Principal Software Engineer

Physna; United States; On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental, and vision insurance at 100%

401(k) plan

Generous holiday and PTO schedule

Professional development budget

Job summary

A technology company is seeking a Principal Software Engineer to drive architectural vision and mentor engineering teams. This role requires 8+ years of experience in backend systems and expertise in languages like TypeScript, Python, and cloud-native applications. The position offers significant autonomy, focusing on innovation and rapid delivery in a supportive culture.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of backend, platform, and distributed systems experience.
• Expertise in modern programming languages and system architecture.
• Proven track record designing scalable applications.

Responsibilities

• Define and evolve architectural roadmap for backend and platform systems.
• Partner with product, security, and infrastructure teams.
• Lead design reviews and cross-functional engineering initiatives.

Skills

Backend systems experience

TypeScript/Node.js

Python

Go

C++

API design

System architecture

Cloud-native applications

System reliability

Performance tuning

Observability

Mentoring

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field

Job description

Physna is redefining how software connects to the physical world. Our core IP in geometric search turns 3D models into data that can be searched, compared, and understood—but our vision extends further. We're building the search interface for physical parts, giving engineers, manufacturers, and procurement teams a faster, smarter way to discover, reuse, and standardize the components that power innovation.

Backed by Sequoia Capital and Tiger Global, Physna is tackling novel problems in a rapidly evolving space. We're shaping the future of design, sourcing, and manufacturing—and we're just getting started.

What You'll Do

As a Principal Software Engineer, you'll serve as a technical leader across Physna's product ecosystem—driving architectural vision, enabling platform scalability, and mentoring teams through complex engineering challenges. You'll work closely with senior leadership to ensure that our systems are secure, performant, and built to scale for the next generation of Physna's products.

Your work will include:

• Defining and evolving the architectural roadmap for Physna's core backend and platform systems
• Partnering with product, security, and infrastructure leaders to ensure system reliability, observability, and scalability
• Leading design reviews and cross-functional engineering initiatives
• Mentoring senior and mid-level engineers, fostering a culture of technical excellence and growth
• Driving improvements in deployment automation, testing, and long-term maintainability

This role offers significant autonomy, flexibility, and agency. It is both a hands-on and strategic position: you'll architect solutions that influence multiple product lines, guide engineering decisions across teams, and elevate our technical standards company-wide. With that freedom comes the responsibility to move quickly—we value a bias for action, frequent shipping, and learning fast from real-world feedback. You'll be joining a highly talented team where you can grow, stretch your skills, and help build technology that doesn't exist anywhere else.

What We'll Expect from You

• 8+ years of backend, platform, and distributed, cloud-native systems experience
• Expertise in TypeScript/Node.js, Python, Go, or C++, and strong understanding of API design and system architecture
• Proven track record designing scalable, secure, cloud-native applications (AWS, GCP, or Azure)
• Deep knowledge of system reliability, performance tuning, and observability
• Strong communication skills—able to influence architectural decisions and align technical strategy across teams
• A product mindset: ownership, urgency, and delivering real value, not just code
• A systems-thinking mindset: seeing interconnections and automating as you go, delivering resilient, creative, and efficient solutions that strengthen the whole system
• Experience mentoring and leveling up engineering peers
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent experience
• You must be legally authorized to work in the United States (no visa sponsorship)

Nice to Have

• Exposure to 3D data, CAD tools, or engineering/manufacturing workflows or the drive to learn quickly
• Prior experience in fast-moving startups where ownership and bias for action are key
• A habit of upleveling yourself with AI/LLM tools to accelerate development and problem-solving

Why You'll Like Working for Us

We care about your physical, financial and mental well-being. We cover health, dental and vision insurance premiums at 100% for the family. We believe in competitive and fair compensation, offer a 401(k), provide a generous holiday and PTO schedule, and each team member receives a professional development budget.

We care about our culture. We believe in diversity, equity, inclusion & belonging. We treat each other with kindness and respect. We are a culture of innovation, transparency, accountability, failing fast and learning quickly.