Principal IT Programmer Analyst

Principal IT Programmer Analyst

Position Specific Description: We are seeking an experienced and forward-thinking Lead Software Engineer to join our growing technology team at Palms Insurance. In this leadership role, you will drive the design, development, and evolution of our Palms Insurance Platform (PIP) and emerging AI-driven applications, while mentoring a team of Senior and mid-level engineers. You will sit at the intersection of full-stack software engineering, generative AI, and P&C insurance operations — translating complex business needs into scalable, intelligent solutions.

Key Responsibilities:

• Technical Leadership & Architecture: Lead architecture and design discussions for PIP and AI agent-driven platforms, aligning solutions with the company's technology roadmap and strategic goals.
• Platform Development & AI Engineering: Support, augment, and extend the Palms Insurance Platform (PIP) adding features, refining UX, and managing data changes in collaboration with data and analytics teams.
• Quality, Testing & DevOps: Define and execute comprehensive testing strategies including unit, integration, end-to-end, UAT, and AI conversation / LLM evaluation testing.
• Mentorship & Collaboration: Mentor and guide Senior and mid-level engineers, sharing knowledge of AI/ML best practices, software design patterns, and insurance domain context.

Preferred Qualifications:

• 8+ years of full-stack software development experience, with formal training in software engineering principles.
• 5+ years of hands-on experience with AWS services: S3, Lambda, Glue, DMS, Cloudwatch, Redshift, Aurora, SageMaker, or EKS.
• Proficiency in Python, JavaScript/TypeScript, Next.js, Node.js, and React.js.
• Strong hands-on experience with GenAI and LLM technologies: LLM models, RAG, Vector DBs, Agentic AI frameworks (LangChain/LangGraph, ADK, NGA), and MCP.
• Strong working knowledge of microservices architecture, RESTful APIs, and caching technologies.
• Experience with containerization and orchestration: Docker and Kubernetes.
• Proficiency in Git-based version control and CI/CD tooling (GitHub Actions).
• Strong unit and functional testing skills using Postman.
• Strong problem-solving, debugging, and analytical skills.
• Excellent communication, collaboration, and stakeholder engagement abilities.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field (Master's preferred).
• Deep understanding of LLM techniques including Agents, Planning, Reasoning, and tool use.
• Hands-on experience with LLM observability and evaluation tools: Streamlit.
• Experience deploying ML models on AWS using SageMaker or EKS.
• Background in P&C insurance domains including claims, underwriting, or risk — or demonstrated ability to ramp quickly in regulated financial services environments.
• Experience with Tailwind CSS and Svelte/SvelteKit for front-end development.
• Prior experience in a technical lead or staff engineer capacity, including mentoring and team development responsibilities.