Principal Architect

eBay; Bengaluru; On-site; INR 3,800,000 - 7,000,000; Full time

Job summary

eBay Bengaluru seeks a Principal Engineer to lead the architecture and evolution of a large-scale distributed data platform powering real-time and batch workloads. You will drive platform capabilities and coordinate across teams to deliver reliable data services at scale.

You will mentor engineers, shape automation and AI-assisted workflows, and uphold strong observability, SLOs, and production excellence as the platform evolves.

Qualifications

• 10–15+ years of experience building large-scale distributed systems or data platforms.
• Experience at Staff+ or Principal level leading cross-team technical initiatives.
• Proficiency in systems programming (Java, Python, Go) and operating production systems.

Responsibilities

• Define and drive architecture for a distributed data platform supporting real-time, streaming, and batch workloads.
• Lead design of core platform capabilities such as data lifecycle management, metadata systems, orchestration, and developer-facing APIs.
• Build systems that improve data reliability, consistency, discoverability, and ease of use across diverse internal consumers.
• Drive platform scalability, performance, and cost efficiency across high-throughput, low-latency systems.
• Introduce automation and AI-assisted workflows to reduce operational overhead and improve system resilience.
• Establish strong operational foundations: observability, SLOs, failure handling, and production excellence.
• Partner with engineering teams across the company to influence adoption, standardization, and platform evolution.
• Mentor senior engineers and contribute to raising engineering and architectural standards.

Skills

Distributed systems

Staff+/Principal level

Programming: Java, Python, Go

Reliability & Observability

Real-time data processing

High-scale streaming

Cross-team leadership

Platform services

Mentoring

Strong communication

Job description

At eBay, we're more than a global ecommerce leader — we’re changing the way the world shops and sells. Our platform empowers millions of buyers and sellers in more than 190 markets around the world. We’re committed to pushing boundaries and leaving our mark as we reinvent the future of ecommerce for enthusiasts.

Our customers are our compass, authenticity thrives, bold ideas are welcome, and everyone can bring their unique selves to work — every day. We're in this together, sustaining the future of our customers, our company, and our planet.

Join a team of passionate thinkers, innovators, and dreamers — and help us connect people and build communities to create economic opportunity for all.

Principal Architect

Company: eBay

Type: Full-time

Location: Bengaluru

Job Type: Full-time

About EBay

eBay is a global commerce leader that connects millions of buyers and sellers around the world. We empower people and create economic opportunities for individuals, businesses, and communities. We're driven by a vision to create a more sustainable form of commerce that benefits the environment and society as a whole. Join us as we continue to innovate and shape the future of e-commerce.

Job Description

Cloud Data Technologies (CDT) team at eBay is responsible for all the data infrastructure and management of end-to-end data lifecycle for all eBay data from onsite to analytics use cases. We are looking for strong backend infrastructure engineers who are passionate about building data systems that support our real-time, batch and AI systems.

About The Role

We are looking for a Principal Engineer to lead the architecture and evolution of a large-scale distributed data platform that powers real-time and batch data use cases across the company.

This is a director-level IC role focused on building foundational platform systems that enable teams to produce, manage, and consume data reliably at scale. You will operate across multiple domains, setting technical direction, driving key architectural decisions, and partnering broadly to deliver platform capabilities used by a wide range of internal consumers.

In addition to strong distributed systems expertise, this role will help shape how automation and AI-assisted workflows are incorporated into the platform—improving system operability, developer productivity, and platform intelligence—while maintaining strong guardrails and reliability.

What You’ll Do

• Define and drive architecture for a distributed data platform supporting real-time, streaming, and batch workloads
• Lead design of core platform capabilities such as data lifecycle management, metadata systems, orchestration, and developer-facing APIs
• Build systems that improve data reliability, consistency, discoverability, and ease of use across diverse internal consumers
• Drive platform scalability, performance, and cost efficiency across high-throughput, low-latency systems
• Introduce automation and AI-assisted workflows (e.g., intelligent diagnostics, validation, safe remediation) to reduce operational overhead and improve system resilience
• Establish strong operational foundations: observability, SLOs, failure handling, and production excellence
• Partner with engineering teams across the company to influence adoption, standardization, and platform evolution
• Mentor senior engineers and contribute to raising engineering and architectural standards

What You Bring

• ~10–15+ years of experience building large-scale distributed systems, infrastructure, or data platforms
• Experience operating at Staff+ or Principal level, leading complex, cross-team technical initiatives
• Strong fundamentals in distributed systems (scalability, fault tolerance, data consistency, performance)
• Experience with high-scale streaming systems, event-driven architectures, or real-time data processing
• Hands-on experience building platform services that support both real-time and offline workloads
• Proficiency in systems programming (e.g., Java, Python, Go) with the ability to go deep when needed
• Experience running production systems with strong focus on reliability, observability, and operational excellence
• Familiarity with automation or AI-assisted systems (e.g., agentic workflows, intelligent tooling) and sound judgment on where they add value
• Strong communication and ability to influence across a broad engineering organization

Additional Details

eBay is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, and disability, or other legally protected status. If you have a need that requires accommodation, please contact us at [e-mail]. We will make every effort to respond to your request for accommodation as soon as possible. View our accessibility statement to learn more about eBay's commitment to ensuring digital accessibility for people with disabilities.