Principal Engineer

ABOUT HELCIM

Helcim was founded with a mission at heart: to be the world's most loved payment system. We believe that by offering small businesses in North America a decidedly human payment solution where it is easier to sign up and use while being transparent and affordable, we can empower them to grow and prosper. Simply put, helping small businesses thrive is at the very core of our business model, and we think that's a great way to do business.

From the very start, we knew that we wanted to be different from every payment processor out there. We want the merchants we serve to feel supported and see us as a trusted partner rather than simply just another “cost of doing business”. We are relentless in our pursuit to provide a radically transparent and honest payments solution that flat out saves business owners money, all while treating them like human beings.

• The Goal:
  We are looking for a Technical Unifier to act as the "glue" between our autonomous teams. You ensure that Team A’s velocity doesn't become Team B’s bottleneck.
• The Shift: This is not a coding‑heavy role (expect ~5-10% hands‑on coding). We do not need a "Solver" to fix the hardest bugs; we need an Architect to prevent them from existing in the first place. You are a force multiplier who prevents our 7 autonomous teams from building “Distributed Monoliths”.
• The Method:
  You will lead through Consensus‑Driven Governance. You will audit the landscape and use technical diplomacy to ensure teams align on standards—not because they are forced to, but because you have built the consensus that it is the right technical path.

• The Mission:
  As Helcim's Principal Software Engineer, you sit at the intersection of Architecture, AI Strategy, and People. Your primary output is clarity—system maps, decision records (ADRs), and standards that allow us to scale.
• The Scope:
  You own the Architectural Runway for our entire platform. You answer the critical high‑level questions such as: "Does this scale?", "Does this fit our long‑term strategy?", and "Should we build this, or buy it?"
• The AI Pivot:
  You will be the architect of our shift to an AI‑native platform, ensuring that new agentic capabilities integrate safely with our core systems.

• The Cartographer:
  Maintain the high‑level map of our Service‑Based Architecture. You own the system design and ensure that our 7 distinct product teams function as a cohesive ecosystem rather than building “Distributed Monoliths”.
• The Pragmatist:
  You prevent "Resume‑Driven Development." You have the discipline to say "No" to unnecessary complexity, championing our primary stack (Modern PHP) while strategically approving Go/Polyglot solutions only where the architectural trade‑off makes sense.
• Scalability Guardian:
  You look around corners to identify architectural bottlenecks 6‑12 months before they impact production.

• Agentic Integration:
  You will guide the technical integration of modern agentic patterns with existing systems, including monolithic legacy services and micro frontends.
• AI‑Native Design:
  You are responsible for defining the AI‑Native design principles that our teams will use. You ensure we are building a platform that can be leveraged by LLMs, not just humans.

• Consensus Builder:
  You govern our standards (API specs, Event schemas) by building relationships. You translate “Technical Debt” into “Business Risk” to align stakeholders.
• Cross‑Org Diplomat:
  You navigate the complex dynamics between seven teams. When Team A needs a change that impacts Team B, you are the neutral arbiter who finds the solution that benefits the platform, not just the project. You ensure that the teams understand the performance targets that you set with their input.

• The Bar Raiser:
  You play a critical role in recruiting, specifically ensuring we maintain high standards for Senior and Staff talent.
• Mentor to Leaders:
  You are the primary mentor for our Senior and Staff Engineers, teaching them how to think in systems and trade‑offs rather than just code execution.
• Represent Helcim:
  You are the…