Sr Software Engineer II - Enterprise Architecture

About Enterprise Architecture:

Enterprise Architecture is an organization within the Chief Technology Office at American Express and it is a key enabler of the company’s technology strategy. The four pillars of Enterprise Architecture include:

• Architecture as Code
• : this pillar owns and operates foundational technologies that are leveraged by engineering teams across the enterprise.
• Architecture as Design
• : this pillar includes the solution and technical design for transformation programs and business critical projects which need architectural guidance and support.
• Governance
• : this pillar is responsible for defining technical standards, and developing innovative tools that automate controls to ensure compliance.
• Colleague Enablement: this pillar is focused on colleague development, recognition, training, and enterprise outreach.

Qualifications

• 6+ years of professional software development experience with strong expertise in Java and working knowledge of Python for backend or data-driven applications
• Deep experience with Java ecosystems and frameworks such as Spring, Spring Boot, or equivalent
• Proven experience in full-stack development, including backend services and modern frontend frameworks (e.g., React, Angular, or similar)
• Strong experience building RESTful APIs, microservices architectures, and service-to-service integrations
• Solid understanding of distributed systems, concurrency, scalability, and performance optimization
• Hands-on experience with relational databases (PostgreSQL, MySQL, Oracle) and/or NoSQL databases (Cassandra, DynamoDB, MongoDB)
• Experience with containerization and orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes)
• Familiarity with infrastructure-as-code tools (Terraform, CloudFormation, etc.)
• Experience with messaging and streaming platforms such as Kafka, RabbitMQ, or JMS
• Practical experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP) and cloud-native development patterns
• Hands-on experience in test data generation and unit test development and execution
• Preferred: Basic understanding of AI/ML concepts and Generative AI technologies, including LLMs, prompt engineering, and Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG)
• Experience with API design standards, OpenAPI/Swagger, versioning, and contract-driven development
• Hands-on experience with CI/CD pipelines and tools (Jenkins, GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, etc.)
• Proficiency in Agile/Scrum methodologies and modern software development lifecycle practices
• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Engineering, or equivalent practical experience (advanced degree is a plus)
• Depending on factors such as business unit requirements, the nature of the position, cost and applicable laws, American Express may provide visa sponsorship for certain positions.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and deliver scalable, high-quality software solutions across the full stack, leveraging Java and Python for enterprise-grade platforms and services
• Lead the architecture and implementation of distributed systems, ensuring performance, reliability, and maintainability
• Own end-to-end delivery of features—from design and development to deployment, monitoring, and support in production environments
• Act as a senior member of an Agile team, driving best practices in coding standards, testing, documentation, and continuous delivery
• Mentor and guide junior engineers, providing technical leadership through code reviews, design discussions, and knowledge sharing
• Collaborate closely with architects, product managers, and cross-functional teams to translate business requirements into scalable technical solutions
• Build and evolve RESTful APIs, microservices, and event-driven systems, ensuring strong service contracts and backward compatibility
• Champion engineering excellence by improving CI/CD pipelines, test automation, and developer productivity
• Proactively identify system bottlenecks, debug complex issues, and drive root-cause analysis with long-term fixes
• Design systems for scalability, resilience, and observability, including monitoring, logging, and alerting strategies
• Contribute to cloud-native adoption, including containerization, infrastructure-as-code, and auto-scaling architectures
• Influence technical direction and challenge the status quo by proposing innovative, pragmatic solutions
• Take ownership and accountability for delivering high-impact outcomes aligned with team and organizational goals