Staff Software Engineer, Compute and Network

Attentive; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 208,000 - 312,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health & wellness

Equity

Job summary

Attentive is hiring a Staff Software Engineer for the platform team in New York. You will set the technical direction for the compute and networking platform that underpins Attentive's microservices, building reusable cloud components and self-service tooling to improve reliability, cost efficiency, and developer productivity.

This hands-on leadership role includes guiding architectural direction across teams, balancing speed with security and maintainability, and driving complex initiatives

Qualifications

• Experience leading complex infra initiatives across teams.
• Strong background in building and operating large-scale systems.
• Ability to design reusable platform components and APIs.
• Proven delivery ownership and production ownership.

Responsibilities

• Shape the technical direction and architecture of Attentive's platform across compute and networking.
• Partner with engineering teams to build platform software, APIs, and self-service tools.
• Lead complex initiatives across teams from problem definition to production operation.
• Evolve Kubernetes and networking infra across AWS accounts and networks.
• Own and improve Infrastructure-as-Code orchestration and reusable cloud components.
• Diagnose production issues and improve system design, observability and ops practices.
• Raise engineering bar through code reviews, mentorship, and guidance.
• Adopt AI-assisted development tools while validating output and protecting data.

Skills

Technical leadership

Distributed systems

Software engineering

Mentorship

Observability

AI-assisted coding

Tools

AWS

Kubernetes

Istio

Argo CD

Terraform

Cloudflare

Job description

Attentive® is the AI marketing platform for 1:1 personalization redefining the way brands and people connect. We're the only marketing platform that combines powerful technology with human expertise to build authentic customer relationships. By unifying SMS, RCS, email, and push notifications, our AI-powered personalization engine delivers bespoke experiences that drive performance, revenue, and loyalty through real-time behavioral insights.

Recognized as the #1 provider in SMS Marketing by G2, Attentive partners with more than 8,000 customers across 70+ industries. Leading global brands like Crate and Barrel, Urban Outfitters, and Carter's work with us to enable billions of interactions that power tens of billions in revenue for our customers.

With a distributed global workforce and employee hubs in New York City, San Francisco, London, and Sydney, Attentive's team has been consistently recognized for its performance and culture. We're proud to be included in Deloitte's Fast 500 (four years running!), LinkedIn's Top Startups, Forbes' Cloud 100 (five years running!), Inc.'s Best Workplaces, and the Human Rights Campaign Foundation's Corporate Equality Index!

About The Role

The Staff Software Engineer on the platform team will help set the technical direction for the compute and networking platform that underpins Attentive's microservices architecture. The role involves building reusable cloud components, clear interfaces, and self-service tools that make infrastructure easier to use and safer to operate.

This hands-on technical leadership role drives measurable improvements in platform reliability, cost efficiency and developer productivity. Responsibilities span identifying shared needs across teams, setting architectural direction, and leading complex initiatives from problem definition through production operation, balancing delivery speed with security and long-term maintainability. The platform runs on AWS and uses Kubernetes, Istio, Argo CD, Terraform, and Cloudflare at the edge.

This hybrid role is based in our New York office, with in-office collaboration Tuesday through Thursday each week.

What You'll Accomplish

• Shape the technical direction and architecture of Attentive's platform as part of the compute and networking team, partnering with engineering leaders to prioritize investments.
• Partner closely with engineering teams to understand their workflows and pain points, and build platform software, APIs, and self-service tools that reduce friction and help them deliver reliable services faster.
• Lead complex initiatives across teams, turning ambiguous requirements into designs, delivery plans, and measurable outcomes.
• Evolve Kubernetes and networking infrastructure across multiple AWS accounts and networks to support growth, resilience, and efficient resource use.
• Own and improve Infrastructure-as-Code orchestration and reusable cloud components, providing consistent interfaces and guardrails for consuming AWS services.
• Diagnose complex production issues and drive lasting improvements to system design, observability, and operational practices.
• Improve platform reliability, scalability, and cost efficiency while reducing operational overhead for the platform team and its users.
• Raise the engineering bar through hands-on development, design and code reviews, mentorship, and technical guidance.
• Identify and establish effective AI-assisted engineering practices across the team, improving productivity while maintaining code quality, security, and operational reliability.

Your Expertise

• Significant experience designing, building, and operating large-scale infrastructure or distributed systems, with demonstrated technical leadership across teams.
• Strong software engineering background, including building maintainable software, tooling, or APIs that solve infrastructure problems.
• Demonstrated ability to independently identify opportunities, bring clarity to ambiguous problems, and lead complex technical initiatives through delivery and production ownership, adapting to evolving needs and shaping technical direction in a fast-changing environment.
• Demonstrated customer empathy, with the ability to translate developer feedback and observed pain points into platform improvements and assess success through adoption, ease of use, and customer outcomes.
• Ability to evaluate architectural tradeoffs, communicate decisions clearly, and build alignment across teams with different needs and priorities.
• Deep experience with AWS or a comparable cloud platform, Infrastructure as Code, and building reusable infrastructure abstractions.
• Substantial experience operating Kubernetes in production, including an understanding of its architecture, networking, and failure modes.
• Strong understanding of networking fundamentals across L3-L7 and experience diagnosing complex connectivity, routing, DNS, load-balancing, and service-to-service communication issues.
• Experience in release engineering, including designing and improving CI/CD pipelines, automating software and infrastructure delivery, and enabling safe deployments through testing, staged rollouts, and reliable rollback and recovery.
• Experience using observability to understand system behavior, troubleshoot production issues, and guide reliability improvements.
• Experience using AI-assisted development tools to accelerate implementation, testing, debugging, and documentation, with sound judgment in validating generated code and protecting sensitive information.
• Commitment to mentorship, constructive feedback, and continuous learning.

You’ll get competitive perks and benefits, from health & wellness to equity, to help you bring your best self to work.

For US Based Applicants

• The US base salary range for this full-time position is $208,000 - $312,000 annually + equity + benefits
• Our salary ranges are determined by role, level and location

By applying for this position, your data will be processed as per Attentive's Privacy Policy.

Attentive Company Values

• Default to Action - Move swiftly and with purpose
• Be One Unstoppable Team - Rally as each other's champions
• Champion the Customer - Our success is defined by our customers' success
• Act Like an Owner - Take responsibility for Attentive's success

Learn more about AWAKE, Attentive's collective of employee resource groups.

At Attentive, we know that our Company's strength lies in the diversity of our employees. Attentive is an Equal Opportunity Employer and we welcome applicants from all backgrounds. Our policy is to provide equal employment opportunities for all employees, applicants and covered individuals regardless of protected characteristics. We prioritize and maintain a fair, inclusive and equitable workplace free from discrimination, harassment, and retaliation. Attentive is also committed to providing reasonable accommodations for candidates with disabilities. If you need any assistance or reasonable accommodations, please let your recruiter know.