architect cloud-native solutions using Azure services to replace legacy patterns
• Design and implement resilient, scalable, highly available, performant and secure application architectures that leverage Azure's elasticity and distributed computing capabilities
• Lead the technical design and implementation of cloud native patterns, containerization strategies, and serverless computing
• Develop proof-of-concepts and technical prototypes to validate cloud-native architectural approaches
• Design integration patterns between modernized cloud components and existing application layers

Cross-Team Collaboration & Technical Leadership:

• Work closely with Principal Application Engineers to ensure seamless integration between application logic and cloud infrastructure
• Bridge the gap between engineering teams and CloudOps/DevOps teams, translating application requirements into infrastructure needs
• Collaborate with Solution Architect on strategic technical decisions and phased modernization approaches
• Mentor and teach engineering teams on cloud-native development patterns, Azure best practices, and modern application architecture
• Drive adoption of cloud-first development practices across the engineering organization through influence and accountability
• Hold teams accountable to cloud-native standards, architectural decisions, and implementation quality
• Lead by example through hands-on technical contributions while inspiring others to embrace cloud-native thinking

Qualifications

• Minimum 10+ years of hands-on software development and cloud architecture experience, with at least 5 years focused on Azure cloud platforms
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent work experience

Cloud & Application Architecture Experience:

• 5+ years of deep Microsoft Azure expertise with hands-on experience architecting enterprise applications for cloud-native operations
• Proven track record of transforming legacy applications to cloud-native architectures
• Strong experience with Azure PaaS services and cloud-native application patterns including compute, storage, networking and database services
• Experience analyzing and re-architecting complex enterprise applications for cloud optimization
• Understanding of both traditional 3-tier architectures and modern cloud native patterns
• Deep understanding of network security, Identity and Access Management and cloud compliance best practices

Core Technical Skills:

• 8+ years with Microsoft technology stack (C#, .NET Framework, .NET Core/.NET 5+) with focus on cloud migration patterns
• Strong experience with containerization, orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes/AKS) and serverless computing architectures
• Expertise in database modernization including migration from legacy to cloud-native data solutions
• Experience with message queuing, event-driven architectures, and distributed systems patterns
• 5+ years of experience implementing and executing infrastructure as code, CI/CD pipelines, and DevSecOps practices from an application perspective
• Understanding of performance optimization, scalability patterns, and cloud cost optimization
• Experience driving technology and implementation decisions to improve integrations with customers, partners, and other platforms.
• Understanding of modern AI architecture, MCPs, LLMs, and AI driven development techniques.

Collaboration & Technical Leadership:

• Proven ability to communicate, influence and drive change across both application engineering teams and infrastructure/operations teams
• Strong communication and teaching skills with ability to mentor senior engineers and hold teams accountable to standards
• Demonstrated ability to lead through influence, driving adoption of cloud-native practices
• Experience building consensus and driving technical decisions across diverse engineering teams
• Track record of transforming team mindsets from traditional to cloud-native development approaches

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or MBA with technical focus
• Microsoft Azure Solutions Architect Certification
• Background in financial services or equity compensation domain
• Experience with Oracle database migrations to cloud-native alternatives
• Knowledge of AI-powered development tools and modern observability practices
• Experience with large-scale application transformations serving 1000+ enterprise clients

The ideal candidate combines deep application engineering expertise with advanced Azure cloud knowledge - someone who can understand complex legacy systems while architecting their transformation into modern, cloud-native solutions that deliver superior performance, scalability, and operational excellence.

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

** At this time insightsoftware is not able to offer sponsorship to candidates who are not eligible to work in the country where the position is located. **

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