Staff Software Engineer - Applications

LinkedIn; Mountain View (CA); Hybrid; USD 156,000 - 255,000; Full time

Job summary

LinkedIn in the United States is seeking a senior software engineer to drive the technical roadmap for a major infrastructure domain. This role is hybrid, combining time from home and an office, and requires collaboration with engineering directors, product leads, and cross‑functional teams to design scalable distributed systems and align with long‑term business goals.

You will deliver high‑quality code, mentor engineers, and promote engineering best practices such as unit testing, code reviews,

Qualifications

• BA/BS Degree in Computer Science or related technical discipline, or related practical experience.
• 4+ years experience in software design, development, and algorithm related solutions.
• 4+ years programming experience in object-oriented programming languages such as Python, Java, JavaScript, C/C++, C#, Objective-C, or Ruby.

Responsibilities

• Drive the technical roadmap and architecture for a product area or major infrastructure domain.
• Design highly complex, multi-tiered distributed systems, making critical choices on synchronous vs. asynchronous patterns.
• Identify, champion, and execute large-scale, cross-functional initiatives to improve engineering productivity, reliability, or cost.
• Collaborate with engineering directors, product leads, and cross-functional principals to define technical strategies and de-risk requirements.
• Navigate complex organizational dynamics, driving consensus across divergent engineering teams.
• Scale distributed applications, apply synchronous and asynchronous design patterns, write code, and deliver with speed and quality.
• Develop multi-tier scalable, high-volume, reliable user-centric applications that operate 24x7.
• Produce high quality software that is unit tested, code reviewed, and checked in for CI.
• Provide technical leadership, driving and performing best engineering practices for large-scale programs.
• Identify, leverage, and evangelize opportunities to improve engineering productivity.

Skills

Technical Leadership

Architectural Mastery

Code Review and Quality Assurance

Advanced Security Practices

Mentoring and Knowledge Sharing

Education

BA/BS in Computer Science or related technical discipline

Tools

JUnit

Job description

LinkedIn is the worlds largest professional network, built to create economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce. Our products help people make powerful connections, discover exciting opportunities, build necessary skills, and gain valuable insights every day. We're also committed to providing transformational opportunities for our own employees by investing in their growth. We aspire to create a culture that's built on trust, care, inclusion, and fun where everyone can succeed.

Join us to transform the way the world works.

Job Description

At LinkedIn, our approach to flexible work is centered on trust and optimized for culture, connection, clarity, and the evolving needs of our business. The work location of this role is hybrid, meaning it will be performed both from home and from a LinkedIn office on select days, as determined by the business needs of the team.

Responsibilities

• You will drive the technical roadmap and architecture for an entire product area or major infrastructure domain, aligning engineering efforts with medium to long term business goals.
• You will design highly complex, multi-tiered distributed systems, making critical high-stakes choices regarding synchronous vs. asynchronous patterns, data storage, and third-party integrations.
• You are expected to identify, champion, and execute large-scale, cross-functional initiatives that fundamentally improve engineering productivity, system reliability, or operational costs.
• You will work with engineering directors, product leads, and cross-functional principals to define technical strategies and de-risk highly ambiguous product requirements.
• You will learn to navigate complex organizational dynamics, mastering the art of technical persuasion and driving consensus across divergent engineering teams.
• You will scale distributed applications, make architectural trade-offs applying synchronous and asynchronous design patterns, write code, and deliver with speediness and quality.
• You will develop multi-tier scalable, high-volume performing, and reliable user-centric applications that operate 24x7.
• You will produce high quality software that is unit tested, code reviewed, and checked in regularly for continuous integration.
• You will provide technical leadership, driving and performing best engineering practices to initiate, plan, and execute large-scale, cross functional, and company-wide critical programs.
• You will identify, leverage, and successfully evangelize opportunities to improve engineering productivity.

Qualifications

Basic Qualifications

• BA/BS Degree in Computer Science or related technical discipline, or related practical experience.
• 4+ years experience in software design, development, and algorithm related solutions.
• 4+ years programming experience in object-oriented programming languages such as Python, Java, JavaScript, C/C++, C#, Objective-C, or Ruby.

Preferred Qualifications

• BS and 8+ years of relevant work experience, MS and 7+ years of relevant work experience, or PhD and 4+ years of relevant work experience.
• Experience in designing and building infrastructure and web services at large scale.
• Expert knowledge of computer science, with strong competencies in data structures, algorithms, and software design.
• Proven coding skills in Python or JavaScript/AJAX, database design and SQL, and/or knowledge of TCP/IP and network programming.
• Experience building web applications and services with IDEs, ant, JUnit, etc.
• Experience with relational databases (transactional and non-transactional), database architecture, and distributed transaction management.
• Experience authoring comprehensive RFCs and driving architecture review boards for multi-team systems.
• Strong domain expertise in modern cloud architectures, distributed storage systems, or advanced machine learning infrastructure.
• Proven track record of transforming ambiguous business opportunities into autonomous agentic systems capable of long-horizon reasoning and decision-making.

Suggested Skills

• Technical Leadership
• Architectural Mastery
• Code Review and Quality Assurance
• Advanced Security Practices
• Mentoring and Knowledge Sharing

You will Benefit from our Culture

We strongly believe in the well-being of our employees and their families. That is why we offer generous health and wellness programs and time away for employees of all levels. LinkedIn is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices.

The pay range for this role is $156,000 - $255,000. Actual compensation packages are based on several factors that are unique to each candidate, including but not limited to skill set, depth of experience, certifications, and specific work location. This may be different in other locations due to differences in the cost of labor.

The total compensation package for this position may also include annual performance bonus, stock, benefits and/or other applicable incentive compensation plans. For more information, visit https://careers.linkedin.com/benefits.

Additional Information

Equal Opportunity Statement

We seek candidates with a wide range of perspectives and backgrounds and we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. LinkedIn considers qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy, sex, gender expression or identity, sexual orientation, citizenship, or any other legally protected class.

LinkedIn is committed to offering an inclusive and accessible experience for all job seekers, including individuals with disabilities. Our goal is to foster an inclusive and accessible workplace where everyone has the opportunity to be successful.

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Fill out an Accommodation request here: https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/b660a0327d044969abfd7a4e73d15c36

Reasonable accommodations are modifications or adjustments to the application or hiring process that would enable you to fully participate in that process. Examples of reasonable accommodations include but are not limited to:

• Documents in alternate formats or read aloud to you
• Having interviews in an accessible location
• Being accompanied by a service dog
• Having a sign language interpreter present for the interview

A request for an accommodation will be responded to within three business days. However, non-disability related requests, such as following up on an application, will not receive a response.

LinkedIn will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by LinkedIn, or (c) consistent with LinkedIn's legal duty to furnish information.

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Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, LinkedIn will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

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