Principal Software Engineer

LawnStarter; Austin (TX); Remote; USD 180,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary range: 180K-210K USD annually

Healthcare benefits: Medical, dental, and vision

Unlimited PTO

Fully remote position

Job summary

A leading outdoor services platform is seeking a Principal Software Engineer to join their remote team. This role will involve leading projects, designing system architecture, and mentoring fellow engineers. Candidates should have extensive experience in both server-side and client-side development, familiarity with cloud services like AWS, and a strong grasp of computer science concepts. This position offers a competitive salary and the flexibility to work from anywhere. Join us in transforming the outdoor services industry.

Qualifications

• Principal engineer or lead full-stack engineer experience is required.
• Highly skilled in both server-side and client-side software development.
• Familiar with cloud development tools such as AWS and Google Cloud.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate on system architecture and technical strategy.
• Lead technical initiatives across teams.
• Build and maintain platform-level components and services.
• Mentor engineers through code reviews and guidance.
• Contribute to server-side and client-side development.
• Evaluate and implement new tools and best practices.

Skills

Server-side software development

Client-side software development

Test-Driven Development (TDD)

RESTful APIs

React

Cloud development

SQL and NoSQL databases

Infrastructure as Code (IAC)

Job description

We're currently hiring a Principal Software Engineer to join our growing remote team.

Help Us Build the Future of Outdoor Services

At LawnStarter, we're transforming the $100B+ outdoor home services industry—making it easier for homeowners to book, manage, and enjoy services like lawn care, landscaping, and more. With $30M+ in venture funding and solid traction, we're investing in the next generation of our platform—and we're looking for a Principal Software Engineer to help drive it.

📹 See what we're building

Why This Role Rocks

• Own What You Build - Lead projects end-to-end with full autonomy and real impact
• Remote & Flexible - Work from anywhere and set your own hours
• Build Meaningful Tech - Help shape the tools that thousands of homeowners and service pros rely on daily
• Join at the Right Time - We have strong product-market fit and real momentum—you'll help define what comes next

Our Tech Stack

• Languages & Frameworks: PHP (Laravel), JavaScript (React, React Native, Vue)
• Cloud Services: AWS (Lambda, ECS, EKS, Aurora, Redshift)
• Approach: We're not fixated on specific languages. If you have strong engineering fundamentals and experience with any mainstream object-oriented language, we believe you can quickly learn and adapt to our tech stack

What You'll Do

As a Principal Software Engineer, you'll work closely with the Software Architect and other engineers to:

• Collaborate on designing and implementing system architecture, technical strategy, and engineering standards.
• Lead technical initiatives across teams, ensuring alignment with architectural direction and goals.
• Build and maintain platform-level components, services, and libraries that enhance engineering efficiency and system maintainability.
• Mentor engineers through code reviews, pair programming, and hands‑on guidance.
• Contribute directly to both server‑side and client‑side development across the entire stack.
• Write and review technical design documents, system diagrams, and reference implementations.
• Evaluate and implement new tools, frameworks, and best practices to continuously improve our platform.
• Enhance observability, performance, scalability, and security throughout our system.
• Share knowledge and insights to foster team growth and improvement.

Requirements

What we're looking for:

• We're looking for someone who is:
• Experienced: A principal engineer, lead full‑stack engineer, or someone with relevant experience in similar roles.
• Highly skilled in both server‑side and client‑side software development.
• Technically Proficient: Familiar with cloud development (AWS, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure), experienced with Test‑Driven Development (TDD), RESTful APIs, React, MVC frameworks, and security concerns (e.g., XSS attacks).
• Fundamentally Strong in Computer Science Concepts: You can explain concepts like Big O notation, pointers, composition vs. inheritance, and data structures such as arrays, sets, and linked lists.
• Database‑Savvy: Proficient in SQL and NoSQL databases, and understand operations like CRUD, indexes, and joins.
• Cloud Infrastructure Expert: Comfortable working with cloud infrastructure (e.g., AWS Lambda, ECS, EKS, Aurora) and utilizing Infrastructure as Code (IAC).
• Customer‑Centric: Passionate about clean code and building customer‑driven solutions with a focus on quality and reliability.

All team members at LawnStarter are expected to embody our core values which are: Be data-driven, Get Shit Done, People Are Critical, Challenge the Status Quo, Be the Customer, and AI or Annihilation.

Benefits

• Salary Range: 180K-210K USD annually
• Healthcare benefits: Medical, dental, and vision
• Fully remote position: Work remotely from anywhere you want.
• Unlimited PTO: We focus on results. Take the time you need to recharge or enjoy life, work hard when you are back.

Disclaimer

LawnStarter provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, LawnStarter complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training. LawnStarter expressly prohibits any form of workplace harassment based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, or veteran status. Improper interference with the ability of LawnStarter's employees to perform their job duties may result in discipline up to and including discharge.

LawnStarter is building the future of outdoor home services. Want to help us shape it? Apply now and let's grow together.