Principal Software Engineer

Darling Consulting Group (DCG) is a leading national provider of consulting services and a suite of online analytical software tools for banks and credit unions. We are seeking a Principal Software Engineer to play a key role in designing and evolving our Loans360°® platform; supporting scalable, secure, and data-intensive applications servicing banks and credit unions.

This role is focused on architecture, technical leadership, and domain-driven system design. You will partner closely with engineering, product, and business stakeholders to build systems that are reliable, compliant, and aligned with critical lending and risk workflows.

You will also help shape engineering practices by leveraging modern development approaches, including AI-assisted tooling, to improve velocity, quality, and developer experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead the architecture and design of scalable, distributed systems supporting loan lifecycle and risk workflows 
• Translate complex business and regulatory requirements into robust technical solutions 
• Drive technical strategy and standards across teams, ensuring long-term maintainability and scalability 
• Mentor engineers and provide technical leadership through influence as opposed to authority 
• Collaborate cross-functionally with product, data, and business teams to improve client and user outcomes 
• Champion engineering excellence, including testing strategy, observability, and performance optimization 
• Identify and resolve scalability, reliability, and data integrity challenges in high-volume systems 
• Promote effective use of AI-assisted development tools (e.g. Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, Codex, Cursor) to enhance productivity and code quality

• Proven experience leading the design and delivery of large-scale, distributed systems
• Strong expertise in system architecture, data modeling, and API design 
• Deep understanding of data-intensive applications, including performance, fault tolerance, and scalability 
• Experience working in cloud environments (AWS, Azure, or GCP) 
• Strong programming background in one or more modern languages (e.g., C#, Java, Python, or similar)
• Experience with web frameworks and technologies (e.g. Angular, React, .NET ASP, Javascript)
• Solid understanding of JSON, web services (REST)
• Demonstrated ability to lead complex technical initiatives and influence across teams 
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to engage both technical and non-technical stakeholders 
• Experience with modern software development practices (CI/CD, automated testing, DevOps, Agile) 
• Continuous learning mindset with curiosity and adaptability toward emerging technologies and AI-assisted development workflows.

Additional Skills

• BS/MS in Computer Science or related majors
• Development experience in Python is a bonus
• Experience in banking, lending, or financial services would be helpful
• Familiarity with event-driven architectures, microservices, or serverless systems 
• Experience working with relational and NoSQL data stores at scale 
• Background in data governance, auditability, and financial data integrity