ServiceNow · 2 days ago
Principal Software Engineer
Santa Clara, CA
Full-time
Hybrid
Lead/Staff
$218K/yr - $381K/yr
8+ years expServiceNow is a global market leader in innovative AI-enhanced technology, serving over 8,100 customers. The Principal Software Engineer will architect, develop, and optimize backend systems that power critical application lifecycle and customer-facing SDLC systems, focusing on delivering scalable and high-performance services.
Agentic AIBusiness Process Automation (BPA)Cloud ManagementEnterprise SoftwareRobotic Process Automation (RPA)SaaS
Responsibilities
Participate in all technical aspects of team deliverables including quality, performance, maintainability, and scalability
Participate in design and code reviews ensuring best practices in performance, maintainability, and testability
Partner with product, design, and engineering leaders to craft solutions that balance innovation, performance, and business impact
Explore and experiment with new patterns and advocate for approaches that improve system resilience and performance at scale
Design and implement comprehensive solutions by deeply understanding customer challenges, anticipating future needs, and aligning with product goals
Design and develop scalable, maintainable, and reusable software components with a strong emphasis on performance and reliability
Integrate automated testing into development workflows to ensure consistent quality across releases
Develop comprehensive test strategies covering functional, regression, integration and performance aspects
Mentor and guide other engineers, fostering a culture of technical excellence and innovation
Champion engineering best practices, including code quality, testing, and system reliability
Foster a culture of continuous learning and improvement by sharing best practices in engineering and quality
Promote a culture of engineering craftsmanship, knowledge-sharing, and thoughtful quality practices across the team
Qualification
Required
Proficiency with SQL and relational database technologies such as MariaDB or PostgreSQL
Strong understanding of caching strategies and their trade-offs
Excellent problem-solving skills and ability to lead large-scale technical initiatives
Strong knowledge of distributed systems, event-driven architectures, and RESTful APIs
Experience with declarative, metadata driven, frameworks for enterprise applications
Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP) and containerization (Docker, Kubernetes)
Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines, modern DevOps practices, and automated testing frameworks
Proficiency with mentoring both junior and senior engineers
Strong written and verbal communication skills and an aptitude for learning new technologies
Passion for software development, problem solving, coaching, and mentoring other software engineers
Proven track record of leading major, cross-functional technical projects from conception to launch
A strong sense of ownership and a relentless customer focus, with a passion for creating exceptional user experiences
A growth mindset and a passion for staying on top of new technologies and industry trends
Excellent communication skills and the ability to articulate complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences
Experience in leveraging or critical thinking about how to integrate AI into work processes, decision-making, or problem-solving. This may include using AI-powered tools, automating workflows, analyzing AI-driven insights, or exploring AI's potential impact on the function or industry
8+ years of experience in designing & implementing complex architectures
10+ years of experience with Java, JavaScript, or another language
Strong knowledge of data structures, algorithms, object-oriented design, design patterns, and performance optimization
Familiarity with automated testing frameworks (e.g., JUnit, Selenium, TestNG) and integrating tests into CI/CD pipelines
Understanding software quality principles including reliability, observability, and production readiness
Ability to troubleshoot complex systems and optimize performance across the stack
Comfort with development tools such as IDEs, debuggers, profilers, source control, and Unix-based systems
Preferred
Experience In using AI Productivity tools such as Windsurf, Cursor, etc is a plus or nice to have
Benefits
Health plans
Flexible spending accounts
401(k) Plan with company match
ESPP
Matching donations
Flexible time away plan
Family leave programs
Company
ServiceNow
ServiceNow is an AI platform that delivers IT operations, field service management and app engine solutions.
10001+ employees
H1B Sponsorship
ServiceNow has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (910)
2024 (876)
2023 (807)
2022 (840)
2021 (447)
2020 (439)
Funding
Current Stage
Public CompanyTotal Funding
$83.7MKey Investors
Sequoia CapitalJMI Equity
2022-12-09Post Ipo Equity
2012-07-29IPO
2012-03-20Private Equity· $10.98M
Leadership Team
Bill McDermott
Chairman and CEO
Pat Casey
Chief Technology Officer & EVP of DevOps
Recent News
2026-01-07
Company data provided by crunchbase