Principal Systems Engineer – Investment Services

Navy Federal Credit Union

Principal Systems Engineer provides senior technical leadership and systems engineering expertise at Navy Federal. Analyzing and supporting complex systems for financial services and investment services.

Posted 4/21/2026full-timeVienna • Virginia • 🇺🇸 United StatesLead💰 $128,300 - $187,500 per yearWebsite

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

CloudCyber SecurityMicroservices

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Provide senior technical leadership and hands on systems engineering expertise in support of the Navy Federal Financial Group portfolio.
Analyze, design, configure, support, and sustain complex systems and products that enable secure, scalable, and compliant business capabilities.
Translate NFFG strategies into end‑to‑end technical solutions by leading solution planning, architecture, implementation, integration, and operational readiness.
Identify and address gaps in support processes, documentation, and tooling; guide complex configuration, debugging, and infrastructure support activities.
Partner with business and technology stakeholders to modernize platforms and solve complex business challenges.

Requirements

What you’ll need

Master’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education, training, and professional experience.
10+ years of progressive experience in systems engineering, software engineering, solution architecture, or related technical leadership roles, preferably within complex or regulated environments such as financial or investment services.
Demonstrated subject‑matter expertise within financial services and/or investment services domains, with a strong understanding of how business, technology, risk, and regulatory disciplines interrelate.
Advanced proficiency with modern engineering technologies, platforms, programming languages, and system design methodologies.
Significant hands‑on experience designing, engineering, and supporting complex, enterprise‑scale systems and distributed architectures.
Proven ability to translate business and regulatory requirements into clear architecture and design artifacts and to lead design reviews with both technical and non‑technical stakeholders.
Advanced knowledge of software development methodologies, tools, and delivery practices, including experience working within agile and scaled‑agile product and engineering teams.
Significant experience with cloud‑based platforms and services, including designing for scalability, reliability, performance, and operational resilience.
Deep experience with integration patterns and architectures, including APIs, microservices, event‑driven systems, and secure data exchange.
Working knowledge of cybersecurity, risk, and compliance principles, with the ability to partner effectively with security, risk, and audit teams.
Experience with system monitoring, alerting, and operational health tooling to ensure reliability, availability, and proactive issue detection.
Advanced knowledge of disaster recovery, business continuity planning, and operational readiness practices.
Strong analytical, diagnostic, and troubleshooting skills, with the ability to resolve ambiguous, high‑impact technical and business problems.
Advanced interpersonal, communication, and influence skills, with a demonstrated ability to drive alignment across lines of business, delivery teams, and external vendors.
Experience with digital investor and wealth management platforms.
Experience designing and implementing records‑retention and archival compliance solutions.
Experience supporting BSA/AML and OFAC compliance programs, including data sourcing, alert management, case management, and regulatory reporting.
Strong data engineering experience, including data lake and data warehousing architectures, data ingestion and transformation, data quality management, and integration with analytics and reporting tools.
Understanding of core financial, banking, and investment services systems and associated integration constraints within large scale, regulated environments.
Working knowledge of banking and investment industry standards, as well as familiarity with Navy Federal’s functions, operating model, and organizational objectives.

Benefits

Comp & perks

Highly competitive pay
Generous benefits and perks

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills & Tools

systems engineeringsoftware engineeringsolution architecturecloud-based platformsAPIsmicroservicesevent-driven systemsdata engineeringdisaster recoverybusiness continuity planning

Soft Skills

analytical skillsdiagnostic skillstroubleshooting skillsinterpersonal skillscommunication skillsinfluence skillsproblem-solving skillsleadership skillscollaboration skillsalignment skills

Certifications

Master’s degree in Computer ScienceMaster’s degree in Information TechnologyMaster’s degree in Engineering