An opportunity has come through our network for a Principal Engineer with expertise in UI and AI at a prominent firm in the financial services industry. This is a contract-to-hire opportunity, offering a competitive pay rate of $99 per hour. The role can be based in several locations: Charlotte, NC (preferred), Dallas, TX, Phoenix, AZ, or New York, NY, with a flexible hybrid work model. As a Principal Engineer, you will be a pivotal member of the Commercial Bank Generative AI project team, taking on a leadership role in shaping the technical direction and success of a cutting-edge initiative. This position is for an individual who is not just a skilled coder but a visionary leader with a proven ability to drive technical collaboration and strategic project planning.

Spearheading Innovation in Generative AI

This is not a role for the faint of heart; it requires a seasoned professional with a wealth of experience and a passion for pushing the boundaries of technology. As the lead Principal Engineer for the Commercial Bank Generative AI project, you will be at the very core of a transformative effort. Your responsibilities will begin at the ideation stage, where you will be tasked with defining the complete solution architecture. This involves a deep dive into the business requirements, understanding the unique challenges of the financial services sector, and translating those needs into a robust and scalable technical framework. You will need to leverage your outstanding narrative and storytelling skills to articulate this vision to diverse teams and stakeholders, ensuring everyone is aligned on the project’s goals and technical direction.

Beyond defining the solution, you will also be responsible for creating and managing comprehensive project plans. This involves breaking down complex initiatives into manageable tasks, setting realistic timelines, and allocating resources effectively. You will work closely with multiple delivery teams, providing technical leadership and guidance to ensure that non-functional requirements—such as security, performance, scalability, and reliability—are meticulously planned and executed. Your expertise will be crucial in mitigating risks, resolving technical roadblocks, and ensuring that the project stays on track and within scope. The ability to drive technical collaboration across a matrixed organization is a core component of this role, requiring you to influence and guide teams without direct authority.

Technical Expertise: A Blend of UI, AI, and Financial Services

The technical demands of this position are extensive and multifaceted. A significant portion of your work will involve the design and development of user interfaces (UIs), where you will be building the front-end components that make Generative AI accessible and useful to commercial banking users. This requires a deep understanding of modern UI libraries like ReactJS and a commitment to creating intuitive, responsive, and visually appealing user experiences. You will be instrumental in bridging the gap between the complex AI models and the end-users, ensuring the interface is not only functional but also enhances productivity and decision-making.

Furthermore, you will be designing and building MicroServices and integrating them with the UI. This involves architecting a scalable and resilient back-end that can handle the demands of a financial services environment. Experience with messaging systems like Kafka or Solace is essential for ensuring seamless, real-time communication between different services and systems. You will also be building application systems for multiple functional business groups, each with its own unique set of requirements. This requires a strong architectural mindset and the ability to design reusable, modular components that can be deployed across various applications.

Another critical aspect of the role is implementing robust security and compliance measures. You will be responsible for implementing auditable application access control and role-based data visibility. Given the sensitive nature of financial data, this is a non-negotiable requirement. You must have a deep understanding of security best practices and a proven track record of designing systems that are both secure and compliant with industry regulations.

Experience with document generation is also a key skill set. You will be working with open-source libraries such as Apache POI or Freemarker to generate documents based on data from the Generative AI models. This requires a blend of technical expertise and a keen eye for detail, ensuring that generated documents are accurate, well-formatted, and meet the specific needs of the business.

Essential Qualifications for Success

To be successful in this challenging and rewarding role, you must bring a substantial amount of experience to the table. We are seeking a candidate with at least 10 years of experience in software development, with a proven history of designing, building, and operating complex financial services applications. This is a senior-level position, and we are looking for someone who has seen it all and can provide strategic leadership from day one.

A critical requirement is at least 5 years of experience in driving technical collaboration across multiple teams and organizations. This is where your leadership skills, communication abilities, and technical expertise will truly shine. You should be comfortable leading discussions, mediating technical disagreements, and building consensus among diverse groups of engineers, product managers, and business stakeholders.

Hands-on experience with specific technologies is also a must. You should have a proven track record of designing and building solutions using Python and MongoDB. Python is the lingua franca of AI and data science, and your expertise with it will be essential for integrating the Generative AI models. Experience with Python frameworks and libraries for data parsing and extraction, such as pandas, pymupdf, pdfplumber, and tabula, is highly desirable. Additionally, you should be familiar with web frameworks like Flask and have experience with pymongo for interacting with MongoDB.

Your expertise should also extend to the front-end, with hands-on experience using libraries like ReactJS for building dynamic and interactive UIs. The ability to seamlessly integrate the UI with the back-end services and AI models will be a major factor in your success.

The Path Forward: Opportunity and Growth

This position offers more than just a competitive salary; it provides an unparalleled opportunity to work on a cutting-edge project that is set to transform the financial services industry. You will be part of a talented and highly motivated team of professionals who are dedicated to innovation and excellence. The culture is one of continuous learning and professional growth, where you will be encouraged to explore new technologies, share your knowledge, and expand your skill set. This contract-to-hire arrangement also provides a clear pathway to a full-time position, offering stability and long-term career potential within a prominent firm. If you are a visionary engineer with a passion for Generative AI, a talent for technical leadership, and a desire to make a tangible impact, this is the perfect opportunity for you. We look forward to hearing from you.