Staff Software Engineer — AI-First SaaS & Distributed Systems

AppFolio; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 167,200 - 209,000; Full time

Job summary

AppFolio is seeking a pioneering technical leader to join a high‑growth product development team in Chicago. The role focuses on driving the technical strategy and enhancing architectural decisions to support rapid growth in their Investor segment.

Ideal candidates will have 8+ years of SaaS experience, strong leadership capabilities, and a passion for adopting new technologies. Compensation ranges from $167,200 to $209,000 based on experience.

Qualifications

• 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.
• Experience leading architectural discussions and guiding technical decisions.

Responsibilities

• Drive the technical vision and strategy across the Owner subsegment.
• Lead the design and implementation of complex, distributed systems.
• Coach engineers and foster a high-trust, autonomous culture.

Skills

Web-based applications development

SaaS experience

Technical decision-making

AI tooling adoption

Problem-solving

Clean architecture advocacy

Education

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

Tools

Ruby on Rails

Golang

React

AWS

Job description

AppFolio is seeking a pioneering technical leader to join a high‑growth product development team in Chicago. The role focuses on driving the technical strategy and enhancing architectural decisions to support rapid growth in their Investor segment.

Ideal candidates will have 8+ years of SaaS experience, strong leadership capabilities, and a passion for adopting new technologies. Compensation ranges from $167,200 to $209,000 based on experience.