Distinguished Software Engineer

Circle Internet Management Services LLC; California (MO); On-site; USD 285,000 - 352,500; Full time

Job summary

Circle Internet Management Services LLC is seeking a Distinguished Engineer to shape the long-term technical direction of its platform and core systems. You will lead complex engineering initiatives and act as a trusted technical authority, influencing architectural decisions across teams.

Ideal candidates will possess 15+ years of software engineering experience and a proven track record with large-scale distributed systems. The role offers a compensation range of $285,000 - $352,500, emphasizing a commitment to system reliability and technical innovation.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of experience in software engineering.
• Expertise in designing and operating large-scale distributed systems.
• Strong collaboration skills across teams.

Responsibilities

• Drive technical direction for platform and core systems.
• Lead architectural initiatives across multiple teams.
• Mentor senior engineers and influence technical standards.

Skills

Software engineering

Large-scale distributed systems

System design

Technical leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Job description

What You’ll Be Responsible For

As a Distinguished Engineer at Circle, you will drive the long-term technical direction of Circle’s platform and core systems, shaping architectures that scale across products, teams, and regulatory environments. You will lead complex, cross-cutting engineering initiatives that span multiple organizations, influencing architectural decisions well beyond a single team. Acting as a trusted technical authority, you will set a high bar for system reliability, performance, security, and developer experience while mentoring senior engineers and contributing to Circle’s engineering standards, culture, and technical strategy.

What You’ll Work On

• Design, evolve, and steward core platform architectures to ensure scalability, reliability, and long-term resilience.
• Drive architectural direction and technical strategy for critical distributed systems used across Circle’s product ecosystem.
• Lead cross-team, cross-functional technical initiatives in partnership with Engineering, Product, Infrastructure, Security, and Compliance.
• Provide deep technical leadership and mentorship, elevating system design quality and engineering rigor across teams.
• Identify and address platform-wide technical debt, architectural risks, and systemic bottlenecks.
• Influence engineering-wide best practices in observability, reliability, performance, and developer experience.
• Serve as a trusted technical advisor across the company, contributing to major technical decisions and long-term platform evolution.
• Champion innovation, knowledge sharing, and engineering excellence as a senior technical thought leader at Circle.

Core Requirements

• 15+ years of software engineering experience, including deep expertise designing and operating large-scale distributed systems.
• Proven track record of architecting and scaling platform systems that support multiple downstream products and teams.
• Ability to set long-term technical direction while making pragmatic, high-impact execution decisions.
• Extensive experience operating critical, highly available systems with strong observability, reliability, and performance practices.
• Exceptional system design skills, with the ability to debug and resolve complex issues across services and architectural boundaries.
• Strong cross-functional collaboration skills, with demonstrated influence on technical direction beyond immediate teams.

Preferred Requirements

• Experience building internal developer platforms or shared services adopted broadly across an organization.
• Familiarity working in regulated, compliance-heavy, or security-sensitive environments.
• Track record of shaping engineering-wide practices, tools, or standards as a recognized technical leader.

Compensation

Base Pay Range: $285,000 - $352,500.

Equal Employment Opportunity

We are an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status, or any other protected status required by the laws in the locations where we hire. Additionally, Circle participates in the E‑Verify Program in certain locations, as required by law. Should you require accommodations or assistance in our interview process because of a disability, please reach out to [e-mail] for support. We respect your privacy and will connect with you separately from our interview process to accommodate your needs.