Lead Software Engineer; SAIL

Position: Lead Software Engineer (SAIL)
# Lead Software Engineer (SAIL)
July 20, 2026

Apply Now Experienced Hire Engineering Mc Lean , Virginia Here at Appian, our values of
** Intensity
* * and
** Excellence
* * define who we are. We set high standards and live up to them, ensuring that everything we do is done with care and quality. We approach every challenge with ambition and commitment, holding ourselves and each other accountable to achieve the best results. When you join Appian, you’ll be part of a passionate team dedicated to accomplishing hard things, together.

As a Lead Software Engineer working on the Appian platform, your mission will be to ensure Appian is always fast, scalable and up to whatever tasks our customers configure it to do. You will be solving problems of scale and flexibility that most engineers never see, building a product capable of serving our customers in ways you never imagined. Your scope extends from the high-performance data layer to the cross-platform user interface to the design tools used to create it.
* This role is based at our headquarters in McLean, Virginia. Appian was built on a culture of in-person collaboration, which we believe is a key driver of our mission to be the best. Employees hired for this position are expected to be in the office 5 days a week to foster that culture and ensure we continue to thrive through shared ideas and teamwork.

We believe being in the office provides more opportunities to come together and celebrate working with the exceptional people across Appian.
* Responsibilities:
* Contribute to Programming Language Design and Implementation (Appian SAIL framework)
* Leverage knowledge of data structures, algorithms, and design patterns to write software in a full-stack web environment.
* Leverage relevant software development experience to radiate best practices and faster development.
* Manage availability, latency, scalability and efficiency of the product by engineering reliability into software and systems.
* Contribute to software performance analysis and system tuning.
* Key contributor to team feature breakdowns/sizing and design of new feature implementations.
* Moderate degree of personal responsibility for the overall performance of the team, including capabilities, quality, stability and velocity.
* Perform code reviews which provide feedback not only on code quality, but on design and implementation.
* Build automation to prevent problem recurrence.
* Seek to identify opportunities for code refactoring and performance optimizations on a regular basis and champion these efforts within the team.
* Mentor junior software engineers by sharing best-practices and providing guidance on how to become more proficient.
* Share advanced/expert knowledge with others in the department, both on and off team; maintain a reputation as a key resource in those areas.
* Lead technological changes to keep platform modern.
* Effectively communicate technical designs verbally, visually and/or in writing for small to medium sized technical audiences.
* Contribute to Appian's long-term documentation through publishing relevant, high-quality content to Engineering's technical documentation site Preferred Requirements: MS in Computer Science or related field/degree and 5+ years of relevant experience, or a BS and 7+ years of relevant experience;
Experience in a high-volume or critical production service environment;
Fluency in Java, React & Typescript;

Experience with Multi-threading / Lock-Free vs. Locking;

Experience with Performance analysis (Server load, Java / Java script performance optimizations, UI speed, etc.)

Education:

B.S. in Computer Science or related field/degree#LI-AG1

The base salary range represents a good faith and reasonable estimate of the range at the time of posting. Actual compensation will be dependent on a number of factors including, but not limited to, the candidate’s relevant work experience, qualifications, internal peer equity, and market and business conditions that exist when extending an offer. A discretionary bonus may be awarded in recognition of individual and company  addition, Appian provides generous benefits offerings that include a 401(k) plan with company match, flexible time off, paid parental leave, medical, dental, and vision plans, life insurance, disability insurance, wellness programs, flexible spending accounts, health savings account contributions, an employee referral bonus program, and learning and development resources.

Certain positions may be eligible for equity awards.

Pay and benefits are subject to change at any time, consistent with the terms of any applicable compensation, commission, bonus, or benefit plans.

Base Salary Range $150,000—$300,000 USD
** Tools and Resources
*** Training and Development:
During onboarding, we focus on equipping new hires with the skills and knowledge for success through department-specific training. Continuous learning is a central focus at Appian, with dedicated mentorship and the First-Friend program being widely utilized…