Principal Engineer, Core Product (Hybrid)

Homebase; San Francisco (CA); Hybride; USD 260 000 - 306 000; Plein temps

Avantages offerts par ce poste

Stock options + 401(k) match

Comprehensive healthcare

Paid time off

AI tools access

Parental leave

Résumé du poste

Homebase is seeking a Principal Engineer, Core Product, in a hybrid role based in San Francisco. You will lead technical strategy across Payroll, Scheduling, Time Tracking, and HRM, guiding architecture and platform decisions to scale the product for 100K+ SMBs.

You’ll collaborate with product and design leaders to shape roadmaps, mentor engineers, and champion AI-enabled improvements that boost code quality and delivery velocity.

Qualifications

• 12+ years of software engineering experience, with depth in scaling distributed systems and evolving legacy architectures.
• Strong background in Ruby/Rails.
• Track record of defining and executing technical strategy across multiple product domains or teams.
• Passion for mentoring engineers and guiding teams through architectural change.
• Experience with payroll, workforce management, or complex business domains is a plus.
• Proven ability to influence without authority and drive alignment through clarity.
• Strong communication skills for technical decisions with engineers, PMs, and executives.
• Active AI fluency and ability to leverage AI to improve outcomes.

Responsabilités

• Provide technical leadership across Core Product domains (Payroll, Scheduling, Time Tracking, HRM).
• Responsible for API strategy and platform capabilities enabling internal velocity and external integrations.
• Lead service decomposition using domain-driven design and SOA principles.
• Identify and resolve cross-cutting technical challenges before they affect customers.
• Promote engineering excellence and scalable patterns across teams.
• Partner with Product, Data, Design, and Engineering leadership on roadmaps.
• Advance AI-driven tooling and workflows to accelerate development.

Connaissances

System design

Distributed systems

Leadership

Ruby on Rails

Mentoring

AI fluency

Communication

Outils

SOA principles

Description du poste

Principal Engineer, Core Product (Hybrid)

Location

Employment Type

Full time

Location Type

Hybrid

Department

Compensation

• San Francisco San Francisco $259,900 – $305,800 • Offers Equity

Our Compensation Philosophy

We believe compensation should be fair, transparent, and reflective of impact. At Homebase, compensation is based on role level, skills, and performance. During the interview process, we evaluate experience, scope, and impact to determine the appropriate level for the role, which maps to a defined salary range. Posted ranges reflect the expected starting range for the role, and offers are made within that range, with flexibility based on experience, market context, and leveling. As impact grows, so does compensation over time.

At Homebase, you’ll join a team that’s bold, fast-moving, and obsessed with helping small businesses thrive. We build with empathy, act with urgency, and take big swings that drive real-world impact. Here, every Homie shows up to raise the bar, support one another, and celebrate wins as a team.

We’re not just building an app—we’re building unstoppable teams. So what do you say, are you in?

Your Impact Starts Here

As Principal Engineer, Core Product, you'll be the senior technical leader across Homebase's most critical product domains: Payroll, Scheduling, Time Tracking, HR Management (HRM). You’ll contribute to Homebase business goals by thinking 18+ months in the future to deliver technical capabilities that support a resilient, maintainable, scalable, and trustworthy product.

This is a role for someone who thinks in systems, ships with urgency, and elevates everyone around them. You'll work at the intersection of deep technical craft and business impact — partnering closely with product, data, design, and engineering leadership to shape what Homebase builds and how we build it.

These are the key ways you’ll contribute and create impact in this role:

Technical Leadership: In collaboration with our Technical Leadership group of Staff and Principal Engineers, drive Homebase’s technical vision and architecture across our Core Product domains such as Payroll, Scheduling, Time Tracking, and HRM — creating coherence across domains that today serve 100K+ SMBs

API Strategy: Champion and help deliver Homebase's API strategy — building a platform that enables internal velocity, external integrations, and future partnership opportunities

Service Architecture: Lead the decomposition of core product systems into well-bounded services using domain-driven design and SOA principles

Technical Problem Solving: Identify and resolve cross-cutting technical challenges — data consistency, performance bottlenecks, reliability gaps — before they become customer problems

Engineering Excellence: Support and champion the Engineering culture to scale Engineering Excellence in all teams. Drive standards and patterns that are adopted because they're good, not because they're mandated; mentor senior and staff engineers to raise the overall bar

Cross-Functional Partnership: Partner with Product, Data, Design and Engineering leadership to shape roadmaps and ensure technical strategy aligns with business priorities

AI-First Engineering: Experiment with and deploy/build harness capabilities to accelerate engineering workflows — from code generation to test automation — and coach teams on doing the same. Aligned with our belief that the best use of AI accelerates quality of the codebase and quality products as well as delivery velocity.

