Principal Full-Stack Software Engineer

Principal Full‑Stack Software Engineer

Bellingham, Washington, United States

First Fed is a community bank on an exciting growth trajectory with 17 locations, 12 of which are full‑service branches in Western Washington. The organization has been recognized as a Best Workplace, a Top Corporate Philanthropist, and has earned multiple awards for banking excellence. First Fed has served the Pacific Northwest for over 100 years and supports local communities through charitable donations and volunteer initiatives.

As a senior technical leader, the Principal Full‑Stack Software Engineer will design, evolve, and scale critical customer‑facing and operational systems across First Fed’s digital banking ecosystem. The role focuses on delivering high‑quality, cloud‑native systems with an emphasis on customer experience, frontend development, and platform reliability. It also drives improvement of engineering practices, AI‑assisted development, and intelligent automation to enhance delivery speed and system quality.

• Engineering & System Ownership
  • Design, build, and maintain cloud‑native applications and services in Azure.
  • Own systems end‑to‑end across frontend, backend, APIs, and data flows.
  • Write high‑quality, maintainable production code.
• Customer Experience & Frontend
  • Build modern, responsive web applications using React, Type Script, and modern UI patterns.
  • Create intuitive, performant, and accessible user experiences.
  • Partner with Product and Design to translate workflows into high‑quality digital experiences.
• API & Integration Development
  • Design and implement RESTful and event‑driven APIs.
  • Integrate with core banking systems, fintech partners, and internal platforms.
  • Build resilient data flows for ingestion, validation, and reconciliation.
• Modernization & Reliability
  • Improve and modernize legacy systems and workflows.
  • Strengthen system reliability through monitoring, alerting, and observability.
  • Develop internal tools to improve operational visibility and efficiency.
• Dev Ops & Engineering Productivity
  • Build and maintain CI/CD pipelines using Git Hub and modern Dev Ops practices.
  • Apply automation and Infrastructure‑as‑Code for scalable deployments.
  • Improve developer experience and delivery velocity.
• AI‑Augmented Engineering
  • Use AI‑assisted tools to improve development speed and code quality.
  • Embed practical AI capabilities into systems (e.g., validation, routing, decision support).
  • Identify high‑impact use cases for AI in customer and operational workflows.
• Technical Leadership
  • Set engineering standards and best practices.
  • Lead design discussions and influence architecture decisions.
  • Mentor engineers and contribute to team growth.

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.
• 15+ years of software engineering or full‑stack development experience.
• Strong experience with Microsoft Azure (Functions, Container Apps, Event Hub, APIM).
• Deep experience with frontend development (React, Type Script, JavaScript, HTML/CSS).
• Hands‑on experience with backend languages (C#, Go, or Node.js).
• Experience with automation and workflow technologies (Power Automate, Git Hub Actions).
• Familiarity with SQL/No
  
  SQL databases (PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Azure SQL).
• Experience implementing secure development patterns and OAuth2/Azure AD security.
• Experience with CI/CD, Git Hub, Docker, and Terraform.
• Strong understanding of system reliability, scalability, and observability.
• Familiarity with AI‑assisted development and applied AI use cases.
• Experience in banking, fintech, or regulated industries.
• Excellent analytical, debugging, communication, and cross‑team collaboration skills.

The work requires the ability to operate office machines and equipment such as personal computers and printers, communicate clearly with customers and coworkers, and involves combinations of sitting and standing for extended periods.

The pay range for this position is $ - $. The typical hiring range is $ - $. The incentive plan is the Corporate Incentive Plan, paid annually based on meeting individual and corporate goals. Benefits include medical, dental, and vision insurance; paid time off; 401(k) with company match;
Employee Stock Ownership Plan; gym membership reimbursement; discounts on banking products; and additional benefits available.

Qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran. First Fed invites all qualified and interested applicants to apply. We are required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor, and the Employee Polygraph Protection Act.