Staff Software Engineer: AI-Driven SaaS Architect

Appfolio; Chicago (IL); Híbrido; USD 167.000 - 230.000; Jornada completa

Descripción de la vacante

AppFolio is seeking a Staff Software Engineer to drive the architectural evolution of our Leasing Engineering Domain. You will lead the technical direction for next‑generation agentic AI products, shaping autonomous, scalable systems in a production SaaS environment.

You will bridge ML, product, and UX, own the full lifecycle from discovery to production, and coach engineers toward a culture of excellence and pragmatic innovation. The role supports a hybrid work model and significant impact.

Formación

• 8+ years of experience developing and scaling web-based applications, preferably in a SaaS environment.
• Track record of leading high-stakes projects from initial ambiguity to successful launch—aligning stakeholders, making tough technical trade-offs, and ensuring long-term system health.
• Experience leading architectural discussions, defining system design, and guiding technical decision-making.
• Practical experience integrating AI/ML technologies into production-grade applications, understanding how to make non-deterministic systems reliable.
• A pragmatic approach to technology—adopting new tools where they add value, while mastering proven technologies.
• Care about long-term maintainability, advocate for clean architecture, and drive continuous refactoring and improvement.
• Balance intensity and sustainability—you’ll go the extra mile when needed but also model healthy work-life balance.

Responsabilidades

• 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 that power our agentic AI, balancing rapid innovation with the reliability and security our customers depend on.
• Raise the bar for engineering quality through hands-on leadership in design and code, while establishing the standards and patterns that enable the entire team to ship with confidence.
• Act as a force multiplier by coaching engineers and fostering a high-trust, autonomous culture where continuous learning and ownership are the norms.
• Collaborate as a peer with Product, Design, and Machine Learning leaders to bridge the gap between what's possible in AI and what's valuable for our customers.
• Operate in a highly autonomous team that owns the full lifecycle of solutions you build, from discovery to development to production
• Proactively research, share, and apply new technologies and patterns that improve system quality and accelerate delivery.

Conocimientos

Leadership

System design

AI/ML integration

SaaS experience

Educación

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science

Master’s degree in Computer Science

Ph.D. in Computer Science

Herramientas

Ruby on Rails

React

AWS

SOA / service-oriented architectures

Descripción del empleo

AppFolio is seeking a Staff Software Engineer to drive the architectural evolution of our Leasing Engineering Domain. You will lead the technical direction for next‑generation agentic AI products, shaping autonomous, scalable systems in a production SaaS environment.

You will bridge ML, product, and UX, own the full lifecycle from discovery to production, and coach engineers toward a culture of excellence and pragmatic innovation. The role supports a hybrid work model and significant impact.