Principal Software Engineer

Cotality

$134K — $185K *
Enterprise Technology
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field; advanced degree preferred.
  • 5+ years of experience in software development with technical leadership.
  • Strong understanding of the full software development lifecycle.
  • Extensive experience designing scalable systems.
  • Proficient in multiple programming languages across various stacks.
  • Experience in driving organizational adoption of new tools and practices.
  • Familiarity with AI-assisted development tools.

Responsibilities

  • Lead AI-native transformation initiatives across engineering teams.
  • Serve as a technical enablement resource, creating context files and AI workflows.
  • Own the readiness assessments and enablement lifecycle for key areas.
  • Drive adoption of AI-assisted software development practices.
  • Architect reusable enablement patterns for organizational efficiency.
  • Lead the development of internal AI tooling and platforms.
  • Bridge platform capabilities with team needs, alleviating technical roadblocks.
  • Provide technical leadership through architectural guidance and code reviews.

Benefits

  • Generous PTO and 11 paid holidays, plus wellness and volunteer time off.
  • Up to 16 weeks of fully paid parental leave and a baby stipend.
  • Multiple medical plan options with mental health support.
  • 401(k) with company match and one-year vesting period.
  • $400 annual well-being stipend and tuition assistance up to $5,250.
  • Recognition rewards, referral bonuses, and exclusive discounts.
Full Job Description
Job Description:

A Principal Software Development Engineer leads the design, development, and testing of complex software systems and applications. This senior-level position is responsible for creating scalable, high-quality software solutions while providing technical leadership, driving engineering excellence, and providing mentorship to engineering teams.

Job Description

- Lead the planning and execution of AI-native transformation initiatives across engineering teams - owning key technical workstreams end-to-end within the broader enablement program.
- Serve as a senior technical enablement resource across engineering teams - writing skills, context files, and AI workflow configurations that make teams AI-native in their actual repos.
- Own the enablement lifecycle for assigned areas: readiness assessments, AGENTS.md authoring, skill architecture, and adoption follow-through at organizational scale.
- Drive adoption of AI-assisted SDLC practices - designing agent workflows, authoring specifications, and ensuring teams have the technical foundations to work effectively with AI tools.
- Architect reusable enablement patterns - skills, templates, frameworks, and reference implementations that compound across the organization rather than solving the same problem repeatedly.
- Lead the development of internal AI tooling and platforms as the team's capabilities grow - SDKs, integrations, and automation frameworks that accelerate adoption at scale.
- Bridge the gap between platform capabilities and team needs - identifying where teams are stuck, designing the right technical solutions, and feeding friction patterns back to platform teams.
- Provide technical leadership through architectural guidance, code reviews, and hands-on pairing - setting the engineering standard for the team.
- Operate across the full SDLC - from requirements and architecture through build, test, deploy, and delivery - ensuring enablement touches every phase, not just code generation.

Job Qualifications:

- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related field; advanced degree preferred.
- 5+ years of experience in software development, with demonstrated ability to lead technical initiatives across teams.
- Strong understanding of the full software development lifecycle - from requirements and architecture through build, test, and deployment.
- Extensive experience designing and implementing systems that scale - whether applications, platforms, internal tooling, or developer infrastructure.
- Strong programming skills across multiple languages and stacks, with a broad generalist mindset - comfortable working across frontend, backend, infrastructure, and DevOps as needed.
- Experience driving adoption of new tools, practices, or platforms across engineering organizations - not just building, but getting teams to use what you build.
- Familiarity with AI-assisted development tools and workflows (GitHub Copilot, LLM APIs, agent frameworks, or similar).
- Ability to provide technical leadership through architectural guidance, code reviews, and hands-on pairing - elevating the team's output, not just your own.
- Exceptional communication skills - comfortable presenting to leadership and pairing with engineers in the same day.
- Strong analytical thinking - able to assess technical opportunities, evaluate trade-offs, and make architectural decisions in ambiguous, fast-moving environments.

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Annual Pay Range:
134,400 - 185,000 USD

Application Window:

This opportunity is expected to remain posted through the date identified below, subject to business needs.

Thrive with Cotality

At Cotality, we offer more than just a job, we provide a benefits experience designed to support your whole self. From a flexible working model to competitive time off and standout health coverage with meaningful perks and growth opportunities, our package is built to help you thrive at work and in life.

Highlights, depending on role classification, include:
  • Time off: Generous PTO and 11 paid holidays, plus well-being and volunteer time off.
  • Family Support: Up to 16 weeks of fully paid parental leave and a baby stipend.
  • Health: Multiple medical plan options with mental health and wellness support offerings.
  • Retirement: 401(k) with company match and vesting after one year.
  • Financial Perks: $400 annual well-being stipend and tuition assistance up to $5,250.
  • Extras: Recognition Rewards, Referral bonuses, exclusive discounts and more!

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