Our vision for the future is based on the idea that transforming financial lives starts by giving our people the freedom to transform their own. We have a flexible work environment, and fluid career paths. We not only encourage but celebrate internal mobility. We also recognize the importance of purpose, well-being, and work-life balance. Within Empower and our communities, we work hard to create a welcoming and inclusive environment, and our associates dedicate thousands of hours to volunteering for causes that matter most to them.

Chart your own path and grow your career while helping more customers achieve financial freedom. Empower Yourself.

We are looking for a highly capable, collaborative and experienced Principal Engineer specifically in emerging technologies, AI and Machine Learning. This technical leader will be an expert on the technical aspects of designing, implementing, testing of various initiatives in the Empower Technology Innovation Lab. This instrumental role will work both independently and collaboratively across multiple teams and will inform engineering decisions within the Innovation Lab technology team. They will also be a thought leader and internal consultant on emerging technologies and AI/ML.

What you will do:

• Lead engineering decisions within the technology Innovation Lab team.
• Experiment with emerging technologies with a rigorous focus on business value.
• Research latest technological patterns, technologies and products to inform strategic experimentation roadmap.
• Develop solutions that demonstrate real business value in a lab environment.
• Lead improvements within our development process, culture and tools.
• Design and develop CI/CD automated code delivery pipelines.
• Respond to evolving and changing security conditions. Implement and contribute to security guidelines.
• Understand and apply Empower's security controls in your design and code implementation.
• Assess a variety of third-party and open source technologies.
• Develop technical perspectives, standards, solutions and strategies that add value to the firm.
• Generate innovative ideas and develop prototypes and proof of concepts.
• Design effective solutions with well understood tradeoffs that meet the business requirements.
• Propose new and innovative solutions to meet the fast-changing business environment.
• Adapt to emerging and changing priorities.
• Execute work in an iterative and transparent fashion, regularly demonstrating progress, learnings and value.
• Partner with architecture to inform the design and implementation of the Innovation Lab cloud architecture.
• Consult with production teams who are delivering technological solutions that were incubated in the lab.
• Be an emerging technology thought leader across Empower.
• Deliver value through a strong collaborative approach spanning multiple geographically dispersed teams.
• Mentor and develop engineers at all levels through sharing and learning.
• Be a role model for open, honest and collaborative approach to problem solving.
• Adopt and contribute to best practices, standards & guidance, then subsequently provide coaching of technology team members.

What you will bring:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering or a related field of study. (or equivalent experience)
• 10+ years of professional software engineering experience, including AI and machine learning.
• Deep experience with cloud technologies and native cloud capabilities within platforms like AWS, Azure and Google Cloud Platform.
• Direct and proven experience designing, building and delivering emerging technologies like AI/ML.
• Expert experience with serverless applications through integrating Lambda functions and event sources, and Microservices.
• Expert experience with object-oriented programming and experience with at least one object-oriented programming language (Java, C#, Ruby, Python).
• Expert experience with at least one high-level programming language and web framework (NodeJS, Express, Hapi, etc.).
• Experience with cloud architecture patterns and frameworks, such as AWS Well Architected Framework.
• Solid understanding of web technologies, such as JavaScript, CSS, HTML5, XML, JSON.
• Solid understanding of AWS database technologies such as RDS, DynamoDB, ElastiCache and database schema design.
• Experience in automated testing including unit and functional testing using Java, JUnit, JSUnit, Selenium, JMeter, LoadRunner.
• Knowledgeable in modern integration methods (API Gateway/Web Services, Messaging & RESTful architectures) along with preferred experience in legacy SOAP interfaces.
• Experience with DevOps processes and tools.
• Practical experience with Agile software development and test-driven development.
• Practical experience building highly scalable web applications.
• Demonstrates continuous learning of new technologies.
• Self-motivated individual that thrives in a team environment.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Adaptable with a growth mindset
• Experience coaching and managing engineering and QA teams is a plus

This job description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities and qualifications of the job.  The employer has the right to revise this job description at any time.   You will be evaluated in part based on your performance of the responsibilities and/or tasks listed in this job description.   You may be required perform other duties that are not included on this job description.  The job description is not a contract for employment, and either you or the employer may terminate employment at any time, for any reason.

***Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa at this time, including CPT/OPT.***

What we offer you

We offer an array of diverse and inclusive benefits regardless of where you are in your career. We believe that providing our employees with the means to lead healthy balanced lives results in the best possible work performance.

• Medical, dental, vision and life insurance
• Retirement savings – 401(k) plan with generous company matching contributions (up to 6%), financial advisory services, potential company discretionary contribution, and a broad investment lineup
• Tuition reimbursement up to $5,250/year
• Business-casual environment that includes the option to wear jeans
• Generous paid time off upon hire – including a paid time off program plus ten paid company holidays and three floating holidays each calendar year
• Paid volunteer time — 16 hours per calendar year
• Leave of absence programs – including paid parental leave, paid short- and long-term disability, and Family and Medical Leave (FMLA)
• Business Resource Groups (BRGs) - internal networks that rally around common interest, experiences and identities such as race, ethnicity, gender, ability, military status and sexual orientation. BRGs play a vital role in educating and engaging our people and advancing our business priorities.

Base Salary Range

The salary range above shows the typical minimum to maximum base salary range for this position in the location listed. Non-sales positions have the opportunity to participate in a bonus program. Sales positions are eligible for sales incentives, and in some instances a bonus plan, whereby total compensation may far exceed base salary depending on individual performance. Actual compensation offered may vary from posted hiring range based upon geographic location, work experience, education, licensure requirements and/or skill level and will be finalized at the time of offer.

Equal opportunity employer •  Drug-free workplace

We are an equal opportunity employer with a commitment to diversity.  All individuals, regardless of personal characteristics, are encouraged to apply.  All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age (40 and over), race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, pregnancy, religion, physical or mental disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or any other status protected by applicable state or local law. 

***For remote and hybrid positions you will be required to provide reliable high-speed internet with a wired connection as well as a place in your home to work with limited disruption. You must have reliable connectivity from an internet service provider that is fiber, cable or DSL internet. Other necessary computer equipment, will be provided. You may be required to work in the office if you do not have an adequate home work environment and the required internet connection.***

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