Principal Software Engineer (C++ and Rust)

ATPCO; Virginia (MN); Remote; USD 152,000 - 183,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Remote-first culture

Inclusive culture

PTO

401(k) match

Tuition reimbursement

Gym reimbursement

Standby flight program

Job summary

ATPCO is redefining how airlines price and sell products on a global scale. As a Principal Software Engineer on the Pricing Platform Team, you’ll tackle distributed-systems challenges and help evolve a next-generation pricing engine used across 160+ countries.

Join a remote-first culture that values trust, collaboration, and impact. You’ll shape architecture decisions, optimize for performance, and mentor engineers while collaborating with product and stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Expert-level C and Rust with Go or Python a plus.
• Experience building fault-tolerant distributed systems in production.
• Strong Linux performance and resource management knowledge.
• Ability to reason about complex algorithms and data structures.
• Proven ownership and proactive problem solving.
• Demonstrated self-directed learning in large codebases.
• Ability to contribute to rigorous technical discussions and decision making.
• Excellent written communication in a distributed, async-friendly team.

Responsibilities

• Extend the high-performance pricing engine to support new use cases.
• Shape architecture and drive key technical decisions.
• Solve challenges in distributed systems, scalability, and reliability.
• Work across the stack from system interactions to APIs.
• Optimize for extreme performance and latency improvements.
• Implement lock-free data structures.
• Design fault tolerance and replication strategies.
• Deeply understand the existing engine and build on it.
• Collaborate with engineers, product, and stakeholders.

Skills

C

Rust

Go/Python

Linux

Distributed systems

Ownership

Self-directed learning

Technical discussion

Clear communication

AI-assisted tooling

Job description

Why Join Us?

• Remote-First Culture - Flexibility to work from home in your country of hire
• Inclusive, Collaborative Culture- Be seen, heard, and valued
• "Leave Your Way" PTO - Take the time you need, when you need it
• 401(k) with Generous Employer Match- Invest in your future
• Global Tuition and Gym Reimbursement- Learn and be well on us
• Standby Flight Program- Explore the world

Our Culture:

We've built a remote-first culture rooted in trust, transparency, and belonging. With open-door leadership, weekly 1:1s, and real-time recognition, we keep our people connected and valued- no matter where they work.

Our cultural pillars of Collaboration, Empowerment, Innovation, Learning, Transparency, and Trust guide how we show up for one another and grow together.

Job Description:

Want to help redefine how the airline industry prices and sells products on a global scale?

At ATPCO, you'll join our Pricing Platform Team, established in 2024, to evolve a next-generation pricing engine that manages over 200 million fares across more than 160 countries. The platform is already up and running, and we're now focused on expanding its capabilities, supporting new use cases, and shaping how airlines distribute and optimize their products in real time.

As a Principal Software Engineer, you'll play a key technical leadership role, tackling complex challenges in distributed systems, performance engineering, and large-scale data processing while helping shape the future of airline retailing.

What You'll Do

• Extend and evolve our high-performance, fault-tolerant pricing engine to support new use cases
• Shape the platform's architecture and drive key technical decisions with the team
• Solve complex challenges in distributed systems, scalability, and reliability
• Work across the stack, from low-level system interactions to distributed algorithms and APIs
• Optimize for extreme performance. At 200M+ fares, shaving milliseconds off latency and fractions of a cent off cost adds fast. Techniques in play include:
• Lock-free data structures
• Sophisticated fault tolerance and replication strategies
• Get deep in the existing engine's codebase and design, so enhancements build on what's already there
• Partner with engineers, product, and stakeholders to shape the future of airline retailing technology

What We're Looking For

• Systems programming expertise: expert-level C and Rust. Go or Python are a plus.
• A love of the hard stuff: complex algorithms, data structures, and systems design, for their own sake and not just as a means to ship a feature.
• Linux depth: a deep understanding of Linux systems, performance, and resource management.
• Distributed systems at scale: proven experience building and operating fault-tolerant distributed systems in production.
• A scientific approach: you work through complex, ambiguous problems with data, measurement, and evidence.
• Ownership: you take ownership of the product's success, not just your assigned tickets, and you identify and solve problems proactively.
• Self-directed learning: you dig into a large, unfamiliar codebase yourself and come with specific, well-researched questions. The team invests heavily in helping people who do.
• Strong technical discussion: this team enjoys rigorous debate. You argue from data, defend good ideas, and change your mind when shown better ones.
• Clear communication: excellent written communication and collaboration skills in a distributed, async-friendly team.
• Thoughtful AI use: you use AI-assisted development tools to increase productivity without lowering the quality bar.

Bonus Points

• Experience in airline pricing, distribution, or ATPCO data
• Background building high-throughput, low-latency data platforms

The Impact You'll Have

Your work will directly influence how airlines worldwide price, distribute, and optimize their offerings, unlocking new capabilities in airline retailing and shaping the future of the industry.

Compensation:

Salary Range: $152,000 - $183,000

The disclosed salary range applies uniformly across all U.S. locations and is not modified based on geographic differentials.

At ATPCO, we are deeply committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our supportive policies promote work-life balance through flexible work arrangements, and we cultivate a workplace where every employee feels valued, respected, and a true sense of belonging.

We consider qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, gender, age, color, religion, national origin, citizenship status, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, protected military/veteran status, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, or any other legally protected factor.

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.