Principal Software Engineer in Seattle

Job Title:

Principal Software Engineer – Distributed Systems & AI-driven Retail Platforms

Location:

onsite About the Role

We are seeking a Principal Software Engineer to drive the architecture and development of next-retail systems that blend cutting-edge distributed systems design, AI integration, and edge computing. This role is ideal for a hands‑on technical leader passionate about solving large‑scale engineering challenges that impact thousands of stores globally.

• Architectural Leadership: Design and implement highly scalable, message‑driven microservices using Java 21+ and Spring Boot
  , ensuring robustness, resilience, and maintainability.
• System Design: Build offline‑first architectures and distributed data synchronization models that keep store operations functional even during connectivity issues.
• Innovation: Lead the integration of AI‑powered solutions (e.g.,
  Azure OpenAI
  ) for intelligent scheduling, predictive inventory, and real‑time store operations.
• Technical Excellence: Own the end‑to‑end reliability of mission‑critical enterprise systems using Event Sourcing (CQRS),
  Kafka
  , and real‑time streaming frameworks.
• Mentorship &
  
  Collaboration:
  
  Serve as a technical multiplier—mentoring Senior and Staff Engineers, conducting high‑stakes code and architecture reviews, and driving RFCs for strategic cross‑team alignment.

• Backend Engineering: 13+ years of experience with Java
  , Spring Boot
  , Hibernate
  , and Reactive Programming
  .
• Distributed Systems: Deep expertise with Kafka
  , Spark
  , and Event‑Driven Architecture
  .
• Cloud & Dev Ops: Proven experience on AWS or Azure
  , Kubernetes (EKS/AKS), and Terraform
  .
• Data & Storage: Mastery of PostgreSQL
  , Oracle
  , Cassandra
  , and MongoDB
  .
• API Architecture: Proficiency in designing high‑performance gRPC
  , REST
  , and GraphQL APIs.

• Retail Domain Expertise: Experience in Retail or POS ecosystems
  , managing large‑scale transactional systems and global payment integrations.
• Edge Computing: Strong background in linking cloud services with physical IoT devices for in‑store automation and telemetry.
• Legacy Modernization: Proven success in decomposing and migrating monolithic applications into modern microservice‑based architectures.
• Strategic Alignment: Ability to translate high‑level business metrics (e.g., reduced customer wait time) into measurable technical outcomes.