Principal Software Development Engineer, Backend
Core
Principal technical steward for the Post-Connect backend domain, defining long-term strategy and architecture for scalable, secure, cloud-native platforms supporting real estate home-buying workflows.
Role type
Principal Software Development Engineer, Backend (Strategy & Architecture)
Builds
High-throughput, low-latency APIs, data/event pipelines, and distributed back-end services for Zillow's real estate platform.
Domain
Real Estate / Cloud-Native Distributed Systems
Deliverable
production ML models | product features | infrastructure
Required skills
Distributed systems architecture, Cloud-native platform design (AWS/GCP/Azure), High-throughput API design, Technical leadership across teams, System prototyping, Data-driven tradeoff analysis, Engineering standards definition, Cross-functional influence
Preferred skills
Machine learning workload integration, Platform governance and security, Developer experience improvement
Technologies
AWS, GCP, Azure, Distributed Systems, Cloud-Native
Responsibilities
Define and drive long-term technical strategy and architecture for back-end platforms; Lead design and implementation of high-throughput APIs and data pipelines; Solve complex technical problems and de-risk ambiguous initiatives; Partner with product and data science leaders to align technical roadmaps; Mentor and coach senior engineers on reliability and operational excellence; Champion adoption of modern back-end technologies and workflows.
Seniority
Principal, strategy & mentorship
