Staff Software Engineer, AI Tools

Pinterest; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 177,185 - 364,795; Full time

Job summary

Pinterest is seeking a Staff Software Engineer, AI tools, to lead how external AI tools connect to Pinterest and to own MCP servers and integrations exposing internal tools to those tools.

You will design secure connectivity, mentor engineers, drive cross‑functional initiatives, and build automation using Python/Go/TypeScript. You’ll partner with Security, Networking and Vendor teams to shape long‑term architecture.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or related field or equivalent experience.
• Strong programming skills in one or more backend languages (Python/Go/Java/TypeScript).
• Deep knowledge of authentication/authorization protocols (OAuth2/OIDC/SAML).
• Hands-on experience designing scalable backend services and APIs.

Responsibilities

• Own third‑party AI tools connectivity end‑to‑end — authenticate external AI tools and control data flow and security boundaries.
• Design and evolve the AI integration architecture with standards and reusable patterns for fast, secure onboarding of vendors.
• Build and operate MCP servers exposing internal tools (Slack, Google Workspace, Atlassian) and evolving connectors as AI use cases grow.
• Lead incident response and cross‑system troubleshooting, perform root‑cause analysis and postmortems with Security and Networking teams.
• Develop automation and integrations using Python/Go/TypeScript and APIs/SDKs to manage connector lifecycles and observability.
• Integrate AI tools with identity, security, and IT workflows (SSO/SCIM, DLP, logging) in partnership with Security and Infra teams.
• Mentor engineers, review designs, share best practices, and align with organizational REMs and competencies.

Skills

Backend development

Programming languages

Systems design

Security knowledge

Mentoring

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/Engineering/Info Systems

Tools

Kubernetes / EKS

Terraform

Envoy

Job description

About Pinterest

About Pinterest: Millions of people around the world come to our platform to find creative ideas, dream about new possibilities and plan for memories that will last a lifetime. At Pinterest, we’re on a mission to bring everyone the inspiration to create a life they love, and that starts with the people behind the product. Discover a career where you ignite innovation for millions, transform passion into growth opportunities, celebrate each other’s unique experiences and embrace the flexibility to do your best work. Creating a career you love? It’s Possible. At Pinterest, AI isn't just a feature, it's a powerful partner that augments our creativity and amplifies our impact, and we’re looking for candidates who are excited to be a part of that. To get a complete picture of your experience and abilities, we’ll explore your foundational skills and how you collaborate with AI. Through our interview process, what matters most is that you can always explain your approach, showing us not just what you know, but how you think. You can read more about our AI interview philosophy and how we use AI in our recruiting process here.

IT Collaboration and Productivity Engineering Team

The IT Collaboration and Productivity Engineering team builds and runs the collaboration and productivity platforms that power how Pinployees communicate, share information, and get work done. We own core SaaS platforms such as Google Workspace, O365, Gemini, Jira, Confluence, Slack, and other collaboration, productivity, and AI tools, and partner closely with Security, People, Legal, and Engineering to design secure, reliable, and intuitive experiences. As a Staff Software Engineer, AI tools, you will be the technical lead for how third‑party AI tools — such as Claude, Glean, Granola, etc. — connect to Pinterest, and a key owner of the custom MCP servers and integrations that expose our internal tools (Slack, Google Workspace, Atlassian, and others) to those tools. You will shape the long‑term architecture for secure AI connectivity, drive major cross‑functional initiatives, and mentor others in building robust, automation‑driven solutions at the frontier of enterprise AI adoption.

