M&T Bank Corporation

Lead Software Engineer (AI-Driven Development)

M&T Bank Corporation • $116K — $194K *
Buffalo, NY 14221In-Person
Finance & Insurance
5 - 7 years of experience
Today
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Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 7+ years of systems analysis and/or application development experience or equivalent work experience.
  • Expert-level proficiency in one programming language and professional proficiency in another.
  • Hands-on production experience with AI coding assistants in delivery workflows.
  • Strong analytical, organizational, and time management skills.
  • Advanced verbal and written communication abilities.

Responsibilities

  • Develop and coach team members while writing clean, resilient code.
  • Lead adoption of AI-driven development tooling and set guidelines for its use.
  • Maintain shared AI development assets and ensure quality through version control.
  • Review and approve AI-assisted changes and enforce guidelines for documentation.
  • Design and coach on peer review processes, focusing on AI failure modes.
  • Author and oversee efficient source code while guiding team on problem-solving techniques.
  • Ensure adherence to regulatory standards and data protection during AI tool use.

Benefits

  • Flexible work arrangement with one day remote per week.
  • Opportunity for professional development and coaching.
  • Engagement in innovative AI-driven development practices.
  • Collaboration with cross-functional teams and exposure to senior stakeholders.
  • Promotion of a supportive and inclusive work culture.
Full Job Description
This role is four days onsite at our Seneca One Buffalo, NY location, with the flexibility to work from home one day per week

Responsible at the expert level for writing code and for the overall team's technical requirements gathering. Completes work following banking technology standards and contributes to the overall stability and resiliency of banking technology within the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC), while also coaching others. Leads the team's adoption of AI-driven development - using approved AI coding assistants and agentic tooling to raise delivery speed and code quality - and is accountable for the correctness, security, and auditability of all AI-assisted output.

Technical Focus Areas
  • Expert-level coding in a minimum of 1 programming language and professional proficiency in a minimum of 1 additional language
  • AI-assisted development with approved tools (e.g. Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, IDE-integrated assistants) across the full SDLC
  • Agentic workflows: task decomposition, tool use, and multi-step agent runs applied to build, test, refactor, and migration work
  • Prompt and context engineering: repository-level instruction files, reusable prompts, skills, and Model Context Protocol (MCP) integrations
  • AI output governance: human-in-the-loop review, provenance and attribution, data handling, and secure-use guardrails for regulated environments
  • Test automation and evaluation, including AI-generated test coverage and regression safety nets
  • Developer experience and engineering productivity measurement

Primary Responsibilities
  • Develop and coach other team members while also working independently on the applications within the boundaries of approved Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) processes, including identification and recommendation of metrics to solve business needs and minimize risks to the Bank through clean and resilient code.
  • Lead the team's adoption of approved AI-driven development tooling. Set the working patterns for where AI assistance is appropriate, where it is not, and what evidence is required before AI-assisted code enters the production deployment path.
  • Author and maintain the team's shared AI development assets - repository instruction files, reusable prompts, skills, agent definitions, and MCP server configurations - and treat them as reviewed, version-controlled code.
  • Review and approve the designs and proposals of pull requests, including AI-assisted and AI-generated changes, and oversee the execution on the change management of the request. Ensure every AI-assisted change is human-reviewed, understood by its author, and traceable to a requirement.
  • Design the process for peer review and coach others on code reviews, code quality, and improvements. Extend the review process to cover AI-specific failure modes, including hallucinated APIs, silent behavior changes, unvetted dependencies, licensing risk, and over-generated code that increases maintenance cost.
  • Author organized, clean, efficient, and secure source code at the expert level in a minimum of one programming language and moderate proficiency in a minimum of one other language, while coaching team members on the appropriate data structures and algorithms to solve business problems.
  • Oversee the source control management inclusions of other team members and perform the merging of code developments into the production deployment path.
  • Review testing methodology and code coverage of team members to ensure comprehensive testing is accomplished, and coach others on areas of opportunity. Use AI tooling to expand test coverage and generate regression cases, while validating that generated tests assert real behavior rather than restating the implementation.
  • Drive implementation adherence with patterns and practices for performance testing, resiliency, and optimization within their domain.
  • Apply AI-driven development to reduce toil in the domain - large-scale refactors, framework and dependency upgrades, legacy code comprehension, documentation generation, and incident and log analysis - and measure the outcome rather than the activity.
  • Review and approve requirement plans on behalf of the team in alignment with delivery partners, and ensure requirement completeness, accuracy, and feasibility.
  • Ensure all use of AI tooling complies with the Bank's data classification, privacy, third-party, and model-usage policies. Confirm that confidential customer, employee, and proprietary data is not exposed to unapproved services, and escalate exceptions.
  • Serve as a key partner with other groups; suggest continuous process improvement spanning organizational boundaries where, in their own judgement, technical or architectural concerns require it.
  • Contribute technical requirements where appropriate in support of delivery and maintenance solutions within their domain, including requirements for AI-enabled application features where the domain calls for them.
  • Understand and effectively communicate architecture, progress, and challenges to business or technical stakeholders and teams, including a clear account of where AI assistance was used and what controls applied.
  • Contribute ideas and recommendations to the team's application architectural design work, engineering practices, and pattern changes, and present at architecture peer group and architecture review board meetings within their domain.
  • Present the team's work at internal meetings with other peers and author internal blog posts. Share AI-driven development practices, measured results, and failure cases so other teams can reuse what works.
  • Understand and adhere to the Company's risk and regulatory standards, policies, and controls in accordance with the Company's Risk Appetite. Identify risk-related issues needing escalation to management.
  • Promote an environment that supports a culture of belonging and reflects the M&T Bank brand.
  • Maintain M&T internal control standards, including timely implementation of internal and external audit points together with any issues raised by external regulators as applicable.
  • Complete other related duties as assigned.

