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Principal Engineer Frontend
full-timeWestlake Village, Cary, Carrollton$90k - $150k

Summary

Location

Westlake Village, Cary, Carrollton

Salary

$90k - $150k

Type

full-time

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About this role

PENNYMAC

Pennymac (NYSE: PFSI) is a specialty financial services firm with a comprehensive mortgage platform and integrated business focused on the production and servicing of U.S. mortgage loans and the management of investments related to the U.S. mortgage market. 

 

At Pennymac, our people are the foundation of our success and at the heart of our dynamic work culture. Together, we work towards a unified goal of helping millions of Americans achieve aspirations of homeownership through the complete mortgage journey.


Job Overview

As a Principal Frontend Engineer on the AI Platform Services team, you will be the architect of the platform's "face" and the guardian of the user experience. While the backend team builds the "brain" (RAG pipelines and autonomous agents), you will build the "Collaborative Canvas"—the interface where human ingenuity meets artificial intelligence.

You will not just be building standard dashboards; you will be engineering complex, AI-native interfaces that rival commercial tools like Cursor and Linear. You will solve unique challenges in Generative UI, real-time state synchronization, and browser-based code editing. You will define how our engineers interact with autonomous agents, moving beyond simple "chatbots" to build a deeply integrated, multi-modal workspace that feels like a natural extension of the person's mind.

This role requires a unique blend of elite frontend engineering, a deep understanding of developer tooling (IDEs, CI/CD interfaces), and a visionary approach to Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) in the age of AI.

Why Join Pennymac?

  • Chart Pennymac’s AI Course: This is a greenfield opportunity to join a foundational team and build a transformative platform from the ground up, with the stability and resources of an industry leader.
  • Define the AI Interface: This is an opportunity to invent new UI patterns for "Agentic Workflows." You will move beyond static forms to build interfaces that generate themselves based on user intent and AI context.
  • High-Impact & Visibility: Nexus is a top-priority strategic initiative. Your work will be the primary touchpoint for senior leadership and hundreds of engineers, directly impacting the "Idea-to-Production" velocity of the entire organization.
  • Solve Unique Problems: You will tackle cutting-edge challenges in Collaborative Editing (CRDTs), Streaming UI, and Visualizing Complex Agent Reasoning—problems that sit at the bleeding edge of modern web development.
  • Competitive Compensation: We offer a competitive salary, bonus, and benefits package, including comprehensive health/dental/vision plans, 401(k) matching, and more.
  • Career Growth: We are committed to the growth of our team members and provide opportunities for continuous learning, professional development, and career advancement within a leading FinTech company.

A Typical Day

  • Architect the Agentic Workspace: Design and build the core frontend architecture for the AI platform using React, TypeScript, and Next.js, ensuring sub-second performance even with heavy data visualization and real-time streams.
  • Build the "Collaborative Canvas": Engineer a real-time, multi-player workspace where AI agents and humans can co-author artifacts (User Stories, PRDs, Architecture Diagrams). Implement CRDTs (Conflict-Free Replicated Data Types) and WebSocket infrastructures to manage shared state seamlessly without data loss.
  • Master the "Generative UI": Develop a robust component registry and rendering engine that allows AI agents to dynamically generate interactive UI elements (charts, forms, checklists) on the fly, rather than just outputting text.
  • Visualize Intelligence: Create intuitive visualizations for the "Unified Context Library," allowing users to see why an AI agent made a decision, trace its sources (Jira, Confluence, GitLab), and inspect its reasoning graph via interactive diagrams.
  • Partner with the Backend: Collaborate closely with Principal Backend Engineers to define the API contracts (GraphQL, Streaming JSON, Server-Sent Events) that enable the frontend to consume complex agent outputs efficiently.
  • Developer Experience (DX) Leadership: Work directly with your "customers" (Pennymac engineers and product analysts) to understand their workflows. Translate their friction points into elegant UI solutions that reduce context switching.

Establish Frontend Standards: Take ownership of the frontend DevOps pipeline, testing strategy (E2E/Integration), and architectural standards. Evangelize "AI-Native" design patterns across the broader technology organization.


What You’ll Bring

Must-Haves:

  • Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, HCI, or related engineering disciplines, or equivalent professional experience.
  • Elite Expertise in React & TypeScript: A proven track record (8+ years) of building complex, data-heavy Single Page Applications (SPAs). Deep mastery of React internals, hooks, context, and performance optimization.
  • Next.js & Server Components: Experience with modern Next.js architectures (App Router), specifically leveraging Server Components and streaming for progressive UI rendering.
  • Real-Time Collaboration Experience: Hands-on experience building multi-user, real-time applications using WebSockets, SSE, or libraries like Yjs, Automerge, or Liveblocks. You understand the complexities of state synchronization and conflict resolution in distributed systems.
  • "Generative UI" / AI Integration: Demonstrable experience integrating LLM APIs (OpenAI, Anthropic, AWS Bedrock) into frontend applications. Experience with "streaming" UI responses and handling unstructured data.
  • Data Visualization: Proficiency with visualization libraries (e.g., D3.js, Recharts, React Flow, or Mermaid.js) to render complex dependency graphs and architecture diagrams.
  • A "Startup Mentality": High ownership, collaborative spirit, and adaptability. You are comfortable shipping an MVP "Collaborative Canvas" one week and refactoring it for scale the next based on user feedback.

