Data Engineer - Principal Engineer

About this role:

Wells Fargo is seeking a Principal Engineer to lead the architecture and strategy behind enterprise metadata, data lineage, and AI-enabled data platforms that power critical business decisions across the organization. This is a high-impact opportunity to shape long-term technology direction, influence senior leaders, and drive innovation at enterprise scale.

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 in-depth evaluation across multiple areas or the enterprise, delivering solutions that are long-term, large-scale and require vision, creativity, innovation, advanced analytical and inductive thinking

• Translate advanced technology experience, an in-depth knowledge of the organizations tactical and strategic business objectives, the enterprise technological environment, the organization structure, and strategic technological opportunities and requirements into technical engineering solutions

• Provide vision, direction and expertise to leadership on implementing innovative and significant business solutions

• Maintain knowledge of industry best practices and new technologies and recommends innovations that enhance operations or provide a competitive advantage to the organization

• Strategically engage with all levels of professionals and managers across the enterprise and serve as an expert advisor to leadership

• Establish Enterprise Metadata and Lineage Architecture

• Define scalable architecture patterns for metadata ingestion, scanning, lineage derivation, and repository integration.

• Standardize onboarding approaches across diverse technology stacks and domains.

• Ensure consistency of metadata models and interoperability with enterprise governance platforms.

• Accelerate Metadata Coverage Across the Bank

• Lead initiatives to rapidly expand metadata harvesting and scanning coverage from legacy and modern platforms.

• Drive automation strategies that reduce manual metadata capture and improve onboarding velocity.

• Enable industrial-scale adoption of metadata management capabilities.

• Deliver Enterprise Lineage Capabilities

• Lead engineering efforts for element-level lineage and lineage-as-a-service capabilities.

• Support regulatory, risk, operational resilience, and change management requirements through trusted lineage.

• Reduce time required for impact analysis and root-cause investigations.

• Drive Innovation and AI Enablement

• Advance AI-assisted metadata enrichment, semantic discovery, knowledge graph creation, and automated governance workflows.

• Enable future-state capabilities that support AI adoption through improved data visibility, discoverability, and trust.

• Provide Technical Leadership Across Multiple Agile Teams

• Mentor engineering teams across metadata management, data quality, observability, platform engineering, and governance tooling.

• Resolve complex cross-domain integration challenges and guide critical architectural decisions.

• Partner with senior technology and business leaders to align roadmaps and execution priorities.

Required Qualifications:

• 7+ years of Engineering experience, or equivalent demonstrated through one or a combination of the following: work experience, training, military experience, education
• 5+ years of experience defining and implementing enterprise architecture strategies for metadata management, data lineage, data governance, or related data platforms.
• 5+ years of experience leading large-scale technology modernization, migration, or transformation initiatives across complex enterprise environments.
• Demonstrated experience designing scalable metadata ingestion, scanning, cataloging, and lineage solutions across diverse technology platforms.
• Strong understanding of metadata management, business glossary frameworks, data lineage, data observability, data quality, and data governance practices.

Desired Qualifications:

• Advanced degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, Data Management, or a related discipline.
• 10+ years of experience designing, developing, and supporting enterprise-scale data management, metadata management, governance, lineage, catalog, or data quality platforms.
• Deep expertise in modern data architecture, cloud-native platforms, distributed systems, and enterprise data ecosystems.
• Demonstrated experience leading large-scale platform modernization, migration, and transformation initiatives across complex organizations.
• Strong understanding of metadata management, business glossary frameworks, data lineage, data observability, data quality, and data governance practices.
• Experience with enterprise data platforms and technologies such as Databricks, Snowflake, Hadoop, Oracle, SQL Server, Kafka, OpenShift/Kubernetes, and cloud services.
• Proven ability to define engineering roadmaps, influence architecture decisions, and drive technology strategy across multiple business and technology organizations.
• Experience implementing automation, AI/ML, or GenAI capabilities to improve data discovery, governance, operational efficiency, and developer productivity.
• Strong knowledge of software engineering best practices, including CI/CD, DevSecOps, site reliability engineering, observability, and platform engineering principles.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and mentor engineers, architects, and technical teams while fostering a culture of innovation, accountability, and operational excellence.
• Excellent executive communication and stakeholder management skills, with a proven ability to influence senior leadership and drive cross-functional alignment.
• Experience working in highly regulated financial services environments with an understanding of risk management, compliance, security, and data privacy requirements.
• Track record of delivering measurable business outcomes through technology innovation, process optimization, and engineering excellence.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and strategic thinking skills with the ability to balance long-term vision and near-term execution.

Job Expectations:

• This position offers a hybrid work schedule
• This position is not eligible for Visa sponsorship

Posting End Date:

15 Sep 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.