Staff Software Engineer, Platform

Staff Software Engineer, PlatformGradial is looking for a Staff Software Engineer, Platform to serve as a technical leader for the systems and infrastructure our product runs on. You'll set direction for the platform, lead critical infrastructure initiatives and build the foundations that allow our engineering team to ship quickly and operate reliably as Gradial scales.This is a highly hands-on IC role with significant technical leadership responsibility. You'll work closely with the CTO and engineering team to identify the highest-leverage platform investments, make key architectural decisions and lead their execution. You'll help define what great platform engineering looks like at Gradial while building systems that make every engineer more effective.What You'll OwnLead the technical direction of Gradial's platform across infrastructure, reliability, developer experience, security, performance and costOwn the reliability, scalability and operational health of our production platformLead major platform initiatives from problem definition and architecture through hands-on implementation and productionEvolve our Kubernetes, CI/CD, observability and infrastructure as code foundations as the product and engineering organization scaleBuild tooling, abstractions and automation that make it easier for engineers to develop, deploy and operate production systemsSet engineering standards for reliability, service readiness, deployment and operational ownership across the organizationDrive improvements in monitoring, alerting, incident response and observability while turning operational learnings into durable platform improvementsPartner with engineers across the company to identify infrastructure bottlenecks and scaling risks, then prioritize and lead solutions before they become constraintsProvide technical leadership to other engineers through architecture, design reviews, mentorship and hands-on collaborationWhat We Need8+ years of professional software engineering experience with significant experience in platform engineering, infrastructure, SRE, DevOps or related areasProven ability to serve as a technical lead for complex platform initiatives while remaining deeply hands-on in implementationDeep expertise in Kubernetes, cloud-native architecture, container orchestration and production infrastructureStrong experience with infrastructure as code, GitOps, CI/CD workflows and modern deployment practicesStrong command of observability and reliability fundamentals across metrics, logging, tracing, alerting and incident responseExperience designing and operating production infrastructure for rapidly growing products and engineering teamsAbility to identify the highest-leverage platform problems, establish technical direction and drive execution across multiple engineersStrong technical judgment with a track record of making pragmatic architectural decisions around reliability, scalability, performance and costAbility to lead through influence, create alignment and raise the technical bar without relying on formal authorityNice to HaveExperience with AI or ML infrastructure, including GPU provisioning, model deployment or compute-intensive workloadsExperience supporting cloud or multi-cloud environments with demanding reliability and scaling requirementsProficiency with TypeScript or Python for internal tooling and operational automationThe salary range for this position is $180,000 – $240,000 annually. Final compensation will be determined based on factors such as experience, skills, and qualifications.What We OfferPerformance-based annual bonusMeaningful equity awardsMedical, dental & vision (fully covered for employees with 75% for dependents)Fertility & family-planning support401k planUnlimited PTOA beautiful Seattle office with a gym, sauna, and bike parkingFree lunch three days a week in our HQA front-row seat to building category-defining AI infrastructureYou'll Thrive Here If YouLearn quickly, actively seek out new challenges, and regularly reconsider "how it's always been done."Want to have real impact with zero bureaucracy.Have an innate drive for being 1% better than the day before, building towards greatness.Embrace AI as a core tool for problem-solving, innovation, and scale.Show customer-obsession (internal or external), high ownership/accountability, and bias for action.Communicate clearly, directly, with curiosity, and assuming good intentions.Thrive in fast-paced, hyper-growth environments where building better > maintaining status quo.AI Literacy & Interviewing ToolsAs an AI-first company, we prioritize AI literacy as a core competency in our hiring decisions. We're excited by candidates who thoughtfully apply AI tools in their work, but during interviews we're focused on you. This is your opportunity to show how you think, communicate, and solve problems. Over-reliance on AI-generated responses during the interview process (especially when it obscures your own voice) will result in disqualification. We want to understand your unique perspective and how you approach challenges, both with and without AI.Gradial is dedicated to creating an environment where diverse perspectives are valued and all team members can grow. We offer competitive compensation, equity, flexible work hours, comprehensive benefits, and a collaborative culture focused on learning and impact.