(USA) Principal, Software Engineer

Walmart Inc.; Sunnyvale (CA); Hybrid; USD 143,000 - 286,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

401(k) plan

Stock purchase program

Paid time off

Job summary

Walmart Inc. in Sunnyvale, CA seeks a Principal Software Engineer to lead design and delivery of scalable platform capabilities, cloud-native architectures, and AI/ML integration.

You will oversee the full software development lifecycle across multiple teams to ensure high availability, reliability, and performance of distributed systems. You will decompose a large controller-centric Spring Boot service into well-bounded domain services, drive platform engineering with scalable infrastructure,

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in CS or related field.
• 5+ years of software engineering experience or 7+ years per alternative path.
• Experience with Java/Spring Boot and cloud-native platforms.

Responsibilities

• Lead decomposition of a large controller-centric service into domain services.
• Deliver scalable infrastructure and cloud-native architectures.
• Oversee full SDLC across multiple teams (coding, testing, deployment, monitoring).
• Architect AI-enhanced applications and real-time data processing systems.
• Mentor engineers and collaborate with cross-functional partners.
• Ensure architectural ownership and incident response readiness.

Skills

Technical leadership

Cloud-native architectures

AI/ML integration

Java

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS or related field

Tools

Kubernetes

Kafka

PostgreSQL

OpenSearch

BigQuery

GraphQL

Job description

Position Summary... What you'll do... Role summary: As a Principal Software Engineer at Walmart, you will lead the design and delivery of scalable platform capabilities, driving innovation in cloud native architectures and AI/ML integration. This role requires overseeing the full software development lifecycle across multiple teams, ensuring high availability, reliability, and performance of distributed systems. You will provide strategic technical leadership, mentor engineering teams, and collaborate with cross functional partners to translate complex business needs into effective technical solutions. Your expertise will support Walmart’s long-term platform evolution and operational excellence in serving millions of customers and associates. The mGPS/Compass team drives innovation in Walmart’s in-store technology by transforming indoor positioning data into precise routing solutions that enhance operational efficiency. This team addresses complex technical challenges to achieve meter‑level accuracy and real time path generation, significantly improving order accuracy and saving millions of associate hours annually. Engineers collaborate on advanced algorithms and system designs, delivering impactful business results with immediate operational feedback. The team operates in a dynamic environment, applying cloud-native architecture and AI integration to develop scalable, reliable solutions that support Walmart’s commitment to operational excellence and continuous improvement.

What you’ll do: Lead the planned decomposition of a large controller‑centric Spring Boot service into well‑bounded domain services, with a safe, incremental migration plan. Lead platform engineering efforts by delivering scalable infrastructure, reusable tooling, and cloud‑native architectures aligned with strategic roadmaps. Drive full software development lifecycle management, including coding, testing, deployment, monitoring, and incident response across multiple teams. Architect and implement AI‑enhanced applications and intelligent systems supporting millions of users with real‑time data processing capabilities. Provide technical leadership and mentorship, influencing architectural decisions. Collaborate with cross functional stakeholders to translate business needs into actionable technical requirements and measurable success metrics. Ensure technical ownership by maintaining quality standards, resolving issues, and driving project completion. Foster continuous improvement by integrating feedback, adopting new technologies, and enhancing processes and tools. Own architecture for the Compass platform API design, service boundaries, caching, data stores, and resilience (multi‑region active/active + DR). Design and evolve multi‑tenant capabilities (tenant‑aware config, maps and APIs) for new chains and formats. Build and review backend (Java), web (React/TypeScript/Node), and mobile SDK (Kotlin, Swift) code, set standards, mentor engineers, raise testing maturity. Java 21,Spring Boot 3.5, PostgreSQL, OpenSearch ,Kafka , BigQuery , Node.js 22 , TypeScript , React 18 ,Kubernetes (WCNP) ,KITT/Looper/Concord CI/CD, Flagger canaries ,Akeyless ,Azure + GCP (multi‑cloud),Looker/Tableau ,JUnit, Jest, Test containers, GraphQL Drive scale and performance work like Kafka partitioning/throughput, API latency, cache strategy, data‑pipeline cost (GCP BQ optimizations) Partner with product, vendors (positioning technology), and partner‑app teams (mobile apps, supplier and associate tools) on SDK contracts, SLAs, rollout plans and incident response. Improve operational excellence by enhancing observability, alerting, canary deployments, runbooks, change‑management discipline, on‑call health.

