Capital One Financial Corporation

Distinguished Software Engineer

Capital One Financial Corporation$269K — $307K *
Enterprise Technology
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's Degree required; Master's preferred.
  • 7+ years of software engineering experience needed.
  • 7+ years of cloud computing experience (AWS) is essential.
  • 5+ years working across multiple technical domains or in professional services.
  • Experience in regulated environments or large financial institutions preferred.

Responsibilities

  • Provide technical contributions such as architecture decisions and code reviews.
  • Define technical direction across multiple domains and initiatives.
  • Break down complex problems into actionable solutions.
  • Ensure quality standards in performance, scalability, and security.
  • Build trusted relationships with key stakeholders to influence decisions.
  • Communicate technical strategies and risks to technical and non-technical teams.
  • Mentor a diverse engineering team for continuous growth and development.

Benefits

  • Comprehensive health benefits package.
  • Retirement savings options with company match.
  • Performance-based incentives, including potential cash bonuses.
  • Professional development opportunities and continuous learning programs.
  • Flexible working arrangements for better work-life balance.
Full Job Description
Distinguished Software Engineer

As a Distinguished Engineer in Solutions Engineering, you will be the technical cornerstone of Bank Tech's internal professional services organization — a team that deploys cross-domain expertise to accelerate Bank Tech's most critical initiatives.

Unlike other roles embedded in a single product, you will operate across multiple domains, teams, and technology stacks simultaneously. You will build trusted relationships with senior leaders across Bank Tech, serve as the technical authority on our engagements, and provide hands-on contributions that set the standard for engineering excellence. You will move between high-priority initiatives in a SWAT-style model, rapidly orienting to new problem spaces and delivering technical direction that unblocks teams and de-risks delivery.

Our team works on Bank Tech's top priorities: Integration, Modernization, Reliability, Automated Testing, and Machine Learning. You will shape technical strategy across these engagements while mentoring a team of ~30 engineers spanning full-stack development, Cloud/DevOps, SRE, and AI/ML.

If you thrive at the intersection of deep technical expertise, relationship building, and rapid context switching — and you want to have outsized impact across the entire bank rather than a single product — this role is for you.


Key Responsibilities

Technical Leadership & Hands-On Contribution

  • Provide hands-on technical contributions across active engagements — architecture decisions, code reviews, prototypes, and proof-of-concepts that set the quality bar

  • Define and drive technical direction for engagements spanning multiple domains (payments, account servicing, observability, cloud infrastructure, ML)

  • Decompose complex, ambiguous problems into practical solutions with clear milestones and exit criteria

  • Ensure non-functional quality across engagements: performance, scalability, operability, and security

  • Make pragmatic technology choices that balance engineering ideals with delivery timelines

Relationship Building & Stakeholder Influence

  • Build and maintain trusted advisor relationships with VPs, Senior Directors, and engineering leaders across Bank Tech

  • Communicate technical strategy, risks, and trade-offs clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders

  • Navigate organizational complexity — understand who owns what, how decisions get made, and how to unblock teams through influence rather than authority

  • Represent Solutions Engineering credibility in intake conversations, helping sponsors understand what's possible and scoping engagements realistically

  • Partner with receiving teams during knowledge transfer to ensure clean handovers and long-term ownership

Domain Expertise & Bank Context

  • Develop and maintain deep knowledge of Bank Tech's systems landscape: payments, account servicing, data platforms, core banking systems, and cloud infrastructure

  • Leverage understanding of how the bank's technical systems interconnect to identify risks, dependencies, and integration challenges early

  • Apply institutional context to accelerate onboarding and delivery — understanding regulatory constraints, deployment patterns, and operational realities that external hires or contractors would miss

  • Stay current on bank-wide technical strategy and translate that into actionable guidance for engagement teams

Mentorship & Engineering Culture

  • Mentor and grow engineers across multiple teams, building a bench of technical leaders who can own engagements independently

  • Foster a culture of engineering excellence, continuous learning, and knowledge sharing

  • Lead by example through high-quality technical contributions, clear documentation, and principled decision-making

  • Actively recruit and develop talent suited to the unique demands of a professional services engineering model

Engagement Model

  • Operate effectively in a SWAT-style model: rapidly orient to new problem domains, deliver high-impact contributions in compressed timelines, then transition cleanly to the next priority

  • Balance multiple concurrent engagements, allocating time and attention to maximize organizational impact

  • Thrive with variety — this role serves multiple stakeholders across different domains rather than deep-diving into a single product for years


Basic Qualifications
  • Bachelor's Degree

  • At least 7 years of experience in software engineering

  • At least 7 years of experience with cloud computing (AWS)

  • At least 5 years of experience working across multiple technical domains or in a consulting or professional services engineering capacity


Preferred Qualifications
  • Bachelor's or Master's Degree in Computer Science or a related field

  • 10+ years of software engineering experience with broad exposure across distributed systems, cloud infrastructure, data pipelines, and application development

  • 10+ years of professional experience in Java, Python, Go, JavaScript/TypeScript, or similar

  • 8+ years of full lifecycle system development — conception through architecture, implementation, testing, deployment, and production support

  • Experience at Capital One or a large financial institution with understanding of regulated environments, compliance requirements, and enterprise-scale systems

  • Demonstrated track record of building relationships and influencing technical decisions across organizational boundaries without direct authority

  • Experience leading technical direction in a consulting, professional services, or rotational engineering model where context-switching across domains is the norm

