Senior Staff Software Engineer, API

Responsibilities

• Define and drive multi-year technical strategy for the Claude API, setting direction across API Core, Capabilities, Knowledge, Distributability, and Agents.
• Identify and personally lead the highest-complexity, highest-impact engineering initiatives spanning multiple teams.
• Serve as the primary technical decision-maker for major architectural decisions with org-wide scope.
• Partner with Research to evaluate and integrate frontier capabilities; work with Inference and Platform for reliable delivery at scale; collaborate with Infrastructure and Safeguards for reliability, security, and responsible deployment.
• Mentor and develop Staff-level engineers across the org.
• Drive alignment across Product, GTM, Safety, and beyond while proactively identifying and addressing systemic technical risks.

You may be a good fit if you:

• Have 12+ years of engineering experience with a clear track record operating at Staff or Senior Staff level.
• Have demonstrably shaped technical strategy for large-scale API or distributed systems platforms.
• Drive the highest-leverage technical outcomes without formal authority—you lead through influence, quality of thinking, and trust.
• Have deep expertise in distributed systems and API architecture, and are effective writing design docs, making architectural calls, and coding in critical paths.
• Are highly effective across org boundaries—you build trust with Research, Inference, Infrastructure, Safeguards, and business stakeholders alike.
• Bring strong product instincts and a craftsperson's approach to API design; you communicate clearly with both technical and non-technical audiences.

Technical Stack

• Languages: Python, TypeScript
• Frameworks: FastAPI, React
• Infrastructure: GCP, Kubernetes, Cloud Run, AWS, Azure
• Databases: PostgreSQL (AlloyDB), Vector Stores, Firestore
• Tools: Feature Flagging, Prometheus, Grafana, Datadog