Staff Software Engineer

We are seeking a visionary and hands-on Staff Software Engineers to join our Rippling Unity Platform team. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in building internet-scale distributed systems, developing scalable services, and crafting clean, modular APIs. This role requires deep expertise in both analytical and transactional systems, and a strong understanding of Scalability , Concurrency , SLAs, system resiliency, and observability. The candidate should be proficient in coding with languages such as Python, Golang, and Java, and experienced in handling systems with millions of users.

Key Responsibilities

• Architect and Lead: Design, develop, and maintain internet-scale, highly distributed systems and scalable services for the Rippling Unity Platform.
• Hands-On Coding: Actively participate in coding and code reviews, using languages such as Python, Golang, and Java.
• Technical Leadership: Provide visionary technical leadership, setting the direction for engineering best practices and the adoption of advanced technologies.
• Mentorship: Mentor and support engineers across the organization, fostering a culture of continuous learning, collaboration, and technical excellence.
• System Design: Architect systems capable of handling millions of users simultaneously, ensuring high performance, reliability, and scalability.
• API Development: Design and implement clean, modularized abstraction APIs and programmatic APIs for both end users and engineers, including Backend for Frontend (BFF) systems.
• Storage Solutions: Design and implement Analytical systems that encompass both analytical (e.g., Presto, S3, Snowflake) and transactional (e.g., MySQL, Aurora, MongoDB) systems. They should be able to handle petabyte scale
• Resiliency and SLAs: Develop and maintain systems with high availability and reliability, targeting four or five 9s (99.99% or 99.999%) uptime.
• Observability: Implement comprehensive observability practices, including monitoring, logging, and tracing, to ensure system health and performance.
• Streaming and Workflow Systems: Build and integrate streaming solutions (e.g., Spark Streaming, Apache Flink, Kafka Connect) and workflow systems for both transactional and analytical workflows.
• Collaboration: Work closely with cross-functional teams, including product management, data science, and operations, to align on strategic goals and ensure successful project delivery.
• Innovation: Stay abreast of industry trends and emerging technologies, driving innovation and continuous improvement within the Rippling Unity Platform.
• Documentation and Standards: Develop and maintain comprehensive documentation and standards for system architecture, design, and operational processes.

Required Qualifications

• Experience: 12+ years of experience in software engineering, with a significant focus on building large-scale distributed systems and scalable services.
• Technical Expertise: Proficient in coding with languages such as Python, Golang, and Java. Deep understanding of distributed computing principles, data architecture, and scalable system design.
• Leadership: Demonstrated experience in technical leadership roles, with a proven track record of mentoring and developing engineering teams.
• Systems Expertise: Extensive experience in building systems handling millions of users in parallel and developing scalable services. Deep understanding of SLAs, system resiliency, and observability.
• API Development: Expertise in designing and implementing clean, modularized abstraction APIs and programmatic APIs, including BFF for front-end systems.
• Storage Systems: Expertise in both analytical (e.g., Presto, S3, Snowflake) and transactional (e.g., MySQL, Aurora, MongoDB) storage systems.
• Cloud and Streaming: Experience with public cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, S3) and streaming technologies (e.g., Spark Streaming, Apache Flink, Kafka Connect).
• Workflow Systems: Understanding of both transactional and analytical workflow systems.
• Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to convey complex technical concepts to diverse audiences.