Principal Software Engineer II, VP

State Street • Burlington, MA

6h

About The Position

We are seeking a Principal Software Engineer II (Vice President) in Java who recognized technical authority and senior individual contributor within Charles River Development (a State Street company). This role operates with broad autonomy and significant influence, driving architecture, technical strategy, and engineering excellence across one or more major platforms, domains, or cross‑cutting initiatives.
This position blends deep hands‑on engineering with enterprise‑level technical leadership. The Principal Software Engineer II is responsible not only for delivering complex, mission‑critical software, but also for shaping how software is designed, built, tested, and operated at scale.

Requirements

• Demonstrated ability to operate as a principal-level individual contributor with broad organization-wide impact
• Extensive experience designing, building and evolving largescale, cloud native enterprise platforms
• Exceptional problem‑solving and system-thinking skills, with deep understanding of performance, scalability, reliability, and resilience
• Expert-level proficiency in object‑oriented design using Java, C++, or C#
• Strong database and data modeling skills with experience in Oracle, SQL Server, PostgreSQL, and/or data warehouse platforms
• Strong background in financial services (e.g., Portfolio Management, Trading, Compliance, IBOR, or Wealth Management) strongly preferred
• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Engineering, or related field; Master’s degree preferred
• 10-15+ years of commercial software development experience, including senior or principal‑level roles
• Deep understanding of cloud-based and distributed systems
• Demonstrated track record of delivering high‑performance, production‑quality systems at scale
• Ability to work independently, manage ambiguity, and lead through influence rather than authority
• Strong balance of deep technical execution with strategic, long-term thinking
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including executive‑level communication
• Demonstrated leadership in developing and supporting commercial enterprise software used by non‑technical customers
• Significant experience working in Agile/Scrum environments, shaping—not just following—process
• Comfortable operating in a highly regulated, mission‑critical financial services environment

Nice To Haves

• Experience with compiler design, optimizers, solvers, code generation, or semantic analysis a strong plus
• Exposure to Machine Learning, AI, or cognitive Computing is a plus

Responsibilities

• Technical Leadership & Architecture
• Serve as a principal technical authority for one or more key initiatives or core modules within Charles River platforms
• Define and evolve system architecture, design standards, and engineering best practices across teams
• Provide long‑term technical strategy and thought leadership to senior engineering leaders and executive stakeholders
• Drive adoption of modern cloud architecture, frameworks, and emerging technologies where they deliver clear business value
• Lead resolution of high-risk, complex, or business‑critical challenges
• Software Design & Development
• Analyze, design, develop, test, debug, and implement large‑scale, multi‑tier, mission‑critical enterprise systems
• Lead complex enhancements that span multiple components and teams
• Set a high bar for code quality, performance, scalability, security, reliability, and maintainability
• Make informed trade‑offs between short‑term delivery and long‑term platform health
• Remain hands‑on for the most complex or ambiguous technical problems
• Engineering Excellence & Governance
• Establish and enforce design review, code review, and technical governance practices
• Identify systemic technical debt and lead cross‑team efforts to remediate it
• Champion automated testing, CI/CD, observability, and operational excellence
• Write and review unit, integration, and automation tests to ensure high‑quality deliverables
• Influence engineering roadmaps to align technology investments with business strategy
• Cross‑Team & Executive Collaboration
• Partner closely with Product Management, Architecture, Client Support and Operations
• Lead and coordinate cross‑team technical initiatives spanning multiple scrum teams
• Translate complex technical concepts into clear recommendations for senior management and non‑technical stakeholders
• Advise senior management on technical risk, platform direction, and investment priorities
• Mentorship & Talent Development
• Serve as a technical mentor and role model for engineers at all levels
• Raise the overall technical bar through coaching, design reviews, and knowledge sharing
• Influence hiring, onboarding, and technical talent development strategies
• Client & Production Support
• Provide expert‑level troubleshooting for large, complex, and high‑visibility client deployments
• Act as an escalation point for critical production or client issues
• Help design durable, long‑term solutions to recurring operational or client‑impacting problems

Benefits

• Employees are eligible to participate in State Street’s comprehensive benefits program, which includes: our retirement savings plan (401K) with company match; insurance coverage including basic life, medical, dental, vision, long-term disability, and other optional additional coverages; paid-time off including vacation, sick leave, short term disability, and family care responsibilities; access to our Employee Assistance Program; incentive compensation including eligibility for annual performance-based awards (excluding certain sales roles subject to sales incentive plans); and, eligibility for certain tax advantaged savings plans.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Principal