The Foundation for Success - These are the experiences and strengths that will set you up for success in this role:

12+ years of software engineering experience, with significant depth in scaling distributed systems and evolving legacy architectures

Ideal candidate brings a strong background in Ruby/Rails

Track record of defining and executing technical strategy across multiple product domains or teams — not just within one team

Passion for mentoring engineers and guiding teams through architectural change.

Experience with payroll, workforce management, or similarly complex business domains is a strong plus

Proven ability to influence without authority — you drive alignment through clarity of thought and collaboration

Strong communication skills: you can explain complex technical decisions to engineers, PMs, and executives alike

Active, high-leverage AI fluency — you use AI tools daily to improve your outcomes as an engineer and have helped teams adopt AI to create leverage, not slop.

Comfort operating in a high-velocity environment where shipping fast and iterating matters

AI Fluency - At the Principal level, we expect you to:

Champion AI adoption across teams you influence — continually identifying where AI creates real leverage vs. noise

Measure and share the impact of AI-enabled improvements on velocity, quality, or developer experience

As a key member in Engineering Leadership, contribute to AI platform efforts that will enable Homebase to deliver outsized customer benefit through faster product development and higher quality features

The Homie Way - These principles guide everything we do—from how we work and make decisions to how we show up for each other.

Be Customer Obsessed – Solve problems with empathy and creativity.

Move Fast, Learn Fast – Experiment, take action, and grow every day.

Own Your Impact – Think big, focus on what matters, and make decisions you stand behind.

Master Your Craft – Excellence fuels impact—show up, step up, and make your mark.

Win Together – Put goals over roles, lead with trust, and connect to our mission and each other.

What We Offer (United States)

Ownership & Financial Security: Stock options + 401(k) with 4% match

Comprehensive Healthcare: Medical, dental, and vision coverage + FSA options

Paid Time Off: Flexible PTO + company holidays + designated focus periods

AI access, for real: We invest in builders and believe that curiosity shouldn't have a paywall. That means you'll have access to paid AI tools with minimal restrictions, so you can build, experiment, and level up your craft.

Family Support: Up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave (after 6 months of service)

Work Your Way: Work From Anywhere Month + meeting-free weeks yearly

Workspace Perks: Meals provided, commuter benefits, team offsites, and Customer Days

Our Hybrid Rhythm: We believe collaboration drives impact. That’s why Tuesdays and Wednesdays are our required in-office days—a time to move faster as a team, build deeper connections, make better decisions, and build together.

What We Offer (Canada)

Ownership & Savings: Stock options + TFSA/RRSP with 4% company match

Health & Wellness: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision for you and your dependents

Paid Time Off: Flexible PTO + company holidays + designated focus periods

AI access, for real: We invest in builders and believe that curiosity shouldn't have a paywall. That means you'll have access to paid AI tools with minimal restrictions, so you can build, experiment, and level up your craft.

Family Support: Maternity/Parental Leave EI top-up support offered (after 6 months of service)

Work Your Way: Work From Anywhere Month + meeting-free weeks yearly

Workspace Perks: Meals provided, team offsites, and Customer Days

Our Hybrid Rhythm: We believe collaboration drives impact. That’s why Tuesdays and Wednesdays are our required in-office days—a time to move faster as a team, build deeper connections, make better decisions, and build together.

What to Expect During the Interview Process

Meet the Talent Acquisition team, Mavel W.

Meet Cross-functional Partners in Product & Engineering

Connect on Values & AI Mindset with Senior Engineers

Background Check + Offer Stage

Welcome to the team, Homie

Belonging at Homebase - We're committed to fostering a welcoming space where every Homie can be their full self. Experience comes in many forms—so if you're excited about this role, even if you don’t meet 100% of the qualifications, we encourage you to apply!

Homebase will consider qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance.

Homebase is the everything app for hourly teams—built to simplify the day-to-day and superpower local businesses. With tools for scheduling, time clocks, payroll, communication, HR, and more, we help teams stay connected and in control. Today, over 150,000 small (but mighty) businesses rely on us to make work radically easier. Together, we’ve tracked over a billion hours for 2M+ workers—and we’re just getting started.

At Homebase, we celebrate diversity and are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We welcome all candidates and do not discriminate based on any legally protected status. If you need accommodations during the hiring process, please let us know—we’re committed to ensuring fair and equitable access for all.