Principal Platform Engineer - ServiceNow

Job Title: Principal Platform Engineer Salary Range: $156,476 - $184,692 Department: Information Technology Supervisor: Senior Director, Platform Technology Location: 333 West 34th Street, NY, NY 10001 Hours of Work: 9:00 am - 5:30 pm (7.5 hours/day) or as required This position is eligible for telework, which is currently 2 days per week. New hires are eligible to apply 30 days after their effective date of hire. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is the largest transportation network in North America, serving 15.3 million people across a 5,000-square-mile area surrounding New York City and neighboring states. The MTA’s IT Department supports the agency’s operations with 24/7/365 services. MTA IT’s Product Development group builds and maintains secure and innovative transportation, operational, and back‑end information systems to meet MTA’s priorities. The Principal Platform Engineer ensures the stability, scalability, and continuous improvement of the enterprise service‑management capabilities. The role provides technical and strategic leadership throughout the software development lifecycle for complex systems supporting critical business and operational functions. It supports, coordinates, and manages IT Service Management platforms and collaborates with other IT teams to ensure successful implementation of projects, diagnoses problems, and recommends improvements. The role serves as the technical owner for enterprise platforms, accountable for architecture, configuration, performance optimization, integrations, and long‑term strategy. Responsibilities Serve as a technical resource for multiple components of the enterprise platforms to help identify the best technical solutions. Troubleshoot platform problems within assigned areas, providing fault isolation and resolution that may be complicated by technology interdependencies. Design scalable, maintainable, and secure solutions across multiple platform modules (ITSM, ITOM, HRSD, SecOps, GRC, CSM). Evaluate and implement new platform capabilities, plugins, and integrations to support evolving business needs. Define and enforce platform governance, including data model design, naming conventions, and development standards. Own and govern the lifecycle of mission‑critical software products and services, aligning project execution with strategic business goals and ensuring enterprise architecture compliance. Establish and optimize robust support processes, leveraging advanced tools to analyze and resolve complex technical issues, monitor system health, and produce actionable operational insights. Review and approve platform enhancements for appropriate use of technology, ensuring efficient use of resources and smooth transition into production. Oversee the development and execution of comprehensive test plans, ensuring test coverage aligns with business risk and regulatory requirements. Review solutions produced by lower‑level developers and platform engineers to validate adherence to strategy and architecture standards. Guide development teams on implementation best practices and ensure adherence to architectural standards. Oversee integrations with third‑party systems using Integration Hub, REST/SOAP APIs, and other tools. Lead platform upgrades, new module rollouts, and performance optimization efforts. Create and maintain architecture diagrams, technical documentation, and solution blueprints. Participate in governance reviews and provide technical sign‑off on major platform changes. Stay current with platform releases and recommend adoption of new features and capabilities. Lead efforts to maintain accurate system documentation and configuration records, conducting audits to ensure compliance with established software configuration management and governance standards. Direct software quality assurance and risk management initiatives, conduct in‑depth risk assessments, and drive implementation of preventive and corrective actions. Serve as a technical thought leader and mentor within the engineering organization, staying at the forefront of emerging software trends and technologies and cultivating a culture of continuous innovation. Champion adoption of modern engineering methodologies, frameworks, and tools across teams and projects. Maintain application‑to‑server mappings by creating necessary governance, processes, and driving data requirements across all service owners. Collaborate with business stakeholders to define and collect necessary Configuration Item (CI) attributes and relationship information. Lead the technical security of the platform, monitoring and managing the configuration items, managing access controls and operating systems/databases (CMDB), configuring MID servers, and taking proactive measures against potential cyber threats. Manage the operational relationships with technology suppliers to resolve potential disputes or conflicts. Contribute technical elements of RFPs/RFIs and support contract terms and SLAs negotiations, managing suppliers to meet key performance indicators. Travel may be required to other MTA locations or external sites. Be available to work outside of normal work hours to support 24/7 operations, including evenings and weekends. Perform other duties and tasks as assigned. Regular and reliable attendance is expected and required. Required Qualifications Education: Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of 10 years of relevant experience. An equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered in lieu of a degree. Certification: At least multiple certifications in current platform/domain/technical skill. Possible certifications include: Implementation Specialist Certifications (ITSM, CSM, HRSD, ITOM, SAM, HAM, Performance Analytics, Risk and Compliance) Certified System Administrator (CSA) Certified Application Developer (CAD) Certified Master Architect (CMA) Certified Technical Architect (CTA) Certified Application Specialist (CAS) Certified Implementation Specialist – Data Foundations (CMDB and CSDM) (CIS‑DF) Technical Skills Proven experience as an enterprise platform architect with a focus on CMDB and CSDM. Deep understanding of ITIL, configuration management, and enterprise architecture principles. Hands‑on experience with ServiceNow Discovery, Service Mapping, and Integration Hub / Event Management. Strong hands‑on experience with core enterprise platform capabilities, including ITSM, ITOM, CMDB, CSM, HRSD, Enterprise Architecture, SecOps, GRC, and SPM. REST/SOAP APIs, MID Server configuration, Integration Hub spokes. Experience integrating with tools like Azure, AWS, Jira, SCCM, Dynatrace, and Splunk. Experience developing platform logic and automation using scripting languages (JavaScript, Glide API), server‑side and client‑side APIs, reusable code modules, business rules, UI logic, and configuration policies. Flow Designer, Workflow Editor, and Integration Hub. Experience designing and building custom applications using enterprise development frameworks, platform tooling, and configuration environments. Strong knowledge of CI class modeling, relationship mapping, and data normalization. Familiarity with ATF (Automated Test Framework), Update Sets, and Source Control Integration. Experience with DevOps pipelines and Agile methodologies. Role‑based access control (RBAC), ACLs, and data security best practices. Platform performance tuning and governance frameworks. Knowledge of ITIL v4, Agile/Scrum, and enterprise architecture frameworks (TOGAF, Zachman). Experience with Performance Analytics, Virtual Agent, and Predictive Intelligence is a plus. Ability to translate business requirements into technical solutions. Excellent communication, documentation, and stakeholder management skills. Behavioral Skills Advanced active listening, attention to detail, customer service, prioritization, and problem‑solving skills. Expert in working independently and strategically. Advanced expertise in identifying and analyzing risks and developing effective mitigation strategies. Expert technical knowledge and diverse skillset to understand various technologies, systems, and potential risks. Advanced critical thinking, problem‑solving, and decision‑making skills. Expert in interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills, with the ability to effectively collaborate with both technical and non‑technical peers. Expert in managing multiple projects simultaneously and prioritizing tasks based on urgency and impact. Extensive hands‑on experience with related tools. Expert experience working under pressure and meeting deadlines individually and collaboratively. Expert in identifying complex business and technology risks and associated vulnerabilities. Expert in communicating effectively, both orally and in writing, to interact with team members, customers, management, and support personnel (technical and non‑technical). Expert in establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with employees at all levels within the organization, and with both internal and external customers. Equal Employment Opportunity MTA and its subsidiary and affiliated agencies are Equal Opportunity Employers, including with respect to veteran status and individuals with disabilities. The MTA encourages qualified applicants from diverse backgrounds, experiences, and abilities, including military service members, to apply. Pursuant to the New York State Public Officers Law & the MTA Code of Ethics, all employees who hold a policymaking position must file an Annual Statement of Financial Disclosure (FDS) with the NYS Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government (the “Commission”). #J-18808-Ljbffr Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA)