Senior Principal Software Engineer, Graphics

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Location
:
Preferably located near Philadelphia. Hybrid or home-based opportunities can also be considered in the US.

Cesium (now a part of Bentley) is defining the standard for 3D for the built and natural environment from the construction site to the battlefield, from outer space to underground. Cesium has more than 10,000,000 lifetime open‑source downloads, and we support a thriving open‑source community.

We are looking for a Senior Principal Software Engineer to help drive the next generation of our platform architecture across our Cesium runtimes and 3D data pipelines.

In this role, you’ll help define and evolve the architectural foundations that power our platform, working across teams to ensure technical coherence, scalability, and developer experience. You’ll partner closely with Product and Engineering leadership, shape standards inside and outside the company, and still spend a meaningful amount of time in the codebase to stay sharp and lead by example. This role offers:

• Opportunity to shape industry by defining open standards like 3D Tiles.
• High autonomy, high impact, and direct influence on Cesium’s long‑term direction.
• Mission‑driven culture built on openness, interoperability, and engineering excellence.

Responsibilities
:

• Brings a passion in making 3D data accessible to everyone
• Help shape the architecture for Cesium’s platform across Cesium runtimes, 3D tiling pipelines, and real‑time streaming with 3 DTiles
• Partner with Product and Engineering leadership to drive clarity and alignment across teams.
• Engage with our active user community and represent Cesium true to our brand as an authentic authority in 3D geospatial
• Contribute to Cesium work in open standards and open‑source communities (e.g., OGC, Khronos).
• Work 50%+ in production code – actively participate in a supportive development team using Git Hub to write code, conduct code reviews, and manage CI
• Mentor senior engineers and help grow architecture maturity across the organization.
• Work in a fast‑paced, continuous learning environment
• This role requires minimal travel
• Position reports directly to Platform Head of Engineering
• Requires sitting or standing at will while performing work on a computer (or any other physical requirements).

Qualifications
:

• 12+ years of engineering experience, including significant time working on complex distributed systems, platform architecture, graphics/visualization pipelines, or high‑performance systems.
• Proven track record as a Staff, Principal, or Senior Principal Engineer operating across multiple teams.
• Demonstrated ability to influence long‑range technical direction at an organizational scale.
• Strong experience aligning engineering and product strategy.
• Enjoyment of being hands‑on in code, including building prototypes and clarifying architecture via working examples.
• Excellent written/verbal communication skills and comfort with external visibility (standards, open source, speaking).
• Deep expertise in one or more of the following:
• 3D engines (Unity, Unreal, custom engines)
• Distributed systems or streaming data pipelines
• Geospatial or spatial computing
• Developer platforms / high‑performance libraries
• Experience in C/C++ or other programming languages
• Excellent communication skills and comfort representing technology externally.
• Passion for open standards, open source, and help developers build applications.
• A willingness to mentor other Cesium developers and colleagues.
• BS or MS in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related field with equivalent industry experience.
• An exciting career as an integral part of a world‑leading software company providing solutions for architecture, engineering, and construction – watch this short documentary about how we got our start.
• An attractive salary and benefits package.
• A commitment to inclusion, belonging, and colleague wellbeing through global initiatives and resource groups.
• A company committed to making a real difference by advancing the world’s infrastructure for a better of life, where your contributions help build a more sustainable, connected, and resilient world. Discover our…