Senior Staff Software Engineer – Distributed Systems & Cloud Infrastructure

Job Description

Senior Staff Software Engineer – Distributed Systems & Cloud Infrastructure

Join a dynamic and rapidly expanding technology company focused on building the next generation of [Industry, e.g., real-time data processing, intelligent automation, cloud-native security]. We are seeking an exceptional and highly motivated Senior Staff Software Engineer to lead the design and development of our core distributed systems and cloud infrastructure. If you are a visionary engineer with a passion for building robust, scalable, and high-performance platforms, and thrive in an environment that values innovation and technical excellence, we invite you to be a foundational part of our journey.

About Our Company

At [Company Name], we are at the forefront of innovation, tackling some of the most complex challenges in [specific domain, e.g., high-throughput data analytics, enterprise SaaS, IoT connectivity]. Our mission is to [Company Mission Statement, e.g., “empower businesses with unparalleled insights,” “secure the digital world,” “connect global communities seamlessly”]. We foster a culture of engineering excellence, collaboration, and continuous learning, where every team member is encouraged to contribute impactful ideas and grow professionally. We are a fast-paced, remote-friendly (or hybrid, as applicable) organization committed to making a tangible difference with our technology.

The Role: Senior Staff Software Engineer – Distributed Systems & Cloud Infrastructure

As a Senior Staff Software Engineer, you will be a critical leader within our engineering organization, driving architectural decisions and hands-on development for our most challenging infrastructure projects. You will own significant components of our distributed systems, ensuring they are resilient, performant, and scalable to meet the demands of our growing customer base. This role requires deep expertise in cloud platforms, distributed computing principles, and a strong ability to mentor and guide other engineers.

Key Responsibilities

• Architectural Leadership: Lead the design and evolution of complex distributed systems architectures, ensuring scalability, reliability, security, and cost-efficiency.
• Hands-on Development: Write high-quality, maintainable, and well-tested code primarily in [Primary Language, e.g., Go, Java, Python, Rust] for core infrastructure services and components.
• Strategic Planning: Collaborate with engineering leadership, product management, and other stakeholders to define technical roadmaps and strategic initiatives for the platform.
• Performance & Optimization: Identify and resolve complex performance bottlenecks, optimize resource utilization, and ensure the operational excellence of critical services.
• Technical Mentorship: Provide technical guidance, perform in-depth code reviews, and mentor senior and principal engineers, elevating the overall technical bar of the team.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with product teams to understand requirements and translate them into robust and scalable technical solutions.
• Innovation & Research: Evaluate new technologies, tools, and methodologies to continually improve our platform and engineering practices.
• Incident Response: Act as a technical expert during critical incidents, performing root cause analysis and implementing preventative measures.

Required Qualifications

• Experience: 10+ years of professional experience in software engineering, with at least 5 years specifically focused on designing, building, and operating large-scale distributed systems and cloud infrastructure.
• Programming Expertise: Expert proficiency in at least one modern programming language such as Go, Java, Python, or Rust, with a deep understanding of concurrent programming, data structures, and algorithms.
• Distributed Systems: Proven track record of architecting and implementing highly available, fault-tolerant, and scalable distributed systems using technologies like Kafka, Kubernetes, gRPC, ZooKeeper, or similar.
• Cloud Platforms: Extensive experience with at least one major cloud provider (AWS, GCP, or Azure), including a deep understanding of their compute, storage, networking, and security services.
• System Design: Demonstrated ability to lead complex system design discussions, propose innovative solutions, and articulate trade-offs effectively.
• Problem Solving: Exceptional analytical, problem-solving, and debugging skills, with a methodical approach to complex technical challenges.
• Communication: Excellent written and verbal communication skills, capable of influencing technical decisions and presenting complex ideas clearly to diverse audiences.
• Operational Excellence: Strong understanding of observability (logging, metrics, tracing), monitoring, alerting, and incident management for production systems.

Preferred Qualifications

• Containerization & Orchestration: Deep expertise with Docker and Kubernetes, including custom resource definitions (CRDs), operators, and service mesh technologies.
• Data Stores: Experience with a variety of data storage technologies, including relational databases (PostgreSQL, MySQL), NoSQL databases (Cassandra, MongoDB, DynamoDB), and time-series databases.
• Networking: Strong understanding of networking concepts, protocols, and security in a cloud-native environment.
• CI/CD & DevOps: Experience with modern CI/CD pipelines and DevOps practices.
• Open Source Contributions: Active contributions to relevant open-source projects.
• Education: Master’s or Ph.D. in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field.

What We Offer

• Impactful Work: The opportunity to shape the future of our core platform and directly influence product direction.
• Competitive Compensation: Generous salary, significant equity options, and performance-based bonuses.
• Comprehensive Benefits: Top-tier health, dental, and vision insurance, 401(k) matching, and ample paid time off.
• Professional Development: Budget for conferences, training, certifications, and a culture of continuous learning and growth.
• Innovative Environment: Work with cutting-edge technologies and solve challenging, intellectually stimulating problems alongside brilliant engineers.
• Collaborative Culture: A supportive, inclusive, and high-performance team environment that values diverse perspectives.
• Flexibility: Flexible working arrangements (e.g., remote-first, hybrid model) to support work-life balance.
• Perks: [Examples: home office stipend, wellness programs, regular team events, unlimited snacks/drinks in office].

Our Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion

[Company Name] is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are deeply committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We firmly believe that a diverse team fosters innovation and leads to better outcomes. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

How to Apply

If you are an experienced Staff Engineer eager to take on significant technical challenges and drive the evolution of a critical platform, we encourage you to apply! Please submit your resume and a brief cover letter highlighting your relevant experience and what excites you about this role to [Application Link/Email Address]. We look forward to hearing from you!