Principal Software Engineer - VC Backed Startups

SignalFire; New York (NY); On-site; USD 170,000 - 270,000; Full time

Job summary

An innovative firm is seeking a Principal Software Engineer to lead technical strategies at VC-backed startups. This role involves architecting high-performance full-stack applications, mentoring engineering teams, and collaborating with founders to align business and technology goals. You'll work with cutting-edge technologies across AI, healthtech, and fintech, ensuring robust and scalable solutions. If you're passionate about driving technical excellence and shaping the future of technology, this is an exciting opportunity to make a significant impact in a dynamic environment.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in full-stack development with strong technical leadership.
• Expertise in front-end and back-end frameworks with a focus on performance.

Responsibilities

• Define and drive technical architecture and full-stack development strategy.
• Design, build, and maintain scalable applications across the front-end and back-end.

Skills

Full-stack development

Technical leadership

API development

Cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure)

Distributed systems

CI/CD

Mentoring engineers

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field

Master's degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

React

Node.js

Django

Docker

Kubernetes

PostgreSQL

GitHub Actions

Job description

Principal Software Engineer - VC Backed Startups

Join to apply for the Principal Software Engineer - VC Backed Startups role at SignalFire

Principal Software Engineer - VC Backed Startups

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Join to apply for the Principal Software Engineer - VC Backed Startups role at SignalFire

This range is provided by SignalFire. Your actual pay will be based on your skills and experience — talk with your recruiter to learn more.

Base pay range

$170,000.00/yr - $270,000.00/yr

Join SignalFire’s Talent Network for Principal Software Engineer Roles at VC-Backed Startups

At SignalFire, we partner with top early-stage startups that are shaping the future of technology. Our portfolio spans 200+ innovative companies across AI, cybersecurity, healthtech, fintech, developer tools, and enterprise SaaS.

We’re looking to connect with exceptional Principal Front-End, Back-End, and Full-Stack Engineers who are excited about driving technical strategy, shaping architecture, and building scalable full-stack applications at high-growth startups. By joining SignalFire’s Talent Network, your profile will be shared with our portfolio companies, giving you visibility into exclusive early-stage opportunities that may not be publicly listed.

This is not an application for a specific job. Instead, this is a way to get on the radar of VC-backed startups that are actively hiring AI/ML talent. If you have any questions, please direct inquiries to [e-mail].

Who Should Join?

We’re looking for engineers who are:

Passionate about architecting scalable, high-performance full-stack applications

Excited to lead technical decision-making and mentor engineering teams

Experienced in designing end-to-end systems, from modern front-end UIs to robust back-end services

Typical Roles & Responsibilities

• Define and drive technical architecture, best practices, and full-stack development strategy
• Design, build, and maintain scalable, high-performance applications across the front-end and back-end
• Develop APIs, microservices, and cloud-native solutions to support large-scale applications
• Optimize performance, security, and reliability across the application stack
• Work closely with founders, product managers, and engineering teams to align business and technology goals
• Establish and lead code review, testing, and deployment best practices
• Mentor and guide senior engineers, fostering a strong engineering culture
  
  

Common Qualifications

While each startup has its own hiring criteria, many principal full-stack engineering roles in our network look for:

• 8+ years of experience in full-stack development, with a strong record of technical leadership
• Expertise in front-end frameworks (React, Angular, Vue.js, Svelte) and back-end frameworks (Node.js, Django, Flask, Ruby on Rails, FastAPI)
• Strong experience with databases (PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, DynamoDB, Redis)
• Proficiency in cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure) and containerization tools (Docker, Kubernetes)
• Experience with distributed systems, high-availability architectures, and event-driven designs
• Proficiency in JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, Ruby, Go, or Java
• Strong background in CI/CD, DevOps, and infrastructure-as-code tools
• Experience in mentoring engineers and leading large-scale technical projects
  
  

Technologies You Might Work With:

• Languages & Frameworks: JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, Ruby, Golang, Java, React, Angular, Vue.js, Svelte, Node.js, Django, Flask, Ruby on Rails, FastAPI
• Databases: PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, DynamoDB, Redis
• Cloud & DevOps: AWS (Lambda, EC2, S3, RDS), GCP (App Engine, Firestore), Azure, Docker, Kubernetes, Terraform, Jenkins, GitHub Actions
• Other Tools: GraphQL, REST APIs, WebSockets, Kafka, RabbitMQ, Elasticsearch
  
  

What Happens Next?

• Submit your application to join SignalFire’s Talent Ecosystem.
• We review applications on an ongoing basis to identify strong candidates.
• If there’s a match, a SignalFire talent partner or a leader from one of our startups may reach out directly.
• No match yet? We’ll keep your profile on file for future full-stack engineering roles in our portfolio.
  
  

Compensation Range: $170K - $270K

Seniority level

• Seniority level

  Mid-Senior level

Employment type

• Employment type

  Full-time

Job function

• Job function

  Engineering and Information Technology

• Industries

  Venture Capital and Private Equity Principals

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