Principal Engineer

About this role:

The Equipment & Vendor Finance business enables commercial clients to acquire, lease, and manage capital equipment through flexible financing solutions.

Software engineering is changing. AI is changing not only how we write code, but how we design systems, solve problems, modernize technology, and operate software.

We are looking for a Principal Engineer who wants to help lead that change.

You will combine deep engineering expertise with curiosity, strong technical judgment, and a willingness to build. You will help us simplify complex technology, put AI to work on real problems, and raise the technical capabilities of the engineers around you.

This is not an advisory-only role. We are looking for someone who can think at enterprise scale and still get close to the technology.

In this role, you will:

• Act as an advisor to leadership to develop or influence applications, network, information security, database, operating systems, or web technologies for highly complex business and technical needs across multiple groups
• Lead the strategy and resolution of highly complex and unique challenges requiring evaluation across multiple areas or the enterprise
• Translate business strategy, technology opportunities, and engineering constraints into practical technical solutions
• Provide technical vision and direction for significant business and technology initiatives
• Stay current with emerging technologies and identify where they can create meaningful business or engineering advantage
• Strategically engage with professionals and managers across the enterprise and serve as an expert advisor to leadership
• Stay hands-on. Turn difficult ideas and problems into prototypes, working software, reference implementations, and reusable engineering patterns
• Help redefine how we build software in an AI-native world, from design and development through testing, modernization, operations, and maintenance
• Challenge unnecessary complexity. Simplify architectures, automate repetitive work, and question assumptions that no longer make sense
• Move quickly from idea to evidence. Prototype, test, learn, measure, and scale what works
• Raise the technical bar across teams through coaching, pairing, design reviews, code reviews, and hands-on technical leadership
• Make other engineers better. Create patterns, tools, and practices that allow teams to solve harder problems and move faster

Required Qualifications:

• 7+ years of Engineering experience, or equivalent demonstrated through one or a combination of the following: work experience, training, military experience, education

Desired Qualifications:

• Deep hands-on software engineering experience designing and building complex enterprise applications and distributed systems
• Strong engineering fundamentals across software design, APIs, cloud technologies, data and integration patterns, automated testing, CI/CD, observability, security, reliability, and production operations
• Experience using generative AI and AI-assisted engineering tools to improve how software is built, tested, modernized, documented, operated, and supported
• Experience experimenting with emerging AI capabilities such as large language models, retrieval-augmented generation, agentic systems, tool use, orchestration, and evaluation
• Strong technical judgment. Know when AI is the right answer and, equally important, when it is not
• Ability to simplify complex and legacy technology environments through better architecture, automation, APIs, modern engineering practices, and incremental modernization
• Ability to take an ambiguous problem, break it down, build something, learn quickly, and turn the results into a scalable solution
• Experience creating reusable engineering patterns and guardrails that make it easier for other engineers to build secure, reliable software
• Ability to influence technical direction across teams without relying on organizational authority
• Strong communication skills with the ability to make complex technical decisions understandable to engineers, business partners, risk partners, and leaders
• A track record of developing other engineers through coaching, pairing, technical reviews, and knowledge sharing
• Intellectual curiosity and the ability to learn quickly, question assumptions, and separate meaningful technology shifts from hype

Job Expectations:

• Remain hands-on with technology while operating as a technical leader across teams
• Help build an AI-native engineering culture where AI becomes a practical part of how software is designed, built, tested, modernized, operated, and maintained
• Build prototypes and reference implementations rather than relying only on presentations, recommendations, or architecture documents
• Find practical opportunities to use AI and automation to reduce engineering toil, improve quality, accelerate delivery, and simplify technology
• Establish clear engineering guardrails for AI, including security, testing, evaluation, observability, data protection, and appropriate human oversight
• Challenge complexity and legacy assumptions. Look for the simpler solution
• Experiment quickly, measure the results, keep what works, and discard what does not
• Help teams move successful ideas from prototype to secure, reliable, production-quality solutions
• Work across Engineering, Product, Architecture, Cybersecurity, Risk, and business teams to solve problems that cross traditional organizational boundaries
• Coach engineers to strengthen their technical judgment, system design, AI fluency, and ability to independently solve difficult problems
• Create leverage. Build patterns, capabilities, and knowledge that make multiple engineering teams more effective
• Measure success through outcomes, including better software, faster delivery, less operational toil, simpler architecture, and stronger engineers
• Keep learning. Technology will change. The expectation is that you will change with it

Location:

• Brevard Street, Charlotte, North Carolina
• 111432 Las Colinas, Irving TX

Posting End Date:

22 Nov 2026

*Job posting may come down early due to volume of applicants.

We Value Equal Opportunity

Wells Fargo is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other legally protected characteristic.

Employees support our focus on building strong customer relationships balanced with a strong risk mitigating and compliance-driven culture which firmly establishes those disciplines as critical to the success of our customers and company. They are accountable for execution of all applicable risk programs (Credit, Market, Financial Crimes, Operational, Regulatory Compliance), which includes effectively following and adhering to applicable Wells Fargo policies and procedures, appropriately fulfilling risk and compliance obligations, timely and effective escalation and remediation of issues, and making sound risk decisions. There is emphasis on proactive monitoring, governance, risk identification and escalation, as well as making sound risk decisions commensurate with the business unit’s risk appetite and all risk and compliance program requirements.

Candidates applying to job openings posted in Canada: Applications for employment are encouraged from all qualified candidates, including women, persons with disabilities, aboriginal peoples and visible minorities. Accommodation for applicants with disabilities is available upon request in connection with the recruitment process.

Applicants with Disabilities

To request a medical accommodation during the application or interview process, visit Disability Inclusion at Wells Fargo.

Drug and Alcohol Policy

Wells Fargo maintains a drug free workplace.  Please see our Drug and Alcohol Policy to learn more.

Wells Fargo Recruitment and Hiring Requirements:

a. Third-Party recordings are prohibited unless authorized by Wells Fargo.

b. Wells Fargo requires you to directly represent your own experiences during the recruiting and hiring process.

c. Please be prepared to provide accurate information and supporting documentation in connection with any lawful employment and education verification conducted by Wells Fargo.