The Principal Software Engineer with minimum 15+ years of software engineering experience and strategic technical leader responsible for defining architecture, driving execution, and delivering scalable, high‑impact software solutions. This role combines deep hands‑on engineering expertise with leadership, product thinking, and cross‑functional collaboration.
The ideal candidate is a visionary technologist who can architect cloud‑native platforms, mentor teams, and partner with business and product stakeholders to deliver innovative and scalable solutions, including modern AI-driven implementations.
What you will do
- Define and evolve architecture for distributed, cloud-native, and high-availability systems
- Establish long-term technology roadmaps aligned to business objectives
- Drive adoption of modern architectural patterns (microservices, event-driven, API-first)
- Lead and mentor engineering teams, promoting ownership and engineering excellence
- Define standards for code quality, design patterns, and review practices
- Foster a culture of continuous improvement and innovation
- Oversee cloud platform architecture (Azure/AWS/GCP)
- Drive DevOps adoption including CI/CD, containerization (Docker/Kubernetes), and observability
- Ensure operational excellence, reliability, and system resilience
- Lead adoption of AI/ML solutions (including GenAI and small/large-scale implementations)
- Evaluate emerging technologies and drive strategic innovation
- Establish foundational platforms for AI-enabled applications
What we expect
- Minimum 15+ years of software engineering experience, including 4+ years in architecture or leadership roles
- Strong expertise in:
- Distributed systems and microservices
- Cloud platforms (Azure, AWS, or GCP)
- API-driven architectures
- Programming proficiency in Java, C#, Python, Go, or similar
- Experience delivering large-scale, multi-team technology programs
- Strong knowledge of DevOps, CI/CD, Docker, Kubernetes, and observability
- Excellent communication, decision-making, and stakeholder management skills
Preferred Skills (Nice to Have)
- Experience building and scaling SaaS platforms
- Background in:
- Data engineering
- Machine learning platforms
- Event-driven architectures
- Experience in enterprise-scale or high-growth environments
- Strong understanding of security, compliance, and governance frameworks
At Cognizant, we're eager to meet people who believe in our mission and can make an impact in various ways. We encourage you to apply if you have most of the skills above and feel like you are strongly suited for this role.
Consider what transferable experience and skills make you a unique applicant and help us see how you’d be beneficial to this role.
Cognizant will only consider applicants for this position who are legally authorized to work in Canada without requiring employer sponsorship, now or at any time in the future.
Salary and Other Compensation:
We regularly assess market data to ensure we offer a competitive compensation package for our associates. The base salary for this position ranges between $106,200 – $168,000 per year. Where the successful candidate may fall within the range depends on relevant education, work and/or management experience and other business-related and job-necessary qualifications. This position is also eligible for Cognizant’s discretionary annual performance-based bonus, as well as benefits that support your physical, mental and financial wellbeing.
Working arrangements
We believe hybrid work is the way forward as we strive to provide flexibility wherever possible. Based on this role’s business requirements, this is a hybrid position requiring 3 days a week in a client office in Toronto, ON. Regardless of your working arrangement, we are here to support a healthy work-life balance though our various wellbeing programs.
The working arrangements for this role are accurate as of the date of posting. This may change based on the project you’re engaged in, as well as business and client requirements. Rest assured; we will always be clear about role expectations.
About Cognizant:
Cognizant (Nasdaq: CTSH) is an AI Builder and technology services provider, bridging the gap between AI investment and enterprise value by building full-stack AI solutions for our clients. Our deep industry, process and engineering expertise enables us to build an organization’s unique context into technology systems that amplify human potential, drive tangible outcomes and keep global enterprises ahead in a fast-changing world. See how at cognizant.ai or @cognizant.
Additional employment information
Compensation information is accurate as of the date of this posting. Cognizant reserves the right to modify this information at any time, subject to applicable law.
Language requirements vary depending on roles, but we ask that all candidates have basic English proficiency for company-wide communications purposes. For roles based in Quebec, professional English proficiency is required, as you’ll deliver services to and collaborate with stakeholders outside the province who may not speak French.
Cognizant is an equal opportunity employer. Your application and candidacy will not be considered based on race, color, sex, religion, creed, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, veteran status or any other characteristic protected by federal, provincial or local laws.
If you have a disability that requires reasonable accommodation to search for a job opening or submit an application, please email [email protected] with your request and contact information.
