Principal Software Engineer

Principal Software Engineer

Fivetran is building data pipelines to power the modern data stack for thousands of companies.

Fivetran is looking for a Principal Software Engineer to join our Platform Engineering Group, focused on building and evolving the core systems that power our data movement platform.

In this role, you will define and drive the long-term technical vision for critical platform components that enable Fivetran to scale from thousands to tens of thousands of customers. You will operate at the intersection of architecture, execution, and organizational influence — solving deeply complex distributed systems challenges while shaping engineering direction across multiple teams.

If you are passionate about building highly reliable, scalable systems and influencing engineering excellence at scale, this role is a strong fit.

This is a full-time position based out of our Oakland office. Our hybrid work model offers a blend of remote flexibility and in-person collaboration, including two days in the office each week to connect and build as a team.

Technologies You'll Use

• Java (JVM, JIT, GC tuning, thread management), JUnit
• Claude Code
• Docker and Kubernetes
• AWS, GCP
• Bazel, BuildKite
• Observability tools (Datadog, Grafana)

What You'll Do

• Define Technical Strategy: Set the long-term architectural vision for core platform systems, ensuring scalability, reliability, and efficiency.
• Lead Complex System Design: Drive the design and evolution of large-scale distributed systems that power Fivetran's data movement platform.
• Drive Cross-Team Initiatives: Lead high-impact projects spanning multiple teams, align stakeholders, and ensure successful execution.
• Raise the Engineering Bar: Establish best practices for system design, code quality, and operational excellence across the organization.
• Mentor and Influence: Guide and mentor senior and staff engineers, shaping technical decision-making beyond your immediate team.
• Improve Platform Performance: Identify and lead efforts to optimize system performance, reliability, and cost at scale.
• Champion Innovation: Evaluate and introduce new technologies and approaches to improve developer experience and platform capabilities

Skills We're Looking For

• Extensive Experience: 12+ years of software engineering experience, with deep expertise in building and operating large-scale distributed systems.
• System Design Mastery: Proven ability to design and evolve complex, scalable, and reliable platform architectures.
• Technical Leadership: Demonstrated experience leading cross-team technical initiatives and influencing engineering direction.
• Strong Programming Skills: Expertise in backend development (Java preferred) with a solid foundation in data structures and system fundamentals.
• Performance & Reliability: Experience optimizing system performance, scalability, and cost in high-throughput systems.
• Communication & Influence: Strong ability to communicate complex technical ideas and influence senior stakeholders.
• Ownership & Ambiguity: Track record of driving ambiguous, high-impact problems from definition to execution.

Bonus Skills

• Experience in data processing (ETL, ELT) and/or cloud-based platforms
• Experience working in startup environments.