Principal Software Engineer

Jobtailor

San Francisco (CA)

On-site

USD 210,000 - 280,000

Full time

14 days+

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Job summary

Apollo seeks a proven technical leader to set direction for its most critical and ambiguous problems across teams and organizational boundaries in San Francisco. You will shape platform and product strategy and translate it into executable directions for multiple squads.

You will raise engineering standards, drive architectural decisions over multi-year horizons, and mentor senior engineers, while advancing AI-native practices and leveraging AI agents to accelerate delivery and innovation.

Qualifications

Track record of setting technical direction that shaped a product or platform across an entire engineering organization.
Deep expertise in distributed systems and architecture.
Ability to balance reliability, scalability, and cost in critical decisions.
Strong judgment under ambiguity and ability to align multiple teams.
Experience mentoring senior engineers.
Current fluency with AI-assisted development.
Clear perspective on the future of AI in engineering.
Experience with React, Ruby on Rails, Python, MongoDB, Elasticsearch, Kubernetes, Docker, Terraform, and GCP.

Responsibilities

Set the technical direction for Apollo's most critical and ambiguous problems across teams and organizational boundaries
Make architectural decisions shaping the product and platform over multiple years
Set technical strategy for the AI- and agent-focused product rebuild and translate it into executable team direction
Raise engineering standards, patterns, and decision quality across the organization
Multiply the output of engineers and teams through design, review, and mentorship of senior engineers
Partner with engineering and product leadership on the company's technology direction
Use AI agents for complex design, investigation, and implementation work
Define AI-native engineering practices and identify opportunities where AI reshapes product development

Skills

Distributed systems

AI-assisted development

Mentorship of seniors

Architectural decision making

Team alignment

Tools

Ruby on Rails

Elasticsearch

Kubernetes

Docker

Terraform

GCP

Job description

Set the technical direction for Apollo's most critical and ambiguous problems across teams and organizational boundaries
Make architectural decisions shaping the product and platform over multiple years
Set technical strategy for the AI- and agent-focused product rebuild and translate it into executable team direction
Raise engineering standards, patterns, and decision quality across the organization
Multiply the output of engineers and teams through design, review, and mentorship of senior engineers
Partner with engineering and product leadership on the company's technology direction
Use AI agents for complex design, investigation, and implementation work
Define AI-native engineering practices and identify opportunities where AI reshapes product development

Requirements

Track record of setting technical direction that shaped a product or platform across an entire engineering organization
Deep expertise in distributed systems and architecture
Command of reliability, scalability, and cost tradeoffs in company-defining technical decisions
Strong judgment under ambiguity and ability to align multiple teams
Record of multiplying the effectiveness of senior engineers
Current fluency with AI-assisted development
Clear perspective on the future of AI in engineering
Experience with React, Ruby, Ruby on Rails, Python, MongoDB, Elasticsearch, Kubernetes, Docker, Terraform, and GCP

Core Competencies

Demonstrates deep expertise in distributed systems and architecture, with a strong focus on AI-assisted development and the ability to set technical direction that shapes product and platform strategies. Proven track record in mentoring senior engineers and raising engineering standards across teams.

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