Scope of Responsibilities

Supervisory / Managerial Responsibilities
No supervisory responsibilities.

Education and Experience Required
  • Associate's degree and a minimum of 7 years' systems analysis and/or application development work experience, or Bachelor's degree and a minimum of 5 years' systems analysis and/or application development work experience. In lieu of a degree, a combined minimum of 9 years' education and/or relevant work experience, including a minimum of 5 years' systems analysis and/or application development work experience.
  • Expert proficiency in a minimum of 1 relevant programming language and professional proficiency in a minimum of 1 additional relevant programming language.
  • Hands-on production experience using AI coding assistants as part of a normal delivery workflow, with the judgement to know when to accept, correct, or reject generated output.

Education and Experience Preferred
  • Expert analytical skills specific to application development
  • Experience leading a team's adoption of AI-assisted development tooling, including standards, guardrails, and enablement
  • Experience with agentic tooling and Model Context Protocol (MCP) integrations, prompt and context engineering, or evaluation of model output quality
  • Familiarity with AI governance in a regulated industry: data classification, model risk, third-party review, and audit evidence
  • Experience working in a team environment
  • Ability to work autonomously
  • Ability to multitask on multiple complex projects
  • Strong organizational skills
  • Strong time management skills
  • Advanced verbal and written communication skills
  • Experience driving project milestones and delivery dates
  • Proven experience leading a project or initiative
  • Experience partnering with and presenting to multiple stakeholders within technology and business departments


M&T Bank is committed to fair, competitive, and market-informed pay for our employees. The pay range for this position is $116,400.00 - $194,000.00 Annual (USD). The successful candidate's particular combination of knowledge, skills, and experience will inform their specific compensation.

Location
Buffalo, New York, United States of America

About M&T Bank Corporation

M&T Bank is a financial holding company headquartered in Buffalo, New York. M&T's principal banking subsidiary, M&T Bank, operates banking offices in New York, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Connecticut, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia. Trust-related services are provided by M&T's Wilmington Trust-affiliated companies and by M&T Bank. M&T Bank traces its origins to the founding of Manufacturers and Traders Bank in Buffalo, New York. As a result of mergers, acquisitions, and name changes, M&T Bank Corporation's principal bank is now known as Manufacturers and Traders Trust Company or M&T Bank. M&T Bank reorganized under a bank holding company in 1969 called First Empire State Corporation. The name was changed in 1998 to M&T Bank Corporation, whose common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and trades under the symbol "MTB."

M&T Bank Corporation Careers

Join the vibrant team at M&T Bank Corporation, a leading financial institution where innovation meets tradition, offering a plethora of job opportunities across various sectors. As one of the most respected banks in the nation, M&T Bank Corporation is the perfect place to jumpstart or advance your career in the financial services industry.

Work You’ll Do

At M&T Bank Corporation, you will be part of a culture that cherishes diversity, leadership, and professional growth. Engage in work that makes a real difference in the community while fostering your career development through comprehensive training programs and diverse learning opportunities.

Innovate and Lead

Embrace the chance to work on projects that integrate cutting-edge financial technologies with robust, traditional banking practices. M&T Bank Corporation is at the forefront of the financial industry, offering innovative solutions that redefine banking standards. Our leadership in the market is driven by a commitment to excellence and continuous improvement.

Career Growth and Opportunities

Whether you are looking for an entry-level position or a more senior role, M&T Bank Corporation provides a dynamic pathway for career advancement. With a variety of job opportunities ranging from internships to full-time positions, you can find the perfect match for your skills and ambitions. Our team is dedicated to helping you navigate your career path with tailored development plans and leadership training.

Join Our Team

Explore job opportunities and join a team that values hard work, creativity, and strategic thinking. M&T Bank Corporation is hiring professionals who are passionate about finance and eager to contribute to a team-oriented environment. Enhance your skills through hands-on experience and ongoing professional development.

Networking and Professional Development

At M&T Bank Corporation, networking and professional development are part of our DNA. Connect with industry leaders, participate in high-impact networking events, and take advantage of our mentorship programs. Our employees benefit from a supportive network that boosts their career trajectories and fosters meaningful professional relationships.

Benefits and Culture

Enjoy a comprehensive benefits package that supports both your professional and personal life. M&T Bank Corporation offers competitive salaries, health benefits, and retirement plans designed to ensure the well-being of our team members and their families. Experience a supportive and inclusive culture where every employee is valued and given the opportunity to thrive.

How to Apply

Ready to take the next step in your career? Visit the M&T Bank Corporation Careers page to browse current openings, submit your resume, and prepare for your interview. We are excited to see how your skills and ideas can contribute to our continued growth and success.

Stay Connected

Keep up to date with the latest from M&T Bank Corporation by following our careers blog. Gain insights from our experts and stay informed about new job openings and upcoming networking events. Join M&T Bank Corporation today and be part of a team that is dedicated to growth, innovation, and leadership in the banking industry. Your future starts here!
Learn more about M&T Bank Corporation
Size
17,115 employees
Market Cap
$25.2 billion
Industry
Finance & Insurance
Net Income
$1.3 billion
Founded
1868
5 Year Trend
+0.2%
NASDAQ
MTB
* Ladders Estimates

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