• Health benefits include medical, vision and dental coverage
• Financial benefits include 401(k), stock purchase and company‑paid life insurance
• Paid time off benefits include PTO, parental leave, family care leave, bereavement, jury duty, and voting. You will also receive PTO and/or PPTO that can be used for vacation, sick leave, holidays, or other purposes. The amount you receive depends on your job classification and length of employment. It will meet or exceed the requirements of paid sick leave laws, where applicable. For information about PTO, see https://one.walmart.com/notices.
• Other benefits include short‑term and long‑term disability, company discounts, Military Leave Pay, adoption and surrogacy expense reimbursement, and more.

• Health benefits include medical, vision and dental coverage
• Financial benefits include 401(k), stock purchase and company‑paid life insurance
• Paid time off benefits include PTO, parental leave, family care leave, bereavement, jury duty, and voting. You will also receive PTO and/or PPTO that can be used for vacation, sick leave, holidays, or other purposes. The amount you receive depends on your job classification and length of employment. It will meet or exceed the requirements of paid sick leave laws, where applicable. For information about PTO, see https://one.walmart.com/notices.
• Other benefits include short‑term and long‑term disability, company discounts, Military Leave Pay, adoption and surrogacy expense reimbursement, and more.

Live Better U is a company paid education benefit program for full‑time and part‑time associates in Walmart and Sam’s Club facilities. Programs range from high school completion to bachelor's degrees, including English Language Learning and short‑form certificates. Tuition, books, and fees are completely paid for by Walmart. Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to a specific plan or program terms. For information about benefits and eligibility, see One.Walmart.

Live Better U is a company paid education benefit program for full‑time and part‑time associates in Walmart and Sam’s Club facilities. Programs range from high school completion to bachelor's degrees, including English Language Learning and short‑form certificates. Tuition, books, and fees are completely paid for by Walmart. Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to a specific plan or program terms. For information about benefits and eligibility, see One.Walmart.

The annual salary range for this position is $143,000.00 - $286,000.00 Additional compensation includes annual or quarterly performance bonuses. Additional compensation for certain positions may also include Regional Pay Zone (RPZ) (based on location). At Sam’s Club, we offer competitive pay as well as performance‑based bonus awards and other great benefits for a happier mind, body, and wallet!

The annual salary range for this position is $143,000.00 - $286,000.00 Additional compensation includes annual or quarterly performance bonuses. Additional compensation for certain positions may also include Regional Pay Zone (RPZ) (based on location). At Sam’s Club, we offer competitive pay as well as performance‑based bonus awards and other great benefits for a happier mind, body, and wallet!

Minimum Qualifications

Option 1: Bachelor's degree in computer science, computer engineering, computer information systems, software engineering, or related area and 5 years’ experience in software engineering or related area.

Option 2: 7 years’ experience in software engineering or related area.

Preferred Qualifications

Master’s degree in computer science, computer engineering, computer information systems, software engineering, or related area and 3 years' experience in software engineering or related area.

We value candidates with a background in creating inclusive digital experiences, demonstrating knowledge in implementing Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 AA standards, assistive technologies, and integrating digital accessibility seamlessly. The ideal candidate would have knowledge of accessibility best practices and join us as we continue to create accessible products and services following Walmart’s accessibility standards and guidelines for supporting an inclusive culture.

Primary Location

1345 Crossman Ave, Sunnyvale, CA 94089-1114, United States of America

Walmart and its subsidiaries are committed to maintaining a drug‑free workplace and has a no tolerance policy regarding the use of illegal drugs and alcohol on the job. This policy applies to all employees and aims to create a safe and productive work environment.

About Walmart

Fifty years ago, Sam Walton started a single mom‑and‑pop shop and transformed it into the world’s biggest retailer. Since those founding days, one thing has remained consistent: our commitment to helping our customers save money so they can live better. Today, we’re reinventing the shopping experience and our associates are at the heart of it. You’ll play a crucial role in shaping the future of retail, improving millions of lives around the world. This is that place where your passions meet purpose. Join our family and create a career you’re proud of.