Principal Software Engineer

BuildOps•Los Angeles, CA

12h•$196,000 - $262,000•Hybrid

About The Position

As a Principal Engineer at BuildOps, you will lead engineering efforts, set the technical vision, and align technology with business objectives at the highest level. BuildOps is mission-critical operational software for our customers—uptime, reliability, and scalability are essential to maintaining trust. As we continue to experience rapid growth, platformization and technological excellence are foundational to our strategy. Reporting directly to senior engineering leadership, you will lead technical initiatives and strike teams to solve some of the most complex challenges in our industry. You will own the continual refinement of our technology roadmap, defining approaches to the platformization of APIs, data ingestion pipelines, service architecture, and financial/accounting systems. You will work across all teams, bridging knowledge gaps and ensuring local alignment with the global technical strategy.

Requirements

10+ years of experience in software engineering, including significant experience leading complex, full-stack systems in modern JavaScript/TypeScript environments
Expertise in designing and evolving scalable frontend architectures, with deep understanding of React.js, state management, and frontend performance optimization
Strong backend design and architecture experience using Node.js, with hands-on knowledge of GraphQL (Apollo, Relay) and RESTful service patterns
Proficiency with SQL databases such as PostgreSQL or MySQL, including experience designing schema, optimizing queries, and managing data at scale
Strong background in performance optimization across the stack — from database indexing and caching to frontend rendering strategies and distributed systems performance
Experience architecting and scaling event-driven systems, messaging infrastructure (Kafka, RabbitMQ), and real-time data pipelines
Expertise in containerization (Docker, Kubernetes) and modern cloud infrastructure (AWS, GCP, or Azure), with experience designing resilient and cost-efficient systems
Ability to guide teams in CI/CD best practices, ensuring reliable, automated, and scalable deployment processes
Experience driving technical strategy, establishing engineering standards, and influencing architectural decisions across multiple teams
Proven track record of mentoring senior engineers and influencing peers through technical leadership, design reviews, and knowledge sharing
Strong communication and technical writing skills for cross-functional alignment and long-term documentation
B.S., M.S., or Ph.D. in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field

Responsibilities

Influence multiple engineering groups as a technical lead or through exceptional technical and process contributions that enable teams to have greater impact
Proactively identify and resolve conflicts, concerns, and expectation mismatches between teams or individuals to ensure smooth execution of your roadmap and adjacent initiatives
Use a deep understanding of company goals and strategy to guide technical investments across the organization
Extend your influence beyond engineering by effectively driving cross-functional changes that improve both product and engineering outcomes
Design and deliver systems that exemplify technical excellence and embody BuildOps’ engineering values
Leverage your understanding of industry trends to influence technical direction and foster innovation
Contribute to engineering-wide initiatives to enhance customer experience, system performance, operational excellence, productivity, learning, and knowledge sharing
Mentor senior engineers, directly impacting their technical growth and career development.

Benefits

Generous equity grant, become an owner in our company!
Macbook computer provided
A comprehensive benefits package
Flexible PTO and hybrid work schedules
Work from home stipend
Hubs in Los Angeles, Toronto, and Raleigh with hybrid work schedules and lunch provided for in-office days
Company events like BBQs and team-building activities, both in-person and virtual
Fast-paced, collaborative, and dynamic work environment
Opportunities for growth and career advancement
Chance to work with cutting-edge technology and innovative solutions
The chance to get in on the ground floor and build something truly groundbreaking for ourselves and our amazing customers