Principal Software Engineer

Apollo.io

Principal Software Engineer setting organization-wide technical direction for Apollo.io's AI-powered go-to-market platform. Shaping distributed architecture, AI-native practices, and multi-year product bets in San Francisco.

Posted 8/5/2026full-timeSan Francisco • California • 🇺🇸 United StatesLead💰 $315,300 - $472,900 per yearWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

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Demonstrates deep expertise in distributed systems and architecture, with a strong focus on AI-assisted development and the ability to set technical direction that shapes product and platform strategies. Proven track record in mentoring senior engineers and raising engineering standards across teams.

Highest-signal resume keywords

Technical Direction SettingDistributed Systems ExpertiseAI-Assisted DevelopmentMentorship of Senior EngineersArchitectural Decision Making

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills

Distributed SystemsArchitectural DesignAI-Native Engineering PracticesReliability EngineeringScalability EngineeringCost Tradeoff AnalysisReactRubyPythonMongoDB

Soft Skills

Strong Judgment Under AmbiguityTeam Alignment

Tools & Technologies

Ruby on RailsElasticsearchKubernetesDockerTerraformGCP

Industry Keywords

Engineering StandardsProduct DevelopmentAI in Engineering

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

ApolloDistributed SystemsDockerElasticSearchGoogle Cloud PlatformKubernetesMongoDBPythonReactRubyRuby on RailsTerraform

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Set the technical direction for Apollo's most critical and ambiguous problems across teams and organizational boundaries
Make architectural decisions shaping the product and platform over multiple years
Set technical strategy for the AI- and agent-focused product rebuild and translate it into executable team direction
Raise engineering standards, patterns, and decision quality across the organization
Multiply the output of engineers and teams through design, review, and mentorship of senior engineers
Partner with engineering and product leadership on the company's technology direction
Use AI agents for complex design, investigation, and implementation work
Define AI-native engineering practices and identify opportunities where AI reshapes product development

Requirements

What you’ll need

Track record of setting technical direction that shaped a product or platform across an entire engineering organization
Deep expertise in distributed systems and architecture
Command of reliability, scalability, and cost tradeoffs in company-defining technical decisions
Strong judgment under ambiguity and ability to align multiple teams
Record of multiplying the effectiveness of senior engineers
Current fluency with AI-assisted development
Clear perspective on the future of AI in engineering
Experience with React, Ruby, Ruby on Rails, Python, MongoDB, Elasticsearch, Kubernetes, Docker, Terraform, and GCP

Benefits

Comp & perks

Equity
Company bonus
401(k) plan
At least 10 paid holidays per year
Flex PTO
Parental leave
Employee assistance program
Wellbeing benefits
Global travel coverage
Life, AD&D, STD, and LTD insurance
FSA/HSA
Medical, dental, and vision benefits
Resources, support, and autonomy for professional growth
AI tooling