Principal Software Engineer / Lead Technical Architect

Principal II, Software Engineering

Summary of Position:

We are seeking a Lead Technical Architect / Principal Software Engineer with 9+ years of experience in designing and modernizing enterprise-scale applications. The role requires strong architectural leadership, hands-on expertise in cloud-native and distributed systems, and deep experience in performance engineering, automation, and software quality. 

The candidate will drive technical strategy, define architecture standards, lead modernization initiatives, and collaborate across engineering, QA, DevOps, and business teams to deliver scalable, secure, and high-performing solutions. 

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead architecture, design, and implementation of scalable, secure, and high-performing enterprise applications and cloud-native solutions. 

• Define architecture standards, design principles, and engineering best practices across teams. 

• Partner with Development, QA, Automation, Performance, and DevOps teams to drive quality engineering, automation strategy, and production readiness. 

• Drive modernization and cloud transformation initiatives ensuring scalability, reliability, and operational excellence. 

• Perform architectural assessments and provide scalable, sustainable solutions to complex technical challenges. 

• Lead architecture, design, and production readiness reviews to ensure adherence to enterprise standards. 

• Own performance engineering by defining workload models, capacity strategies, and executing tests using tools like JMeter and NeoLoad. 

• Troubleshoot complex production issues across distributed systems and drive root cause resolution. 

• Collaborate with stakeholders to translate business requirements into scalable and robust solutions. 

• Drive observability, monitoring, and reliability engineering practices to ensure system stability. 

• Mentor engineering teams and influence strategic technology decisions. 

• Evaluate and adopt emerging technologies and automation capabilities to improve delivery efficiency. 

Key Requirements/Minimum Qualifications:

Programming Languages 

• C# (.NET Framework, .NET Core / .NET 6/7/8) 
• Python 
• SQL 
• JavaScript 
• Experience with Java (JDK 8/11/17/21) for interoperability and legacy system understanding (Good to have) 

Frameworks & Technologies 

• .NET Core / ASP.NET Core 
• Web API / RESTful Services /MVC 
• Entity Framework / ORM Tools 
• Microservices Architecture using .NET 
• RESTful APIs 
• OpenAPI / Swagger 
• NuGet 
• Experience working with Java-based services and APIs 

Automation & Quality Engineering 

• Hands-on experience in UI and API automation frameworks  

• Strong expertise with:  

Selenium (Automation)  

Ranorex (Automation)  

• API Automation using REST-based testing frameworks  

• Experience in designing scalable automation frameworks for enterprise applications  

• Strong understanding of test strategy, regression automation, and CI-integrated automation  

• Ability to integrate automation within CI/CD pipelines for continuous testing  

• Proficiency in scripting and automation using Python and/or C# 

Architecture & Design 

• Enterprise Solution Architecture 
• Microservices Architecture 
• Domain-Driven Design (DDD) 
• Distributed Systems Design 
• Event-Driven Architecture 
• Enterprise Integration Patterns 
• API Design and Governance 
• Security Architecture 
• High Availability and Resiliency Design 
• Scalability and Performance Engineering 
• Enterprise Application Modernization 

Cloud & DevOps 

• AWS Cloud Services 
• Kubernetes 
• Docker 
• CI/CD Pipelines 
• Infrastructure Automation 
• DevSecOps Practices 
• Containerization and Orchestration 

Observability & Reliability Engineering 

• Datadog  

• Zipkin  

• Distributed Tracing  

• Application Monitoring  

• Log Aggregation and Analysis  

• Performance Tuning  

• Reliability Engineering  

• Production Support  

• Operational Excellence  

• Bottleneck Analysis and Optimization  

• Production Readiness Validation  

• Hands-on expertise with performance testing tools such as JMeter and NeoLoad  

• Ability to design workload models, execute performance tests, and analyse bottlenecks  

• Experience in end-to-end performance engineering including load testing, stress testing, and capacity planning 

Database Expertise 

• Strong expertise in Relational Database Management Systems (RDBMS) 
• Data Modelling and Database Design 
• Query Optimization and Performance Tuning 
• Data Migration and Data Integrity Strategies 
• Transaction Management 
• Database Scalability and Reliability 

Artificial Intelligence & Emerging Technologies 

• Generative AI 
• AI Agents 
• Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) 
• Vector Databases 
• LLM Integration and Orchestration 
• Intelligent Automation Solutions 
• Enterprise Knowledge Management Systems

Required Competencies:

• Exceptional analytical thinking and problem-solving capabilities. 
• Strong ability to diagnose, troubleshoot, and resolve complex technical challenges in distributed enterprise environments. 
• Proven expertise in architectural decision-making and technology leadership. 
• Strong stakeholder management and cross-functional collaboration skills. 
• Ability to translate business requirements into scalable, maintainable, and secure technical solutions. 
• Strong focus on software quality, automation, performance, maintainability, and operational excellence. 
• Strong mentoring, leadership, and technical coaching abilities. 
• Ability to balance strategic architecture responsibilities with hands-on technical execution. 
• Experience driving engineering excellence, modernization initiatives.

Work hours: 1 PM to 10 PM IST

Relocation assistance: Yes

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Alcon is an Equal Opportunity Employer and takes pride in maintaining a diverse environment. We do not discriminate in recruitment, hiring, training, promotion or other employment practices for reasons of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, disability, or any other reason.

Experience Level

Senior Level