Principal Software Engineer; APIs​/microservices​/Python​/Kafka​/Elasticsearch

Overview

Principal Software Engineer, APIs/microservices/Python/Kafka/Elasticsearch

With 1,000 intelligence professionals, over $300M in sales, and serving over 1,900 clients worldwide, Recorded Future is the world’s most advanced, and largest, intelligence company. We’re looking for a Principal Software Engineer to help design, build, and scale the systems that power our Attack Surface Intelligence module. You’ll own critical data pipelines responsible for the ingestion and distribution of critical intelligence signals, both internally and directly to customers via the product.

The Attack Surface Intelligence Data Engineering team handles two key datasets: our holistic global internet inventory and the technical artifacts of our customers’ attack surface.

This role reports to the Engineering Owner for Attack Surface Intelligence Data and is ideal for someone who writes clean, maintainable code and thrives in distributed systems. You’ll work with product management and other engineering teams to drive technical strategy and ensure our systems are reliable, performant, and insightful.

• Lead the design and implementation of backend services and APIs in Python
• Architect and evolve microservice-based systems for scalability and resilience
• Collaborate with product managers and cross-functional partners to align technical work with business goals
• Proactively identify and resolve data and integration issues by diving deep into pipelines and systems
• Drive observability and operational excellence across services
• Mentor other engineers through code reviews and design discussions
• Coordinate with internal stakeholders outside of the Attack Surface Intelligence team to inform data transfers across the Recorded Future ecosystem
• Contribute to technical roadmaps and long-term platform strategy

• Proven experience designing and maintaining scalable APIs and microservices in Python, leveraging tools like Kafka, Click House, and Elasticsearch
• Deep understanding of distributed systems and service-oriented architecture
• Comfortable exploring data to debug, validate assumptions, and drive better system behavior
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to work across teams to align on goals and priorities
• Track record of operating independently and driving complex projects, especially with geographically distributed teams
• Experience with informing and driving coding and design standards within a team

The base salary range for this full-time position is $152,000-$228,000. Our salary ranges are determined by role, level, and location. The salary displayed reflects the range for new hire salaries for the position across all US locations. Within the range, individual pay is determined by state, location and other factors, including job-related skills, experience, and education or training. This position may be eligible for incentive compensation, equity, and medical, dental, vision, life insurance and 401K.

Your recruiter can share more about the specific details of the compensation and benefit package during the hiring process.

Recorded Future employees (or “Futurists”) represent over 40 nationalities and embody our core values of high standards, inclusion, and ethics. Our dedication to empowering clients with intelligence to disrupt adversaries has earned a 4.6-star rating on G2 and more than 50% of Fortune 100 companies as customers.

Recorded Future is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer and we encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender including pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, marital status, veteran status, disability or any other characteristic protected by law.

We are committed to maintaining an environment that attracts and retains talent from diverse experiences, backgrounds and lifestyles. If you need accommodation or assistance, please contact

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the self-identification survey. Completion is voluntary and will not affect hiring decisions. Further information is provided in the candidate privacy notice.

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