Senior Staff Backend Software Engineer, Grid Applications Mountain View, California (HQ), San Francisco California

Tapestry, Inc.; Mountain View (CA); On-site; USD 262,000 - 369,000; Full time

Job summary

Tapestry, Inc. is seeking a Senior Staff Backend Software Engineer for Grid Applications to lead technical strategy and architecture for enterprise-grade grid applications.

You will partner with product, ML, and domain experts to plan, design, and deliver scalable systems at Google-scale reliability. With 10+ years in software engineering, you will drive architectural decisions, mentor engineers, and ensure robust, maintainable backend solutions using Java/Kotlin and cloud platforms.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of software engineering experience with distributed systems, backend infrastructure, and enterprise applications.
• Proven track record leading large-scale technical projects as an IC, tech lead, or architect.
• Strong design and scaling of production systems; thorough data processing knowledge.
• Expertise in Java or Kotlin with cloud experience (GCP preferred) or AWS/Azure.
• Deep understanding of reliability engineering and performance optimization.
• Ability to translate high-level roadmaps into concrete technical plans for teams.

Responsibilities

• Own and drive Technical Strategy: define a forward-looking vision aligned with product roadmaps.
• Architect at Scale: shape architecture for future scale, availability, and security.
• Cross-functional collaboration: partner with product managers, designers, data scientists, and engineers.
• Hands-on contributions: maintain technical depth and deliver robust systems.
• Mentor and Multiply: guide senior engineers and raise the bar for technical excellence.

Skills

Distributed systems

Backend infrastructure

Enterprise applications

Java/Kotlin

Google Cloud Platform

AWS/Azure

Reliability engineering

Leadership

Architectural design

Education

PhD in Computer Science

Tools

Google Cloud Platform

Kubernetes

React

Angular

Job description

Senior Staff Backend Software Engineer, Grid Applications

About Tapestry

Tapestry is a group within Google working to build the AI-powered electric grid. We are tackling one of the world’s most important infrastructure challenges: helping the energy system become more visible, understandable, reliable, affordable, abundant, and clean.

Originally born at X, Alphabet’s moonshot factory, Tapestry brings together experts in energy, AI, software engineering, and products to build tools that help the electricity ecosystem plan smarter, move faster, and operate more efficiently.

This is a global effort. Tapestry supports partners across the U.S., U.K., Chile, New Zealand, Australia, and Brazil as they work toward a cleaner, more resilient energy future.

Joining Tapestry means doing high-impact work with a multidisciplinary team tackling a problem that matters at global scale. Learn more about our team and our mission here .

About the role

We are looking for a highly motivated and experienced engineering leader to join our growing team. In this role, you will lead the technical strategy, architecture and development for enterprise applications that will meet the needs of an evolving electric grid at planet scale. You will be a standard-bearer for engineering excellence and establish the tools, architecture, and best practices that empower our teams. You will navigate ambiguous and complex charters, driving innovation and pushing the boundaries of what's possible. You will work closely with other software engineers, machine learning experts, power systems domain experts, and product managers across several different teams to plan, coordinate, and integrate your work.

How you will make 10X Impact

• Own and drive Technical Strategy: Define and drive a forward-looking technical vision that closely aligns with product roadmaps and customer priorities. Identify technical gaps and navigate trade-offs between speed-to-market and long-term system growth.
• Architect at Scale: Guide the architecture and design of enterprise applications with the right emphasis on future scale, complexity, availability, fault tolerance, and security to earn partner trust and meet Google-scale reliability standards.
• Cross-functional collaboration and leadership: Partner seamlessly with product managers, user experience designers, data scientists, power systems engineers, and other engineering leaders to deliver high-impact solutions. You will translate high-level business ambiguity into concrete technical roadmaps for your teams and stakeholders.
• Hands-on technical contributions: Maintain strong technical depth and dive deep as needed. Hold an exceptionally high bar for craftsmanship, taking pride in building robust, elegant, and maintainable systems.
• Mentor and Multiply: Act as a force multiplier and technical leader by mentoring senior engineers, collaborating with other Tech leads and raising the bar for technical excellence.

What you should have:

• Experience: 10+ years of experience in software engineering with a deep focus on distributed systems, backend infrastructure, and enterprise applications.
• IC Leadership: A significant track record of leading large-scale, complex technical projects from conception to launch as a high-impact individual contributor, tech lead, or architect.
• Architectural Depth: Proven track record of designing, building, and scaling reliable production systems and applications. Thorough knowledge of large-scale data processing and modeling.
• Technical Proficiency: Expert-level proficiency in at least one major backend language (such as Java or Kotlin), with a strong grasp of foundational computer science concepts. Hands-on experience with Google Cloud Platform (preferred) or AWS/Azure.
• Operational Excellence: Deep understanding of reliability engineering, performance optimization, and establishing engineering tools and processes for large teams.
• Strategic Communication: The ability to translate high-level "moonshot" ambiguity into concrete technical roadmaps, and effectively translate deep technical trade-offs for both executive leadership and cross-functional stakeholders.

It’d be great if you also had:

• PhD in Computer Science or a related quantitative field.
• Prior experience in a "zero-to-one" environment or building out a new geographic engineering site.
• Experience with building full-stack applications, including familiarity with modern frontend frameworks (e.g., Angular or React).
• Experience building LLM-orchestrated distributed systems or autonomous agent frameworks.
• A passion for using data and technology to create a future with reliable, affordable, and clean energy for everyone.

Our values

• Take charge: We take initiative and own outcomes that move the mission forward.
• Transform with purpose: We build solutions that solve real problems and create meaningful impact.
• Be a Tapestry, not a thread: We collaborate across diverse skills and perspectives to achieve more than we can individually.
• Always fine-tune: We stay curious, seek feedback, and refine our understanding as we learn.
• Stay grounded: We listen openly, value different perspectives, and stay focused on what matters most.

The US base salary range for this full-time position is $262,000 - $369,000 + bonus + equity + benefits. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your location during the hiring process.

Please note that the compensation details listed in US role postings reflect the base salary only, and do not include bonus, equity, or benefits.

As set forth in Tapestry’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.