Principal Software Engineer, Developer Tools (US West Coast)

This position is listed on behalf of a partner company, who manages all applications and next steps. Our partner is looking for a Principal Software Engineer, Developer Tools (US West Coast) based in United States.

In this role, you will define the technical vision and architecture for a large-scale developer tools ecosystem that powers how software is built, tested, and delivered across a global engineering organization. You will operate at the intersection of platform engineering, CI/CD systems, and emerging AI-driven development workflows, shaping the foundations of internal developer productivity at scale. This is a highly strategic and influential position where your decisions will directly impact engineering velocity, system reliability, and developer experience across multiple teams. You will design the “golden path” for software delivery, ensuring that best practices are embedded into default workflows rather than enforced externally. You will collaborate with senior engineering leaders, security, infrastructure, and platform teams to define SDLC standards and translate them into scalable systems. The role also involves evaluating and integrating AI/LLM technologies to modernize development workflows and enable agent-driven automation. This is a high-impact, architecture-heavy role suited for a deeply technical leader who thrives in complex, distributed environments.

• Define the long-term technical vision and architecture for the developer tools platform, spanning CI/CD, platform engineering, and AI-enabled development systems
• Establish SDLC principles and translate them into enforceable engineering mechanisms such as design gates, pipeline standards, and deployment workflows
• Design and evolve the internal developer platform enabling self-service provisioning, deployment, and operation of services across engineering teams
• Architect CI/CD systems, build pipelines, and GitOps-based deployment patterns to ensure scalability, reliability, and developer efficiency
• Drive technical standards for observability, reliability, security, and cost optimization across developer tooling infrastructure
• Evaluate and integrate emerging technologies, including LLMs and AI agent frameworks, into development workflows and platform capabilities
• Lead cross-functional architecture discussions and influence engineering-wide decisions on tooling, infrastructure, and developer experience
• Mentor senior and staff engineers, lead design reviews, and elevate technical excellence across the organization
• Define and support the productization of internal developer tools into potential customer-facing offerings

Requirements:

• 10+ years of software engineering experience, including 3+ years in Staff or Principal Engineer roles
• Strong background in designing and operating developer platforms, internal tools, or large-scale engineering productivity systems
• Deep expertise in CI/CD systems, build infrastructure, and GitOps deployment practices
• Production experience with cloud-native environments, including Kubernetes and observability tools such as Prometheus, Grafana, or Loki
• Experience building self-service platforms, developer portals, or “golden path” engineering systems
• Working knowledge of AI/ML systems, including LLM APIs or agent-based software workflows
• Strong programming skills in Go (preferred), Python, Java, or Rust
• Experience with infrastructure-as-code tools such as Terraform or Pulumi is a plus
• Strong system design, architecture, and trade-off decision-making skills
• Proven ability to influence technical direction across large engineering organizations
• Excellent communication and mentorship skills with a strong product and platform mindset
• Ability to operate autonomously in a distributed, remote-first environment

Benefits:

• Competitive compensation with base salary and equity participation in company growth
• Remote-first work model with flexible scheduling
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance (country-dependent)
• Generous paid parental leave (up to 16 weeks)
• Flexible PTO policy encouraging work-life balance
• Home office setup support and monthly technology stipend
• Training and professional development budget for courses and conferences
• Quarterly wellbeing breaks and additional company-wide rest periods
• Retirement plans and financial benefits depending on location
• Inclusive, globally distributed engineering culture with strong emphasis on collaboration and autonomy
• Opportunities to contribute to high-impact internal tools and potential external product offerings

We use an AI-powered matching process to ensure your application is reviewed quickly, objectively, and fairly against the role's core requirements. Our system identifies the top-fitting candidates, and this shortlist is then shared directly with the hiring company. The final decision and next steps (interviews, assessments) are managed by their internal team.

We appreciate your interest and wish you the best!

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