Senior / Lead / Principal Software Engineer - Foundations Team (Infrastructure/Platform)

Salesforce; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 149,000 - 314,000; Full time

Job summary

Salesforce is seeking a Software Engineer for the Foundations team to build highly scalable cloud infrastructure and robust CI/CD pipelines. You will work on end-to-end ownership across architecture, deployment, and instrumentation, enabling real-time customer interactions at scale.

You will lead the evolution of infrastructure, apply rigorous testing, and mentor other engineers while embracing a startup pace within a global enterprise. A BS/MS in CS or equivalent experience is expected.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of professional software development with a backend/infrastructure focus.
• Proficient in Go, Python, TypeScript, or Ruby.
• Deep experience architecting secure cloud-based infrastructure (AWS/GCP/Azure).
• Proven IaC experience with Terraform, CDK, CloudFormation, or Pulumi.
• Experience with container orchestration (Kubernetes, Docker, AWS ECS).
• Hands-on observability with DataDog/Prometheus/Grafana/ELK.
• Knowledge of SQL databases (PostgreSQL) and data warehousing concepts.
• Familiarity with AI-assisted software development tools (e.g., Claude, Cursor).
• BS or MS in CS or equivalent work experience.

Responsibilities

• Architect and build secure, fault-tolerant cloud infrastructure on public clouds.
• Continuously optimize system performance and reduce bottlenecks at scale.
• Lead CI/CD evolution in a multi-service environment for resilience.
• Manage infrastructure upgrades using infrastructure-as-code.
• Leverage observability tools to monitor health and alert on anomalies.
• Create and maintain runbooks, procedures, and architecture diagrams.
• Mentor engineers and promote engineering excellence.
• Adapt quickly in a startup-like, high-ownership environment.

Skills

Go

Python

Typescript

Ruby

Cloud platforms

CI/CD

Observability

AI-assisted development

Education

B.S. or Master’s in Computer Science

Tools

Terraform

CDK

CloudFormation

Pulumi

Kubernetes

Docker

DataDog

Sentry

Prometheus

Grafana

ELK

PostgreSQL

Job description

Job Category

Software Engineering

Job Details

Information about the role is provided in the sections below.

About Salesforce

Salesforce is the #1 AI CRM, where humans with agents drive customer success together. Here, ambition meets action. Tech meets trust. And innovation isn’t a buzzword - it’s a way of life. The world of work as we know it is changing and we’re looking for Trailblazers who are passionate about bettering business and the world through AI, driving innovation, and keeping Salesforce's core values at the heart of it all.

About The Foundations Team

Join a high-ownership, high-velocity engineering team working at the frontier of AI and modern software development. We operate with the pace of a startup backed by the scale and stability of a global enterprise - with true end-to-end ownership across architecture, implementation, deployment, and continuous improvement.

You’ll work alongside a high-talent-density team that cares deeply about performance, reliability, and engineering excellence - driving architecture decisions, solving large-scale distributed systems challenges, and building foundational infrastructure that enables great customer experiences.

Overview

As a Software Engineer on the Foundations team, you’ll build the infrastructure and critical systems that power our operations - highly scalable cloud infrastructure, robust CI/CD pipelines, advanced observability, and top-tier engineering tools. Your work will increase deployment velocity, raise our quality bar, and support complex, real-time customer interactions.

What You’ll Do

• Architect & Build: Lead the design and implementation of secure, fault-tolerant, and highly available cloud infrastructure on public cloud services.
• System Optimization: Continuously improve system performance, identify bottlenecks, and deploy optimizations for smooth operation at scale for highly-trafficked services.
• CI/CD Evolution: Lead the evolution of our Continuous Integration and Deployment pipelines in a multi-service environment, reducing complexity and increasing resilience.
• Infrastructure Management: Plan and execute timely infrastructure upgrades and changes using infrastructure-as-code to enable faster execution, improved scale, and increased cost efficiency.
• Observability: Leverage tools like DataDog, Sentry, and others to monitor system infrastructure, configure alerts for anomalies, and proactively ensure system health.
• Documentation & Standards: Define, promote, and maintain runbooks, operating procedures, and system architecture diagrams. Uphold high standards of quality through rigorous testing and code reviews.
• Mentorship: Act as a force multiplier by providing technical guidance, mentoring other engineers, and fostering a culture of engineering excellence.
• Agility: Embrace a culture of flexibility and efficiency, moving fast to capture opportunities while wearing multiple hats in a startup environment.

