Principal Engineer | The Points Guy

Red Ventures; United States; On-site; USD 135,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health Insurance Coverage

Life Insurance

Short/Long-Term Disability Insurance

Flexible Spending Accounts

Holiday Pay

401(k) with match

Employee Assistance Program

Parental Bonding Benefit

Generous PTO

Job summary

The Points Guy, part of Red Ventures, is transforming into a consumer product company, and we seek a Principal Engineer to raise the bar for this team. This is a hands‑on role with no management responsibilities; you will be the most experienced builder and will up‑level engineers through code, design reviews, and pairing.

You will own hard technical problems end to end, set direction for ~30 engineers, raise the bar weekly, drive AI‑assisted development, and partner with the SVP of Engineering

Qualifications

• Many years of experience building and shipping consumer products at scale.
• Hands-on today: you write code weekly and would not take a role without it.
• Track record of up-leveling teams and improving engineers around you.
• Deep fluency in modern web stack (Next.js, React, TypeScript) and product architecture.
• Conviction about AI-native development backed by daily practice.

Responsibilities

• Own the hardest technical problems end to end, from architecture through shipped code.
• Set technical direction for ~30 engineers and test big decisions before committing.
• Raise the engineering bar weekly with design reviews, pairing, and code-review standards.
• Make AI-assisted development the default way of working and demonstrate best practices.
• Bring outside industry perspective and refresh ways of working that have grown stale.
• Partner with the SVP of Engineering while remaining an IC.

Skills

Hands-on coding

Mentor teams

Web stack

Job description

About the Role

The Points Guy is transforming from a media business into a consumer product company. For fifteen years we helped millions of people master points, miles, and travel through content. Now we are building the products that do it for them, including AI‑native, consumer‑facing experiences that act on a user’s behalf. The engineering problems in front of us are about engagement, growth, and active users, not page views.

What You’ll Do

We are hiring a Principal Engineer to raise the bar for how this team builds. This is a hands‑on role with zero management responsibility, by design. You will be the most experienced builder in the room, and your job is to up‑level the engineers around you through proximity: in the code, in design reviews, in pairing sessions, in the standards you set by example. A mentor and a leader, not a manager.

• Own the hardest technical problems in our consumer product transformation end to end, from architecture through shipped code.
• Set technical direction for a ~30‑person engineering org and pressure‑test the big decisions before we commit to them.
• Raise the engineering bar every week: design reviews, pairing, code‑review standards, and the questions nobody else is asking.
• Make AI‑assisted development the way we work, not a side experiment. You use agents and modern tooling daily and you show others what good looks like.
• Bring outside industry perspective to a team that has grown up inside one company, and change ways of working that have gone stale.
• Partner directly with the SVP of Engineering and the engineering managers as a technical thought partner, while staying an IC.

What We’re Looking For

• Many years of experience building and shipping consumer products at scale, with the scars to prove it.
• Hands‑on today: you write code every week and you would not take a role where you didn’t.
• A track record of up‑leveling teams around you: engineers who worked near you got noticeably better.
• Deep fluency in the modern web stack (we build on Next.js, React, and TypeScript) and strong instincts for product architecture.
• Genuine conviction about AI‑native development, backed by daily practice rather than talking points.
• Comfort influencing without authority. You change how a team works through credibility, not org charts.

Compensation

This range reflects total cash compensation, which may include base salary only or base salary plus target bonus, depending on the role. Where eligible, equity may also be offered separately and not included below. Actual compensation varies based on location, experience, and qualifications.

• Total Cash Compensation Range: $135,000 – $260,000 per year

Benefits

• Health Insurance Coverage (medical, dental, and vision)
• Life Insurance
• Short and Long‑Term Disability Insurance
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Holiday Pay
• 401(k) with match
• Employee Assistance Program
• Paid Parental Bonding Benefit Program
• Flexible Paid Time Off (PTO): We believe time to rest and recharge is essential. That’s why we offer a generous and flexible PTO policy. Full‑time employees accrue 20 days of PTO for a full calendar year annually, with an increase to 25 days after five years of service.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Red Ventures is an equal‑opportunity employer that does not discriminate against any employee or applicant because of race, creed, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, national origin, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy or any other basis protected by law. Employment at Red Ventures is based solely on a person’s merit and qualifications.

We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to qualified individuals with disabilities. This includes providing reasonable accommodation where appropriate. Should you require a reasonable accommodation to apply or participate in the job application or interview process, please contact [e-mail].