Nice-to-Have (Bonus Points):

  • Experience with AI SDKs: Familiarity with the Vercel AI SDK, LangChain.js, or similar frameworks for managing agentic state in the frontend.
  • Design Systems: Experience building or maintaining enterprise-grade Design Systems (e.g., using Tailwind CSS, Radix UI, or Shadcn).
  • Backend Fluency: Ability to write Node.js/Edge Functions to support "Frontend-for-Backend" (BFF) patterns.
  • Knowledge of ASTs: Understanding of Abstract Syntax Trees (ASTs) for code analysis and manipulation within the browser.
  • FinTech/Mortgage Domain: Familiarity with the regulatory and compliance constraints of the financial industry (e.g., SOX, GLBA).

 


Why You Should Join

As one of the top mortgage lenders in the country, Pennymac has helped over 4 million lifetime homeowners achieve and sustain their aspirations of home. Our vision is to be the most trusted partner for home. Together, 4,000 Pennymac team members across the country are guided by our core values: to be Accountable, Reliable and Ethical in all that we do. Pennymac is committed to conducting a business that makes positive contributions and promotes long-term sustainable growth and to fostering an equitable and inclusive environment, where all employees and customers feel valued, respected and supported. 

 

Benefits That Bring It Home: Whether you're looking for flexible benefits for today, setting up short-term goals for tomorrow, or planning for long-term success and retirement, Pennymac's benefits have you covered. Some key benefits include: 

  • Comprehensive Medical, Dental, and Vision
  • Paid Time Off Programs including vacation, holidays, illness, and parental leave 
  • Wellness Programs, Employee Recognition Programs, and onsite gyms and cafe style dining (select locations)
  • Retirement benefits, life insurance, 401k match, and tuition reimbursement 
  • Philanthropy Programs including matching gifts, volunteer grants, charitable grants and corporate sponsorships

 

To learn more about our benefits visit: https://pennymacnews.page.link/benefits

 

For residents with state required benefit information, additional information can be found at: https://www.pennymac.com/additional-benefits-information

 

Compensation: Individual salary may vary based on multiple factors including specific role, geographic location / market data, and skills and experience as defined below:

  • Lower in range - Building skills and experience in the role
  • Mid-range - Experience and skills align with proficiency in the role 
  • Higher in range - Experience and skills add value above typical requirements of the role 

 

Some roles may be eligible for performance-based compensation and/or stock-based incentives awarded to employees based on company and individual performance. 

 


Salary

$90,000 - $150,000
Work Model

OFFICE

Other facts

Tech stack
React,TypeScript,Next.js,Real-Time Collaboration,Generative UI,Data Visualization,WebSockets,AI Integration,Developer Experience,Human-Computer Interaction,Frontend Architecture,CRDTs,Streaming UI,API Contracts,Design Systems,Node.js

About Pennymac

PennyMac Loan Services, LLC (NMLS #35953) is a top national mortgage lender with over 4 million lifetime customers. Whether you are new to the home loan process or an experienced buyer, Pennymac is dedicated to offering competitive rates and superior service.

Being an online mortgage lender means Pennymac can focus on the needs of its customers rather than maintaining a network of branches and banking products.

Our mission is to build a foundation of homeownership by enabling our customers to achieve and sustain their aspirations of home.

Pennymac Publication Rules
We A.R.E. Pennymac: Accountable, Reliable, Ethical. Pennymac does not pay or otherwise provide compensation for reviews/comments. All reviews/comments are subject to the disclaimer provided prior to posting and become the property of Pennymac once submitted. We reserve the right to validate, remove or republish your reviews/comments at any time.

Equal Housing Opportunity, PennyMac Loan Services, LLC, 3043 Townsgate Road, Suite 200, Westlake Village, CA 91361, 818-224-7442. NMLS ID # 35953 (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org). For a complete listing of state licenses and important notices, please visit www.pennymac.com/state-licenses. Not all property types qualify. Some loan products may not be available in all states. Information, property type eligibility, rates and pricing are subject to change without prior notice at the sole discretion of PennyMac Loan Services, LLC. Ask your loan officer for details. © 2025 Private National Mortgage Acceptance Company, LLC, Pennymac and all related marks are trademarks of Private National Mortgage Acceptance Company, LLC and/or its subsidiaries or affiliates. Third-party content is the property of its respective owners. All rights reserved. (01-2025)

Team size: 1,001-5,000 employees
LinkedIn: Visit
Industry: Financial Services
Founding Year: 2008

What you'll do

  • Architect the core frontend architecture for the AI platform and engineer a real-time, multi-player workspace where AI agents and humans can collaborate. Develop a robust component registry and rendering engine for dynamic UI generation and create intuitive visualizations for user decision-making.

Ready to join Pennymac?

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does Pennymac pay for a Principal Engineer Frontend?

Pennymac offers a competitive compensation package for the Principal Engineer Frontend role. The salary range is USD 90k - 150k per year. Apply through Clera to learn more about the full compensation details.

What does a Principal Engineer Frontend do at Pennymac?

As a Principal Engineer Frontend at Pennymac, you will: architect the core frontend architecture for the AI platform and engineer a real-time, multi-player workspace where AI agents and humans can collaborate. Develop a robust component registry and rendering engine for dynamic UI generation and create intuitive visualizations for user decision-making..

Why join Pennymac as a Principal Engineer Frontend?

Pennymac is a leading Financial Services company. The Principal Engineer Frontend role offers competitive compensation.

Is the Principal Engineer Frontend position at Pennymac remote?

The Principal Engineer Frontend position at Pennymac is based in Westlake Village, California, United States and Cary, North Carolina, United States. Contact the company through Clera for specific work arrangement details.

How do I apply for the Principal Engineer Frontend position at Pennymac?

You can apply for the Principal Engineer Frontend position at Pennymac directly through Clera. Click the "Apply Now" button above to start your application. Clera's AI-powered platform will help match your profile with this opportunity and guide you through the application process. You can also learn more about Pennymac on their website.