Principal Software Engineer (Backend - Go)

As a Principal Software Engineer - Go, you will be a key technical leader within our engineering organization, responsible for the architecture, design, and development of our core backend systems, infrastructure, and platform components. You will play a critical role in shaping the technical direction of our products, ensuring high performance, scalability, security, and reliability. You will work closely with other engineers, product managers, and stakeholders to deliver robust and innovative solutions.
You will be a hands-on contributor, writing code, reviewing code, and mentoring other engineers. You will be a technical expert and a role model for the engineering team, particularly in the area of Go development.
Focuses on leading the technical design and implementation of specific projects or features within the backend/platform. Provides technical guidance and mentorship to other engineers.
Takes a broader, more strategic view. Responsible for the overall technical architecture and long-term vision for major parts of the backend/platform. Influences technology choices across multiple projects and teams. Mentors and guides Principal Engineers and other senior engineers.
Key responsibilities
Technical Leadership:
Provide technical leadership and guidance to the Go engineering team.
Define and champion best practices for Go development.
Lead the design and architecture of complex backend systems and platform components.
Evaluate and select appropriate technologies and tools.
Stay up-to-date on the latest Go technologies and trends.
Define and maintain the overall architecture for key backend systems and the platform.
Hands-on Development:
Write high-quality, maintainable, and well-tested Go code.
Contribute to all stages of the software development lifecycle, from design to deployment.
Prototype new features and technologies.
Code Review and Mentorship:
Conduct code reviews to ensure code quality and adherence to best practices.
Mentor and coach other engineers, helping them grow their technical skills, particularly in Go.
Performance Optimization:
Identify and address performance bottlenecks in backend systems.
Optimize system performance for speed, scalability, and resource utilization.
Security:
Implement secure coding practices to protect user data and prevent vulnerabilities.
Work closely with the security team to address security concerns.
Collaboration:
Work closely with product managers, other engineers, and stakeholders to deliver high-quality products.
Communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical audiences.
Collaborate with other Principal Engineers and technical leaders across different areas (frontend, mobile, etc.).
Problem Solving: Troubleshoot and resolve complex technical issues.
Qualifications
Education: Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field. Master's degree preferred.
Experience:
Minimum of 8+ years of software engineering experience, with significant experience in Go and a proven track record of technical leadership.
Deep understanding of Go's concurrency model (goroutines, channels).
Experience with building high-performance, scalable, and reliable distributed systems.
Experience with databases (SQL and NoSQL) and data modeling.
Experience with containerization and orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes).
Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure).
Experience with testing frameworks in Go (e.g., testing package, Ginkgo, GoConvey).
Experience with CI/CD pipelines.
Experience with secure coding practices.
Experience with networking and real-time communication (WebSockets) is a strong plus.
Experience with messaging systems (e.g., Kafka, RabbitMQ) is a strong plus.
Experience with gRPC or other RPC frameworks is a plus.
Experience with WebAssembly (Wasm) with Go is a plus
Experience working in an Agile environment.
Skills:
Exceptional technical skills in Go development.
Strong problem-solving and analytical abilities.
Excellent communication and collaboration skills.
Ability to lead and mentor other engineers.
Passion for building high-quality, scalable, and secure systems.
Fluency in English is a plus.