Staff Software Engineer

Apollo GraphQL; United States; Remote; USD 182,000 - 232,000; Full time

Job summary

Apollo GraphQL is seeking a Staff Software Engineer to join the Graph Tooling Team, focusing on enhancing developer tools like Apollo Studio and Sandbox. This remote role requires deep expertise in React and modern front-end development, aiming to improve the overall developer experience and performance of graphical workflows.

Benefits

Competitive medical plans

Equity and benefits

Dental and Vision benefits

Qualifications

• Deep expertise in React and modern front-end development.
• Strong background in web application architecture and component design.
• Experience in SaaS or developer tooling environments.

Responsibilities

• Enhance our React component infrastructure for greater performance.
• Develop new interfaces and features used by thousands of developers.
• Explore and implement AI-enabled developer workflows.

Skills

React

UI/UX principles

Performance optimization

Web application architecture

Job description

At Apollo GraphQL, we’re transforming the way developers build software with the power of the graph. Our Graph Tooling Team sits at the heart of this mission - owning and advancing the developer-facing tools that help teams onboard quickly, work intuitively, and build with joy.

We’re looking for a Staff Software Engineer with deep front-end expertise to help lead the next chapter of our developer experience journey. This is an opportunity to shape widely used tools like Apollo Studio, Sandbox, and IDE extensions while exploring the future of AI-assisted development workflows.

About the Team

The Graph Tooling Team owns Apollo’s core developer tooling platform—including the Studio web app, IDE plugins (VS Code, IntelliJ), and Sandbox tools. Our mission is simple: delight developers. We build tools that reduce friction, visualize complex GraphQL workflows, and make it easy for teams to get started and grow with Apollo.

What You'll Do

• Enhance our React component infrastructure for greater performance and scalability
• Improve UI/UX design for observability and schema workflows
• Develop new interfaces and features used by thousands of developers
• Create intuitive UIs for local testing and GraphQL exploration
• Design and build browser plugins and debuggers for GraphQL troubleshooting
• Architect a front-end platform-as-a-service used across Apollo’s tools
• Build a robust testing infrastructure and reusable component libraries
• Implement design system standards to ensure visual and functional consistency
• Explore and implement AI-enabled developer workflows through tooling

Who You Are

• Deep expertise in React and modern front-end development
• Strong background in web application architecture, component design, and performance optimization
• Solid understanding of UI/UX principles, especially in technical products
• Experience building and maintaining a robust testing infrastructure
• Experience in SaaS or developer tooling environments
• Track record of shipping large-scale front-end products
• Passionate about clean code, great design, and thoughtful user experiences
• A strong portfolio of front-end projects or tools

Bonus Points

• Experience with IDE extensions, debugging tools, or platform front-ends
• Familiarity with GraphQL and developer-centric workflows
• Exposure to AI/ML-enhanced developer tools

$182,750 - $231,125 a year

At Apollo, we strive to provide competitive, market-informed compensation whilst ensuring consistency within the team in each country. We make hiring decisions based on your skills, experience, and our overall assessment of what we learned during the hiring process.In addition to the U.S. base salary range, we also provide equity and benefits.

Apollo offers all U.S. employees a choice of 3 Anthem Blue Cross medical plans and California residents can also choose from an additional 2 Kaiser medical plans. Dental and Vision benefits are provided by Sun Life Financial.

Location: This is a remote position that can be done from anywhere in the United States or Canada.

Equal Opportunity: Apollo is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace dedicated to pursuing and hiring a talented and diverse workforce.

Privacy: California residents applying for positions at Apollo can see our privacy policy here.

E-Verify: Apollo is an E-Verify employer and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S. For more information please visit E-Verify.