Senior Principal Software Engineer

Accountabilities: The Senior Principal Software Engineer will provide deep technical leadership while remaining hands-on in the design, development, and operation of core backend systems. This role requires strong architectural expertise, ownership of production systems, and the ability to solve complex distributed systems challenges.

Own the design, evolution, and scalability of backend services and APIs supporting commerce workflows.

Lead the architecture and implementation of GraphQL services using federated and supergraph-based approaches.

Build and improve integrations with major commerce platforms, including APIs, webhooks, and order lifecycle processes.

Design service boundaries, data models, and system integrations to improve platform scalability and maintainability.

Solve complex technical challenges involving distributed systems, runtime behavior, transport performance, connection management, and system reliability.

Own production systems by ensuring performance, observability, availability, and effective incident response practices.

Partner with engineering, product, frontend, and platform teams to simplify development workflows and improve system integration.

Influence technical strategy and roadmap decisions by providing clear architectural recommendations and business-focused tradeoffs.

Act as a technical mentor and engineering reference point through design reviews, best practices, and standards development.

Drive ambiguous, high-impact engineering initiatives from concept through successful delivery.

Requirements:

The ideal candidate is a senior technical expert with extensive experience building scalable backend platforms and distributed systems. You should have strong architectural judgment, excellent problem-solving abilities, and the ability to independently lead complex engineering initiatives.

8+ years of experience in backend engineering, platform engineering, or related software development roles.

Strong experience designing, building, and operating distributed systems and APIs at scale.

Deep expertise in GraphQL design and implementation, including federated and supergraph architectures.

Strong proficiency with Node.js and TypeScript.

Experience working with eCommerce platforms, integrations, or large-scale transactional systems.

Proven ability to diagnose complex production issues at the runtime, transport, or infrastructure level.

Demonstrated ownership of production systems, including reliability, performance optimization, and operational excellence.

Ability to work independently, manage ambiguity, and deliver high-impact technical solutions.

Strong communication skills with the ability to explain architectural decisions and technical tradeoffs clearly.

Hands-on experience with Apollo Federation supergraph architectures is preferred.

Experience with headless commerce architectures and third-party commerce integrations is a plus.

Familiarity with AWS event-driven messaging services such as SNS/SQS is preferred.

Experience with search and retrieval systems such as OpenSearch is beneficial.

Knowledge of Kubernetes, Terraform-managed infrastructure, and cloud-native operations is advantageous.

Exposure to frontend technologies such as Next.js or React for API collaboration is a plus.

Benefits:

Competitive base salary depending on location and experience:

California: $159,750 - $225,500

Connecticut and New York: $159,750 - $206,250

Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, and Washington: $159,750 - $191,000

Nevada: $150,000 - $206,250

Maryland and New Jersey: $172,500 - $206,250

Hawaii: $150,000 - $179,500

Potential bonus incentive opportunities.

Remote work flexibility for eligible candidates across supported U.S. states.

Comprehensive health benefits, including medical, dental, and vision coverage.

401(k) retirement program.

Additional employee perks and wellness benefits.

Opportunity to work on large-scale digital commerce technology and impactful customer-facing platforms.

Collaborative and inclusive environment that values diverse perspectives and innovation.

How Jobgether works: We use an AI-powered matching process to ensure your application is reviewed quickly, objectively, and fairly against the role's core requirements. Our system identifies the top-fitting candidates, and this shortlist is then shared directly with the hiring company. The final decision and next steps (interviews, assessments) are managed by their internal team. We appreciate your interest and wish you the best!  Why Apply Through Jobgether? 

Data Privacy Notice: By submitting your application, you acknowledge that Jobgether will process your personal data to evaluate your candidacy and share relevant information with the hiring employer. This processing is based on legitimate interest and pre-contractual measures under applicable data protection laws (including GDPR). You may exercise your rights (access, rectification, erasure, objection) at any time.

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