What you’ll do

• Own third‑party AI tools connectivity end‑to‑end – act as the primary technical authority for how external AI tools authenticate to Pinterest, where their traffic flows, what internal data they reach, and how we keep that boundary secure, spanning OAuth2.0/2.1 and OIDC, MCP connectors and registries, SAML federation, mTLS, IP allowlisting, and edge/ingress routing (Envoy).
• Design and evolve the AI integration architecture – define standards, guardrails, and reusable patterns so onboarding each new AI vendor is fast, consistent, and secure by default rather than a bespoke effort.
• Build and own custom MCP servers – develop and operate the connectors that expose internal tools (Slack, Google Workspace, Atlassian, and more), including building new features as internal tools and AI use cases evolve, and integrating AI tools into Pinterest’s skill registry.
• Lead incident response and complex, cross‑system troubleshooting for high‑impact integration issues, driving root‑cause analysis, long‑term fixes, and learning‑oriented postmortems in partnership with Security, Networking, and vendors.
• Build automation and integrations using scripting (e.g., Python, Go, TypeScript, or similar) and platform/tool APIs and SDKs to streamline connector lifecycle, configuration as code, and health/usage monitoring.
• Integrate AI tools with identity, security, and IT workflows (e.g., SSO/IdP, SCIM, DLP, logging, ITSM) in close collaboration with Security and other infrastructure teams.
• Use AI as a force multiplier for your work — for example, using AI assistants to draft code, configuration templates, tests, documentation, or runbooks — while validating outputs through tests, dry‑runs, and peer review, and maintaining full ownership of the final results.
• Lead cross‑functional projects such as new AI tools onboarding, secure transport/tunnel deployments, connector migrations, and integration‑standard rollouts from design through production.
• Mentor and uplevel other engineers by reviewing designs and implementations, sharing best practices, and providing clear guidance aligned to Role Expectations Guides (REGs), leveling criteria, and Pinterest competencies.
• Represent the team with stakeholders across the company and with external vendor engineering teams, translating business needs into durable technical solutions, communicating trade‑offs, and ensuring decisions reflect “Act as one” and “Create belonging” for our global workforce.

What we’re looking for

• 7+ years of professional software engineering experience, including significant hands‑on ownership of building and operating production services or platform integrations in a medium‑to‑large environment.
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• Strong programming skills in one or more backend languages (e.g., Python, Go, Java, TypeScript/Node) and solid software design and architecture ability — designing APIs and backend services, choosing appropriate abstractions, and building for maintainability, testability, and extension.
• Deep, hands‑on expertise in authentication and authorization — OAuth2.0/2.1, OIDC, SAML, token exchange, PKCE — and the failure modes that come with them.
• Strong systems design and troubleshooting skills, including debugging issues that span clients, network, identity, edge/ingress (Envoy or similar), and backend services.
• Experience building and integrating with APIs and services — REST/RPC, webhooks, and SDKs — including connectors against SaaS/tool APIs (Slack, Google Workspace, Atlassian, or comparable).
• Grounding in engineering quality practices: automated testing, code review, CI/CD, observability, and safe production rollout.
• Familiarity with the Model Context Protocol (MCP) and the emerging AI‑connector/gateway ecosystem, and with security, privacy, and compliance controls relevant to external integrations (SSO/SCIM, DLP, access reviews).
• Kubernetes/EKS and infrastructure‑as‑code (Terraform) a plus.
• Proven use of AI tools to speed up engineering work (e.g., generating code, tests, runbooks, or summaries), with a clear approach to validating outputs, reducing bias, and protecting reliability and security.
• Track record of operating at a staff‑level scope: leading large, complex initiatives, shaping cross‑team roadmaps, and owning impactful outcomes.
• Ability to lead and mentor other engineers, give clear technical direction, and partner effectively with managers, product owners, and stakeholders.
• Comfort working across diverse teams and locations, consistently modeling Pinterest’s values: putting Pinners and Pinployees first, aiming for high quality, acting as one team, and approaching challenges with a “win or learn” mindset.

Relocation Statement

This position is not eligible for relocation assistance. Visit our PinFlex page to learn more about our working model.

In‑Office Requirement Statement

We recognize that the ideal environment for work is situational and may differ across departments. What this looks like day‑to‑day can vary based on the needs of each organization or role. This role will need to be in the office for in‑person collaboration 1-2 times every 6‑months and therefore can be situated anywhere in the country.

#LI-REMOTE #LI-JD3At

Pinterest we believe the workplace should be equitable, inclusive, and inspiring for every employee.

In an effort to provide greater transparency, we are sharing the base salary range for this position. The position is also eligible for equity. Final salary is based on a number of factors including location, travel, relevant prior experience, or particular skills and expertise. Information regarding the culture at Pinterest and benefits available for this position can be found here.

US based applicants only$177,185—$364,795 USD

Our Commitment to Inclusion

Pinterest is an equal opportunity employer and makes employment decisions on the basis of merit. We want to have the best qualified people in every job. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion or religious creed, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, status as a protected veteran, physical or mental disability, medical condition or genetic information or characteristics (or that We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. If you require a medical or religious accommodation during the job application process, please complete this form for support. By submitting this application, I certify that all information submitted in my application and throughout the hiring process is true, accurate, and complete to the best of my knowledge. I understand that any false statement, omission, or misrepresentation may disqualify me from employment consideration or result in termination if discovered after hire.)