Staff Software Engineer

Root Inc.; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 169,000 - 211,000; Full time

Job summary

Root is seeking a Staff Software Engineer to lead engineering on the Build & Deploy team. You will guide systems for building, testing, releasing, and operating software, partnering with multiple teams to define strategy and improve developer productivity and deployment safety.

You will influence the reliability of our software delivery platform, contribute code in high-impact areas, and mentor engineers. This role supports working across the US with competitive bonus and equity.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of software engineering experience.
• 3+ years leading software teams or major technical initiatives.
• Experience designing or operating CI/CD, developer tooling, or internal platform systems.
• Experience with cloud infrastructure, containers, and build automation.
• Familiarity with Terraform and modern application development workflows.

Responsibilities

• Set the technical direction for Root's build and deploy systems in partnership with engineering teams, Platform Engineering, Security, and leadership.
• Identify and lead high-leverage initiatives that reduce feedback-loop time, toil, and cognitive load across Engineering.
• Design and evolve reliable, scalable, and maintainable systems for building, testing, releasing, and deploying software.
• Contribute code strategically each development cycle, particularly in complex or high-impact areas.
• Coordinate with Staff Engineers across the organization to establish standards and drive adoption.
• Help coach and grow engineers on the team with strong technical judgment and collaboration.
• Lead by example during incidents and drive improvements to resilience of shared systems.

Skills

7+ years software engineering

3+ years leadership

CI/CD experience

Cloud infrastructure & containers

Terraform familiarity

Cross-team leadership

Excellent communication

Tools

Terraform

Job description

Root is on a mission to unbreak insurance by creating experiences people love at prices they can't believe. We believe that investing in world-class technology will facilitate a new class of insurance products, driving a massive positive impact on the hundreds of millions of drivers who carry auto insurance in the US. Root's Engineering team is committed to building a flexible platform on which our product designers and quantitative scientists can quickly test ideas, deploy them into production, and iterate, with the ultimate objective of a delightful customer experience coupled with effective risk management.

The Opportunity

We are looking for a Staff Software Engineer to join and lead engineering on Root's Build & Deploy team. As a Staff Engineer, you will be a primary technical leader for the systems and workflows engineers use to build, test, release, and operate software. You’ll work closely with the software engineers on your team as well as teams across Engineering to define the strategy and roadmap for improving developer productivity, deployment safety, and the reliability of our software delivery platform.

Salary Range

$168,600 - $210,700 (Eligible for competitive bonus and equity offering)

Root is a "work where it works best" company. This means we will support you working in whatever location that works best for you across the US.

How You Will Make an Impact

• Set the technical direction for Root's build and deploy systems in partnership with engineering teams, Platform Engineering, Security, and engineering leadership
• Identify and lead high-leverage initiatives that reduce feedback-loop time, manual toil, and cognitive load across Engineering
• Design and evolve reliable, scalable, and maintainable systems for building, testing, releasing, and deploying software
• Contribute code strategically each development cycle, particularly in complex or high-impact areas
• Coordinate with Staff Engineers across the organization to establish standards, build paved paths, and drive adoption
• Help coach and grow engineers on the team by modeling strong technical judgment, collaboration, and execution
• Lead by example during incidents and drive improvements to the resilience and operability of shared engineering systems

What You Will Need to Succeed

• 7+ years as a software engineer
• 3+ years leading software teams or major technical initiatives
• Experience designing or operating CI/CD, developer tooling, or internal platform systems
• Experience with cloud infrastructure, containers, and build automation
• Familiarity with Terraform and modern application development workflows
• Proven leadership of projects involving multiple teams and complex migrations
• Excellent communication skills with both engineering colleagues and senior leaders

As part of Root's interview process, we kindly ask that all candidates be on camera for virtual interviews. This helps us create a more personal and engaging experience for both you and our interviewers. Being on camera is a standard requirement for our process and part of how we assess fit and communication style, so we do require it to move forward with any applicant's candidacy. If you have any concerns, feel free to let us know once you are contacted. We’re happy to talk it through.

Please see our Privacy Notice available HERE for more information on how we process your personal data.

Consistent with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Civil Rights Act of 1964, it is the policy of Root to provide reasonable accommodation when requested by a qualified applicant or candidate with a disability, unless such accommodation would cause an undue hardship for Root. The policy regarding requests for reasonable accommodation applies to all aspects of the hiring process. If reasonable accommodation is needed, please contact [e-mail].