Principal Staff Software Engineer

Harnham; Oakland (CA); Hybrid; USD 280,000 - 350,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Strong compensation

Meaningful equity

Opportunity to build from scratch

Job summary

Harnham in Oakland, CA is seeking a Staff or Principal Engineer to build next-generation AI-powered systems. This hands-on role emphasizes high-impact product development within a collaborative environment.

The ideal candidate has over 8 years of experience in software engineering, strong knowledge of Python and React, and familiarity with AWS and AI applications. This hybrid position offers a competitive salary and the opportunity to shape product direction.

Qualifications

• 8–12+ years of software engineering experience.
• Strong backend expertise in Python.
• Experience building full-stack applications with React.

Responsibilities

• Build agentic workflows and AI-powered systems using large language models.
• Architect and build end-to-end features across backend and frontend.
• Develop data-driven insights into user behavior.

Skills

Software engineering

Python

React

AWS

AI/ML

Tools

Django

OpenAI

Job description

Oakland, CA (Hybrid – 3 days/week)

Compensation

• Base salary: $280,000 – $350,000 (flexible up to $400,000 for exceptional candidates)
• Bonus included in total compensation
• Equity included

The Opportunity

We’re looking for a Staff or Principal Engineer to join a high‑impact, product‑driven environment building next‑generation AI‑powered systems.

This is a hands‑on, end‑to‑end engineering role where you’ll design architecture, write production code, and validate new ideas from the ground up. You’ll work directly with senior leadership in a lean, high‑performing team, with significant influence over product and technical direction.

This is a rare opportunity to operate as a founding‑level engineer, building systems from scratch while helping scale a platform with millions of engaged users.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Build agentic workflows and AI‑powered systems using large language models
• Develop solutions leveraging structured and unstructured datasets
• Design systems that drive personalization, insights, and automation

Product & System Development

• Architect and build end‑to‑end features across backend and frontend
• Rapidly prototype, test, and validate new product ideas
• Translate ambiguous problems into scalable solutions

Growth & Commercial Systems

• Build systems focused on user engagement, personalization, and growth
• Develop data‑driven insights into user behavior and interactions
• Support monetization and targeting capabilities through intelligent systems
• Work cross‑functionally with product, design, and leadership teams
• Collaborate with a distributed engineering team across time zones
• Frontend: React
• Cloud: AWS
• AI/ML: OpenAI, LLMs, agentic systems

What We’re Looking For

• 8–12+ years of software engineering experience
• Strong backend expertise in Python (Django or similar frameworks)
• Experience building full‑stack applications (React)
• Deep understanding of system design and scalable architecture
• Hands‑on experience with AWS or cloud infrastructure
• Exposure to LLMs, generative AI, or AI‑driven systems

Ideal Profile

• Builder mindset: thrives in 0→1 or early‑stage environments
• Comfortable operating in lean teams with high ownership
• Strong problem solver who can go deep technically and think strategically
• Experience working with large datasets or knowledge systems
• Bonus: exposure to healthcare, life sciences, or regulated data environments

Why This Role?

• Direct partnership with executive leadership
• Opportunity to build from scratch and shape product direction
• High‑impact role in a fast‑growing, profitable business
• Strong compensation and meaningful equity
• Work on cutting‑edge AI applications with real‑world impact