# Principal Engineer

**Company:** [Ironclad](https://hotfix.jobs/companies/ironclad)
**Location:** San Francisco, CA
**Role:** Backend Engineering
**Salary:** $285k – $315k/yr
**Experience:** 10+ years
**Skills:** TypeScript, React, Node.js, Java, Docker, Kubernetes, GCP, LLMs, Retrieval-Augmented Generation, Semantic Search
**Posted:** 2026-05-01

> Principal Engineer architects and evolves core platform for AI-powered contract intelligence, builds scalable SaaS systems with LLMs and semantic search, leads cross-functional teams, and mentors engineers. Requires 10+ years experience in large-scale distributed systems and AI product delivery.

## Job Description

## What you'll do

- Collaborate cross functionally with product managers, designers, and other engineers to spec, design, architect and build features and systems.
- Own and evolve core platform architecture (service boundaries, data models, multi-tenant scale, reliability) to support AI capabilities safely and efficiently across our product surface area.
- Partner with quality engineers to define, build and maintain testing strategy.
- Lead technical discussions, mentor and provide thoughtful feedback to other engineers on the team.
- Grow the team by interviewing and recruiting talented engineers to Ironclad.
- Work on a modern stack built upon: **TypeScript**, **ReactJS**, **Node.js**, **Java**, and **Docker containers in Kubernetes on Google Cloud Platform**.
- Build AI solutions and apply AI tools and features (e.g., **LLMs**, **retrieval-augmented generation**, **semantic search**, and **classification**) to power the future of contract intelligence.
- Drive end-to-end delivery of AI-powered product experiences, from problem definition and experimentation to reliable, scalable production systems.

## What we look for

- At least **10+ years** of software experience architecting, building, launching and maintaining complex systems (a formal degree is not required, we are prioritizing industry experience).
- Demonstrated leadership across teams and a drive towards improving overall technical architecture and achieving company-wide goals.
- Deep experience designing and evolving large-scale, distributed **SaaS** or platform architectures (e.g., multi-tenant systems, event-driven systems, or data platforms).
- Passion for software engineering to build and ship great product.
- Experience in building **AI applications** and shipping AI-powered product features to production (ideally including **LLM integration**, retrieval, experimentation, and measurement).
- Hands-on experience shipping valuable products to production with real user feedback.
- A high bar for quality.
- Strong cross-team communication and collaboration skills.
- Alignment with Ironclad’s values: drive, intent, integrity, and empathy.

**Base Salary Range: $285,000 - $315,000**

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