Principal Engineer

Northwoods builds software that empowers Health and Human Services professionals to better serve vulnerable families. We are hiring a Principal Engineer to carry dual accountability: deliver Traverse product features end-to-end, and co-build the agentic engineering framework that continuously raises the standard for how software gets built here.

This is a technically authoritative, principal-level role on a high-autonomy engineering team where your decisions set the standard and your output shapes the system. You will define the technical approach, execute against it, and course-correct independently. AI-forward development is not a tool you reach for occasionally; it is the operating model for everything you build and every process you improve.

Experience

Required:

• 8+ years of professional software development experience, with demonstrated delivery at principal or staff level in a SaaS product environment
• Full-stack proficiency across a modern web stack; direct experience with Ruby on Rails, React/TypeScript, and PostgreSQL is highly valued
• Expert-level, hands-on AI-assisted development - not theoretical familiarity, but shipped production work built using agentic tooling (Claude Code, Cursor, or equivalent)
• Demonstrated ability to design systems from scratch, reason about architectural tradeoffs, and communicate decisions clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Strong automated testing ownership: unit, integration, and end-to-end - you build tests as part of delivery, not after
• Must be authorized to work in the U.S.

What you'll be doing

• Own and deliver Traverse product features end-to-end - from technical design through implementation, automated testing, deployment, and production operation - with full accountability for quality at every stage
• Set and enforce the code quality bar for the team: architecture decisions, design patterns, code review standards, and security-by-default practices that every engineer on the team follows
• Build and continuously improve the agentic engineering framework - automated test generation pipelines, AI-assisted code review workflows, prompt engineering standards, and agentic workflow runbooks that make the whole team faster
• Drive AI-forward engineering maturity - identify the next automation opportunity, write the runbook, ship it; this is ongoing delivery work, not a side project
• Mentor and technically develop the engineers on the team through pairing, code review, and direct, actionable feedback
• Operate with minimal supervision - define the technical approach, execute against it, and course-correct independently without waiting for direction

You may be a good fit for our team if you have the following skills...

• Expert-level AI-assisted development as a daily working practice - you run agentic workflows, manage context deliberately, and use Claude Code, Cursor, or equivalent to ship production work at accelerated pace
• Full-stack range without hard gaps - you are as comfortable in a Rails controller and PostgreSQL schema as you are in a React component and a CI pipeline
• Strong system design instincts - you can architect a feature or service from scratch, reason about tradeoffs, and explain decisions clearly to both engineers and non-technical stakeholders
• A high bar for code quality that you hold for yourself and others - clean code, SOLID principles, test-first thinking, and security-by-default are how you work, not aspirations
• Demonstrated ownership of automated testing end-to-end - unit, integration, and E2E coverage is part of your definition of done, built and owned by the engineer who wrote the feature
• A builder's mindset about engineering systems - you don't just follow the SDLC, you improve it; writing runbooks, automating processes, and raising the baseline is work you seek out
• High autonomy and low need for direction - given a problem, you define the approach, execute, and surface blockers early rather than waiting for a manager to unblock you
• Strong written communication - your design docs, code review comments, and architecture decisions are clear, concise, and useful to the person who wasn't in the room when you made them
• Comfort operating in a flat, high-trust team where peer accountability is the norm and everyone's work is visible

Preferred Qualifications (A Plus)

• Prior experience building components of an agentic SDLC: automated test generation, AI-assisted code review, prompt engineering standards, or agentic deployment automation
• Experience with Domain-Driven Design (DDD) and applying it to a complex, multi-tenant SaaS domain
• Familiarity with advanced AI development patterns: context engineering, multi-step prompting, multi-agent orchestration
• Familiarity with AWS application-layer services at the level of a confident operator (not infrastructure ownership, but not helpless either)
• Experience in the Health and Human Services, government tech, or similarly regulated vertical SaaS domain

What we provide

• Medical (includes H.S.A. option with employer contribution), dental, and vision insurance
• Short- and long-term disability
• Company paid basic life insurance
• 401(k) with 4% company match and immediate vesting
• Free financial education and consultation
• Wellness program that helps you earn lower premiums
• Robust EAP program that includes free therapy sessions, lifestyle coaching, legal/ID theft services, and more
• 12 weeks fully paid parental leave
• Up to $5,000 adoption fee reimbursement
• $500 wellness reimbursement after 60 days of employment
• Generous PTO policy and 10 company paid holidays
• Company paid cell phone plan

Find yourself checking a lot of these boxes but doubting whether you should apply? Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every qualification. At Northwoods, we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so if you are excited about this role but your experience doesn't align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles. Northwoods is committed to diversity in its workforce and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We are excited to work with talented people, period. All employment decisions are based on business needs, job requirements, and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion or belief, national or ethnic origin, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, marital or civil status, political affiliation, family or parental status, or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the jurisdictions in which we operate.

Who is Northwoods?

Northwoods makes software solutions that improve the quality of the life of case managers and social workers in the Health and Human Services (HHS) field. Recognized as one of Columbus' top places to work, working at Northwoods means being part of a team that's passionate about making an impact on the lives of HHS professionals and the families they serve.

We believe in creating a culture of inclusivity and accountability seeking to hire professional, passionate and driven individuals that believe in the values that we believe in:

1. Curiosity - Willing to test assumptions, courage to ask questions, and active listening.
2. Community - Helping and mentoring each other, celebrating diversity and acknowledging our team members' contributions.
3. Resourcefulness - Willing to try and fail. Asking for help and trusting the expertise of our team.
4. Stewardship - Safeguarding Northwoods' values, culture, mission, and resources.

We believe that our team members are all accountable adults, not only to themselves but to each other, and we treat them that way. Our team works incredibly hard and is proven through dedication to their craft and our mission.


Our Solutions


Our products are designed for state and county social care program areas, including child welfare, childcare, child support, economic assistance and adult & aging agencies. These solutions leverage technology to allow case workers and social workers to easily collect, store, manage, and share case content and data more efficiently. By simplifying processes, our customers can spend more time engaging with the families they serve, make better informed decisions and achieve better outcomes.

Traverse - A SaaS solution that allows for easy, on-the-go access to case files, case work and interview forms and intelligent insights on case content and materials, which lead to better engagement and better outcomes.

Compass - Compass solution is some of our longer standing software that supports multiple markets for both state and county customers. Our focus on reducing time wasted on paperwork and administrative burdens allows case workers to better serve families in need.

Case Aide Services - Our trusted team of experienced child welfare professionals becomes an extension of agency staff supporting them with administrative tasks such as referral and records requests, compiling documents for court, and document organization. Workers can focus on fostering healthier families without sacrificing their own well-being.