  • Experience with multiple of the following: serverless architectures (Fargate, Lambda), event-driven systems, observability platforms, ML/AI pipelines, automated testing frameworks, cloud migration at scale

  • Experience leveraging interactive AI tooling to accelerate productivity, utilizing capabilities beyond basic code completion

  • Strong written and verbal communication skills — ability to produce clear ADRs, technical briefs, and stakeholder-facing materials


What Sets This Role Apart

You should apply if:

  • You prefer breadth and variety over deep single-product ownership — you'll work across payments, cloud infrastructure, testing, observability, and ML in a single quarter

  • You are energized by building relationships and earning trust with stakeholders as much as writing code

  • You excel at rapid context switching — onboarding to a new domain in days, not months

  • You want outsized organizational impact — your technical decisions will shape the bank's most critical initiatives, not just one team's roadmap

The minimum and maximum full-time annual salaries for this role are listed below, by location. Please note that this salary information is solely for candidates hired to perform work within one of these locations, and refers to the amount Capital One is willing to pay at the time of this posting. Salaries for part-time roles will be prorated based upon the agreed upon number of hours to be regularly worked.

McLean, VA: $269,100 - $307,200 for Distinguished EngineerNew York, NY: $293,600 - $335,100 for Distinguished Engineer


Philadelphia, PA: $244,700 - $279,200 for Distinguished Engineer


Wilmington, DE: $244,700 - $279,200 for Distinguished Engineer








Candidates hired to work in other locations will be subject to the pay range associated with that location, and the actual annualized salary amount offered to any candidate at the time of hire will be reflected solely in the candidate27s offer letter.

This role is also eligible to earn performance based incentive compensation, which may include cash bonus(es) and/or long term incentives (LTI). Incentives could be discretionary or non discretionary depending on the plan.

Capital One offers a comprehensive, competitive, and inclusive set of health, financial and other benefits that support your total well-being. Learn more at theCapital One Careers website. Eligibility varies based on full or part-time status, exempt or non-exempt status, and management level.

This role is expected to accept applications for a minimum of 5 business days.

About Capital One Financial Corporation

Chevy Chase Bank is the greater Washington region's largest locally-owned banking institution providing a complete array of financial products and services to consumers and businesses in Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. The Bank, which is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, has approximately 250 branches and over 1,000 ATMs, more than anyone else in the greater Washington market. Chevy Chase Bank currently has over $16 billion in assets and services over 1 million customers. For more information about Chevy Chase Bank, please visit chevychasebank.com.

Capital One Financial Corporation Careers

Join the vibrant team at Capital One Financial Corporation, a leader in the financial services industry, where innovation meets purpose-driven leadership. As one of the most forward-thinking companies in banking, Capital One is the perfect place to jumpstart or advance your career with a myriad of job opportunities in various fields.

Work You’ll Do

At Capital One, we are committed to excellence and setting our team members up for success. By joining our dynamic team, you will engage in meaningful work that makes a real difference. From developing cutting-edge technology to crafting personalized financial solutions, every position at Capital One is geared towards redefining the future of banking.

Innovate and Lead

Capital One is not just a company; it's a hub of innovation and leadership. We empower our professionals to lead with their ideas and see them come to life. Our culture thrives on diversity and the unique perspectives each team member brings. Here, your skills in networking, problem-solving, and leadership will not only be valued but also nurtured through professional development and diversity training.

Grow Your Career

Capital One is deeply invested in the growth and development of its employees. With robust training programs, mentorship, and resources for professional enhancement, we ensure that your career trajectory aligns with your personal and professional goals. Whether it’s rising through the ranks or switching tracks via internal job opportunities, your growth is our priority.

Internship and Employment Opportunities

For those starting their journey, Capital One offers enriching internship programs that provide a glimpse into the culture and work ethic that drives our success. Interns gain hands-on experience, valuable insights, and the opportunity to network with leaders across the company. For seasoned professionals, we offer positions that challenge your expertise while encouraging balance and innovation.

Benefits and Culture

Choosing to work at Capital One means opting for a lifestyle where your well-being is prioritized. Our benefits package is designed to support you both at work and in your personal life, encompassing health, finance, and family. The inclusive culture at Capital One ensures that everyone, regardless of background, has the opportunity to thrive.

Join Our Team

Explore the various career paths available at Capital One and discover how your skills and passions can align with our mission. We are continuously hiring across multiple disciplines, eager to welcome curious, creative, and driven individuals to our team.

Stay Connected

Keep up to date with the latest in career opportunities and company news by joining our network. Tailor your job alerts to match your career preferences and get insider tips that can transform your application process, from crafting your resume to acing your interview.

Search Capital One Jobs

Ready to take the next step in your career? Search open positions that match your skills and interests. At Capital One, your next job opportunity could be the gateway to a fulfilling and prosperous career.

Read Careers Blog

Stay ahead with career tips, insider perspectives, and industry-leading insights you can put to use today—all from the people who work here. Capital One Financial Corporation is not just a company—it's a place where you can make an impact. Discover the opportunities waiting for you in a career at Capital One. Join us and shape the future of banking with your vision, skills, and enthusiasm.
Learn more about Capital One Financial Corporation
Size
51,500 employees
Market Cap
$34.1 billion
Industry
Net Income
$2.7 billion
Founded
1994
5 Year Trend
+2.4%
NASDAQ

Similar Jobs

More Jobs at Capital One Financial Corporation

More Enterprise Technology Jobs

Find similar Distinguished Software Engineer jobs: