Staff Software Architect - AI & Distributed Systems (Hybrid)

Appfolio; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 167,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

AppFolio is seeking a Staff Software Engineer to own the architecture of the Leasing Engineering domain. You will drive the technical direction for next-gen agentic AI products, translating sophisticated AI capabilities into robust, production-grade SaaS infrastructure, and lead a hands-on, full-stack engineering team in high-ambiguity environments.

You will collaborate with ML, Product, and UX, coach engineers, and set standards for reliability, security, and maintainability while shipping

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience developing and scaling web-based applications.
• Experience leading architectural discussions, defining system design, and guiding technical decision-making.
• Experience integrating AI/ML technologies into production-grade applications.
• Pragmatic approach to technology, adopting new tools where they add value.
• Strong focus on long-term maintainability and clean architecture.
• Ability to coach engineers and foster an autonomous, high-trust culture.
• Balance intensity with sustainable work practices.

Responsibilities

• Drive the technical vision and strategy across the Leasing teams, influencing the product roadmap and making key architectural decisions that align with business goals.
• Lead the design and implementation of complex, distributed systems powering agentic AI, balancing rapid innovation with reliability and security.
• Raise the bar for engineering quality through hands-on leadership in design and code, establishing standards for the entire team to ship with confidence.
• Act as a force multiplier by coaching engineers and fostering a high-trust, autonomous culture with ownership and learning.
• Collaborate with Product, Design, and ML leaders to bridge AI possibilities with customer value.
• Operate in an autonomous team that owns the full lifecycle of solutions from discovery to production.
• Research and apply new technologies to improve system quality and accelerate delivery.

Education

Bachelor’s/Master’s/Ph.D. in Computer Science or related technical discipline

Tools

Ruby on Rails

React

AWS

SOA

Job description

AppFolio is seeking a Staff Software Engineer to own the architecture of the Leasing Engineering domain. You will drive the technical direction for next-gen agentic AI products, translating sophisticated AI capabilities into robust, production-grade SaaS infrastructure, and lead a hands-on, full-stack engineering team in high-ambiguity environments.

You will collaborate with ML, Product, and UX, coach engineers, and set standards for reliability, security, and maintainability while shipping