Principal Software Engineer, eBay
$187.6-291.5k
Office located in San Jose, CA
Leading online marketplace
Be an early applicant
Leading online marketplace
1001+ employees
Be an early applicant
$187.6-291.5k
Office located in San Jose, CA
1001+ employees
Company mission
To connect people and build communities to create economic opportunity for all.
Role
Who you are
- 15+ years of experience in software engineering, with a focus on large-scale, distributed backend systems
- Proven experience designing and architecting complex systems at massive scale, ideally within e-commerce or other high-traffic environments
- Expertise in distributed systems, microservices, event-driven architectures
- Deep understanding of high-performance databases (SQL, NoSQL), caching strategies, and data replication techniques
- Solid understanding of scalability and performance tuning, for high-volume, critical applications
- Experience working with Java, Kotlin, and deep familiarity with system-level design principles
- Track record of leading multi-functional projects, aligning teams around complex technical initiatives that impact the entire company
- Demonstrated ability to mentor engineers at all levels, provide strategic technical leadership, and influence organizational direction
- Exceptional problem-solving skills, with a focus on innovation, scalability, and performance optimization
- Strong communication and leadership skills, with the ability to collaborate with both technical and non-technical partners at all levels of the organization
What the job involves
- As a Principal Engineer you will serve as a senior technical leader, responsible for setting the strategic direction of our backend systems and platforms.
- You will work across teams and domains to solve the most complex technical challenges, influence long-term technical decisions, and create scalable solutions that support the company’s growth. Your leadership and technical expertise will drive innovation in platform architecture, system design, and engineering practices for multiple categories of products on e-commerce platform
- Lead architectural vision for various software systems, ensuring scalability, reliability, and maintainability in a high-traffic, distributed environment
- Define, design and implement the technical strategy for backend infrastructure, identifying key innovations, technologies, and tools that will drive platform evolution
- Mentor and guide senior engineers and teams across the organization, ensuring alignment with standard processes in system architecture, code quality, and operational excellence
- Work closely with leadership and multi-functional teams to translate business needs into a long-term technical roadmap that supports new product features and growth
- Collaborate across engineering disciplines to solve technical challenges related to performance, data consistency, and high availability
- Drive the adoption of standard processes in backend engineering, including microservices architecture, data architecture, reusable software artifacts, CI/CD pipelines
- Influence org-wide technical decisions and collaborate with senior technical leaders to drive the evolution of the technical ecosystem across multiple product categories
- Lead technical deep dives and complex design reviews, ensuring that architectural choices meet scalability, security, and performance requirements
- Foster a culture of innovation, encouraging teams to explore new technologies, design patterns, and architectures that can improve the efficiency and scalability of the platform
- Serve as a technical advisor in discussions with partners, vendors, and other ebay communities to drive innovation and partnerships
Our take
Founded in 1995 as an online auction platform primarily catering to collectibles, eBay quickly emerged as a pioneer in connecting buyers and sellers in the digital realm. This early success propelled eBay to become to globally recognized leader it is today.
In the present landscape, eBay competes with industry giants like Amazon within the C2C eCommerce sector. However, eBay distinguishes itself by fostering an environment where businesses can cultivate and promote their brands on the platform, offering a tailored, community-driven experience for both sellers and buyers. By championing small businesses, eBay attracts sellers and socially conscious consumers, positioning itself in stark contrast to Amazon's corporate image.
The rising consumer interest in sustainability has presented economic opportunities for eBay, particularly as younger demographics gravitate toward purchasing pre-owned items. in response, eBay has directed its marketing efforts toward Gen Z customers and formed partnerships with cultural phenomena like Love Island, further solidifying its appeal among contemporary audiences.
Freddie
Company Specialist
Insights
Some candidates hear
back within 2 weeks
13% employee growth in 12 months
Company
Company benefits
- Comprehensive and competitive health and wellness program designed to meet your unique needs.
- We strive to provide programs that help support both mind and body, including quality healthcare insurance, wellness programs and preventative care.
- Stock Purchase Plans
- Retirement Savings and Pension Plans
- Stock Awards
- Life Insurance and Disability Benefits
- Credit Union Memberships
- Balancing work & life - eBay believes in providing you with the opportunity to be your best self in your professional and personal life. In addition to supporting flexible workstyles including hybrid and remote, eBay offers 4 weeks of paid sabbatical time for every 5 years of service
- Giving back to our community - We provide our employees around the globe with opportunities to have a positive impact on their local communities. Through the eBay Foundation, our company matches donations to eligible nonprofits up to $10,000 per employee per year. And our employee-led volunteer groups organize local giving and volunteering activities throughout the world
Company HQ
Greylands, San Jose, CA
Articles
Leadership
Jamie Iannone
(CEO, not founder)Studied at Princeton and Stanford University. Held executive roles at Walmart, Barnes & Noble, and The Children's Place, before becoming CEO of eBay in April 2020.
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