Principal Software Engineer

Snap Engineering teams build fun and technically sophisticated products that reach hundreds of millions of Snapchatters around the world, every day. We’re deeply committed to the well-being of everyone in our global community, which is why our values are at the root of everything we do. We move fast, with precision, and always execute with privacy at the forefront. We’re looking for a Principal Software Engineer to join the Core Growth Team at Snap Inc! Core Growth’s mission is to power engineering needs to acquire and retain 1 Billion people who use Snapchat on a daily basis. We do not growth hack, we will grow our community by focusing on initiatives like friending, communicating, relevant notifications, story posting/viewing, account safety and more. We build the foundational engineering required to execute on all these initiatives sustainably. Some of the ways by which we accomplish this includes new user acquisition via SEO/paid growth, account registration, new user onboarding, AI‑driven friending recommendations, contact book infrastructure, push notifications, SMS infrastructure etc. The team is also responsible for search end to end (UX, AI‑driven ranking and backend). What you will do: Design, implement, and operate our most critical and scalable services - ranging from search systems, push notifications, friending graph, contact book management etc. Work across teams to understand product requirements, evaluate trade‑offs, and deliver the solutions needed to build innovative products. Advocate for and apply best practices when it comes to availability, scalability, operational excellence, and cost management. Drive technical influence that spans the entire company. Knowledge, Skills and Capabilities: Experience with backend services or distributed systems Experience in at least one of the following areas: Large‑scale microservices and distributed systems Cloud computing and storage systems Infrastructure and large‑scale system design Information Retrieval/Search Systems Machine learning for search and/or recommender systems Notifications infrastructure Proven track record of operating highly‑available systems at significant scale Minimum Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree in a technical field such as Computer Science or equivalent years of experience 14+ years of industry experience with large‑scale software infrastructure and/or mobile application development. Experience with Java, C++ and or Go Preferred Qualifications: Experience partnering with cross‑functional executives and management across a globally distributed organization and exercising sound judgment Experience working directly with business critical functions like growth, monetization. Experience working on AI Infrastructure Track record of delivery in rapidly changing, highly collaborative, multi‑site, multi‑stakeholder environments. Default Together Policy at Snap: At Snap Inc. we believe that being together in person helps us build our culture faster, reinforce our values, and serve our community, customers and partners better through dynamic collaboration. To reflect this, we practice a default together approach and expect our team members to work in an office 4+ days per week. At Snap, we believe that having a team of diverse backgrounds and voices working together will enable us to create innovative products that improve the way people live and communicate. Snap is proud to be an equal opportunity employer, and committed to providing employment opportunities regardless of race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding, age, sexual orientation, military or veteran status, or any other protected classification, in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local laws. EOE, including disability/vets. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please don’t be shy and contact us at View email address on click.appcast.io. Our Benefits: Snap Inc. is its own community, so we’ve got your back! We do our best to make sure you and your loved ones have everything you need to be happy and healthy, on your own terms. Our benefits are built around your needs and include paid parental leave, comprehensive medical coverage, emotional and mental health support programs, and compensation packages that let you share in Snap’s long‑term success! Compensation In the United States, work locations are assigned a pay zone which determines the salary range for the position. The successful candidate’s starting pay will be determined based on job‑related skills, experience, qualifications, work location, and market conditions. These pay zones may be modified in the future. Zone A (CA, WA, NYC): The base salary range for this position is $244,000-$366,000 annually. Zone B: The base salary range for this position is $232,000-$348,000 annually. Zone C: The base salary range for this position is $208,000-$311,000 annually. This position is eligible for equity in the form of RSUs. #J-18808-Ljbffr