What We’re Looking For

• Experience: 5+ years of experience in professional software development with a strong emphasis on backend systems, cloud platforms, and infrastructure.
• Languages: Proficiency in programming languages such as Go, Python, Typescript, or Ruby.
• Cloud & Infrastructure: Deep experience architecting secure solutions on cloud-based infrastructure (e.g., AWS, Google Cloud, or Azure).
• Infrastructure as Code (IaC): Proven experience in automated provisioning using tools like Terraform, CDK, CloudFormation, or Pulumi.
• Containerization: Experience with automated deployments using container orchestration technologies such as Kubernetes, AWS ECS, or Docker.
• Observability Tools: Strong hands-on experience with monitoring and logging tools such as DataDog, Prometheus, Grafana, or ELK.
• Database Expertise: Familiarity with SQL, RDBMS (PostgreSQL preferred), and data warehousing solutions (e.g., ClickHouse).
• AI-Assisted Development: Proficiency in AI-assisted software development (e.g., Claude, Cursor, etc.); you are capable of leveraging these tools to significantly accelerate your output from day one.
• Education: B.S. or Master’s degree in Computer Science, or equivalent work experience.

Why Foundations Team

• Foundational Impact: Shape the future of our platform at the intersection of distributed systems and AI.
• Startup pace, enterprise scale: Move fast with real ownership, backed by global resources and long-term stability.
• Career Growth: Partner closely with leadership and grow into a team lead role as the company expands.

Benefits & Perks

Check out our benefits site which explains our various benefits, including wellbeing reimbursement, generous parental leave, adoption assistance, fertility benefits, and more.

Salesforce Information

Check out our Salesforce Engineering Site.

Accommodations

If you need a reasonable accommodation during the application or the recruiting process, please submit a request via this Accommodations Request Form.

Posting Statement

Salesforce is an equal opportunity employer and maintains a policy of non-discrimination with all employees and applicants for employment. What does that mean exactly? It means that at Salesforce, we believe in equality for all. And we believe we can lead the path to equality in part by creating a workplace that’s inclusive, and free from discrimination. Know your rights: workplace discrimination is illegal. Any employee or potential employee will be assessed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications – without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, transgender status, age, disability, veteran or marital status, political viewpoint, or other classifications protected by law. This policy applies to current and prospective employees, no matter where they are in their Salesforce employment journey. It also applies to recruiting, hiring, job assignment, compensation, promotion, benefits, training, assessment of job performance, discipline, termination, and everything in between. Recruiting, hiring, and promotion decisions at Salesforce are fair and based on merit. The same goes for compensation, benefits, promotions, transfers, reduction in workforce, recall, training, and education.

In the United States, compensation offered will be determined by factors such as location, job level, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Certain roles may be eligible for incentive compensation, equity, and benefits. Salesforce offers a variety of benefits to help you live well including: time off programs, medical, dental, vision, mental health support, paid parental leave, life and disability insurance, 401(k), and an employee stock purchasing program. More details about company benefits can be found at the following link: https://www.salesforcebenefits.com. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance and the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring, Salesforce will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

At Salesforce, we believe in equitable compensation practices that reflect the dynamic nature of labor markets across various regions. The typical base salary range for this position is $148,500 - $313,700 annually. The range represents base salary only, and does not include company bonus, incentive for sales roles, equity or benefits, as applicable.