Principal Software Engineer - Capella Control Plane

Couchbase is a leading data platform for AI and enterprise applications. We build a modern distributed No

SQL database that powers mission‑critical workloads.

Location: San Jose, California (Hybrid – in office at least 3 days a week)

We’re looking for a technical leader to serve as the cross‑team authority for Capella’s Control Plane, the system that orchestrates SaaS interactions with major cloud providers (AWS, GCP, Azure). The role shapes the multi‑cloud control plane’s architecture, drives production outcomes, and leads the team on complex distributed‑systems challenges.

• Architecture & Technical Direction:
  Define and evolve the control plane architecture for scalability, reliability, performance, and security.
• Hands‑on Development:
  Deliver production‑quality Go code for critical Capella platform services, enforce coding standards, CI/CD practices, and design patterns.
• Multi‑Cloud Infrastructure:
  Design and optimize multi‑cloud deployments, networking models, VPC/VNet peering, load balancing, and secure connectivity across AWS, GCP, and Azure.
• Reliability & Observability:
  Define and implement monitoring, logging, tracing, and alerting standards; own production outcomes and root‑cause analysis.
• Platform Capabilities:
  Lead design of core capabilities such as provisioning, lifecycle management, and security controls.
• Cross‑Team Leadership:
  Partner with product, SRE, quality engineering, operations, and global engineering teams to align technical direction with business goals.
• Mentorship & Culture:
  Guide engineers across levels, conduct code reviews, and set a high bar for engineering culture.
• Innovation:
  Research and evaluate cloud‑native technologies, frameworks, and architectures for Capella’s evolution.

• Expertise in Go and building distributed, cloud‑native systems.
• Strong knowledge of system design, high availability, fault tolerance, and performance tuning.
• Hands‑on experience with AWS, GCP, Azure networking (VPCs, routing, load balancing, firewalls) and Kubernetes/container orchestration.
• Experience designing and building control plane and platform components for large‑scale SaaS platforms.
• Proven leadership of cross‑team architecture and platform decisions in complex cloud environments.
• Working knowledge of web UI architecture and collaboration with frontend engineers.
• Experience mentoring engineers and influencing engineering culture.

• Experience with DBaaS platforms or large‑scale database infrastructure.
• Exposure to AI/ML integrations within SaaS platforms.

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field.
• 12+ years of professional software engineering experience, with ≥5 years in cloud/distributed systems.
• Prior principal or staff engineer‑level experience leading architecture & platform initiatives.

• Generous Time Off Program – Flexibility to care for you and your family.
• Wellness Benefits – Choice of medical, dental, vision, life insurance, and employee assistance programs.
• Financial Planning – Retirement program and business travel insurance.
• Career Growth – Emphasis on value creation and career development.
• Fun Perks – Ergonomic office/WFH setup and food & snacks for in‑office employees.
• And more.

Base Pay Range: $204,000—$225,000 USD (plus bonus, equity, and other benefits).

We value diverse educational and career backgrounds and actively encourage applications from all backgrounds.

Equal Opportunity Employer statement: Couchbase is committed to being an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or veteran status.

Candidate privacy and privacy notice apply.