Principal Software Engineer

Introduction to Demandbase: 

Demandbase is the leading account-based GTM platform for B2B enterprises to identify and target the right customers, at the right time, with the right message. With a unified view of intent data, AI-powered insights, and prescriptive actions, go-to-market teams can seamlessly align and execute with confidence. Thousands of businesses depend on Demandbase to maximize revenue, minimize waste, and consolidate their data and technology stacks - all in one platform.

As a company, we’re as committed to growing careers as we are to building world-class technology. We invest heavily in people, our culture, and the community around us. We have offices in the San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, and India, as well as a team in the UK, and allow employees to work remotely. We have also been continuously recognized as one of the best places to work in the San Francisco Bay Area including, “Best Workplaces for Millennials” and “Best Workplaces for Parents”!

We're committed to attracting, developing, retaining, and promoting a diverse workforce. By ensuring that every Demandbase employee is able to bring a diversity of talents to work, we're increasingly capable of living out our mission to transform how B2B goes to market. We encourage people from historically underrepresented backgrounds and all walks of life to apply. Come grow with us at Demandbase!

About the Role:

Demandbase is looking for a Principal Software Engineer who thrives on solving complex technical challenges and delivering scalable, high-impact systems. This role is ideal for an experienced Staff or Principal Engineer with a passion for technical leadership, architectural excellence, and building innovative solutions that drive measurable customer outcomes.

You’ll serve as a technical leader across teams, owning architecture, guiding system design, and mentoring engineers. You’ll collaborate closely with Engineering Managers and Product Managers to align execution with product strategy, and to bring cutting-edge AI-powered B2B solutions to life.

This role is based in San Francisco, CA.

The base compensation range for this position for candidates in the SF Bay Area is: $204,000-$306,000. For all other locations, the base compensation range is based on the primary work location of the candidate as our ranges are location specific. Actual compensation packages are based on a wide array of factors unique to each candidate, including but not limited to skillset, years of experience, and depth of experience.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Drive technical direction and architecture across projects involving scalable microservices, distributed systems, and modern data platforms.
• Collaborate with product and engineering leadership to translate product vision into actionable technical roadmaps.
• Stay hands-on by participating in technical design reviews, code reviews, architectural planning, and incident retrospectives.
• Support engineering teams in delivering high-impact work while maintaining quality, security, and system resiliency.
• Partner with Staff and other Principal Engineers to integrate generative and agentic AI capabilities into our platform to drive customer outcomes.
• Champion modern engineering practices such as continuous delivery, test automation, observability, and cloud-native deployment.

What We’re Looking For

• A seasoned Staff+ engineer with a strong track record of delivering impactful software in complex technical environments.
• Interest in leveraging AI and automation to improve developer experience and product capabilities.
• Proven ability to drive large-scale technical initiatives with cross-functional alignment.
• Strong communicator who can bridge technical and business priorities, and foster collaboration across teams.
• A hands-on technical leader who is comfortable engaging in architecture discussions and digging into complex systems when needed.
• Passion for helping engineers grow through mentorship, feedback, and clear goals.
• Strong background in agile development methodologies (Scrum, Kanban, SAFe, etc.).

Qualifications

• 10+ years of professional software engineering experience, with at least 2–3 years in a Staff Engineer or Principal Engineer role.
• Demonstrated success leading delivery of distributed systems or cloud-native platforms.
• Proficient in one or more modern backend languages (Java, Scala, Python preferred).
• Experience with modern CI/CD pipelines, container orchestration (Kubernetes), and cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, or Azure).
• Deep understanding of system design, architectural trade-offs, and performance tuning at scale.
• Hands-on experience with AI-driven development tools and their integration into engineering workflows.
• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent real-world experience.

Why This Role Is Exciting

• Lead with impact: You’ll directly influence our most strategic technical initiatives and drive key outcomes for our customers and business.
• Stay close to the tech: We value technical leadership and expect our managers to stay engaged in architecture and code.
• Grow as a people leader: You’ll have the support to grow your leadership skills through mentorship, peer networks, and real experience.
• Innovate with AI: Be at the forefront of integrating generative and agentic AI into a platform used by modern B2B teams.

Benefits:

We offer a comprehensive benefits package designed to support your health, well-being, and financial security. Our employees enjoy up to 100% paid premiums for Medical and Vision coverage, ensuring access to top-tier care for you and your loved ones. In addition, we provide a range of mental wellness resources, including access to Modern Health, to help support your emotional well-being. We believe in a healthy work-life harmony, which is why we offer a flexible PTO policy, 15 paid holidays in 2025—including a three-day break around July 4th and a full week off for Thanksgiving—and No Internal Meetings Fridays to give you uninterrupted time to focus on what matters most. For your financial future, we offer a competitive 401(k) plan, short-term and long-term disability coverage, life insurance, and other valuable benefits to ensure your financial peace of mind.

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Demandbase:

At Demandbase, we believe in creating a workplace culture that values and celebrates diversity in all its forms. We recognize that everyone brings unique experiences, perspectives, and identities to the table, and we are committed to building a community where everyone feels valued, respected, and supported. Discrimination of any kind is not tolerated, and we strive to ensure that every individual has an equal opportunity to succeed and grow, regardless of their gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, race, ethnicity, background, marital status, genetic information, education level, veteran status, national origin, or any other protected status. We do not automatically disqualify applicants with criminal records and will consider each applicant on a case-by-case basis.

We recognize that not all candidates will have every skill or qualification listed in this job description. If you feel you have the level of experience to be successful in the role, we encourage you to apply!

We acknowledge that true diversity and inclusion requires ongoing effort, and we are committed to doing the work required to make our workplace a safe and equitable space for all. Join us in building a community where we can learn from each other, celebrate our differences, and work together.