Principal Staff Software Engineer, Systems Infrastructure

LinkedIn is the world's largest professional network, built to help members of all backgrounds and experiences achieve more in their careers.
Distributed Systems
Principal Software Engineer
Hybrid
5,000+ Employees
18+ years of experience
Enterprise SaaS

Description For Principal Staff Software Engineer, Systems Infrastructure

LinkedIn, the world's largest professional network, is seeking a Principal Staff Software Engineer to join their Systems Infrastructure team. This role offers a unique opportunity to shape the future of LinkedIn's infrastructure, working on cutting-edge systems that serve millions of professionals worldwide.

The position involves building next-generation infrastructure and platforms, including application and service delivery platforms, massively scalable data storage systems, cutting-edge search platforms, AI platforms, experimentation platforms, and privacy/compliance platforms. You'll be working with technologies that LinkedIn has pioneered, including open-source projects like Apache Kafka, Pinot, Azkaban, and Samza, as well as industry-standard tools like Kubernetes, GRPC, and GraphQL.

As a Principal Staff Engineer, you'll be at the forefront of architectural decisions, driving technical vision and creating business impact through large-scale distributed systems. You'll lead cross-functional teams, mentor junior engineers, and influence technology choices that shape LinkedIn's infrastructure future. The role requires deep expertise in distributed systems, with a focus on building highly available, reliable, and scalable services.

The ideal candidate brings 18+ years of experience in building large-scale distributed systems, with strong programming skills in Java or C++. You'll need to demonstrate strategic thinking, ability to execute long-term roadmaps, and excellence in technical leadership. Experience with BigData systems like Hadoop, Spark, and Iceberg is highly valued.

This hybrid role offers the flexibility to work both remotely and from LinkedIn's office, providing the best of both worlds. Join LinkedIn's engineering team to work on challenging problems at scale, contribute to open-source projects, and make a real impact on how professionals connect and grow worldwide.

Last updated 3 months ago

Responsibilities For Principal Staff Software Engineer, Systems Infrastructure

  • Build and ship software, drive architectural decisions and implementation across the BigData ecosystem
  • Design the right interfaces/APIs for long term evolution of the services
  • Be responsible for high availability, reliability, scalability and performance of systems
  • Actively improve the level of craftsmanship by developing best practices
  • Invest in growing junior engineers, developing design and craftsmanship skills and culture
  • Lead cross team/cross functional discussions and drive alignment on product/technology strategy
  • Be a primary domain expert to influence technology choices

Requirements For Principal Staff Software Engineer, Systems Infrastructure

Java
Kafka
Kubernetes
  • BA/BS Degree or higher in Computer Science or related technical discipline
  • 18+ years of programming experience in Java, C++ or similar programming languages
  • 18+ years' experience building large-scale distributed systems
  • Experience with strategic planning and executing long-term roadmap
  • Experience in building infrastructure and backend services at internet scale
  • Expertise in BigData systems like Apache Hadoop, Spark, Iceberg
  • Strong communication skills

Benefits For Principal Staff Software Engineer, Systems Infrastructure

Parental Leave
  • Hybrid work options
  • Opportunity to work on open-source projects
  • Professional development opportunities

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