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Principal Software Engineer (Infra/Platform)

Gradial
Location
Seattle, WA
Posted
2 months ago
Department
Engineering
Salary
$180,000 – $235,000
What they actually want (must-haves)
  • 7+ years of experience in platform engineering, infrastructure, SRE, DevOps, or related roles with direct ownership of production systems
  • Proven success designing and operating production-grade infrastructure in fast-moving, high-growth environments
  • Deep expertise in Kubernetes, cloud-native architecture, and container orchestration
  • Strong experience with infrastructure as code, GitOps, CI/CD workflows, and modern deployment practices
  • Strong command of observability and reliability fundamentals across metrics, logging, tracing, alerting, and incident response
  • A track record of leading through influence, making sound technical decisions, and raising the bar across engineering teams
Nice to have
  • Familiarity with AI or ML infrastructure, including GPU provisioning, model deployment, or compute-intensive workloads
  • Experience supporting cloud or multi-cloud environments with a focus on resilience and scale
  • Comfort with TypeScript or Python for internal tooling and operational automation
What the job really is

As a Principal Software Engineer (Infra/Platform) at Gradial, you will be responsible for enhancing the reliability, scalability, and operational health of the production platform. This role involves leading initiatives in Kubernetes, CI/CD, and infrastructure as code, while building tools that enable engineers to work more efficiently. You will collaborate closely with the CTO and engineering team to address scaling risks and influence the long-term direction of the platform.

Benefits
  • Performance-based annual bonus
  • Meaningful equity awards
  • Medical, dental & vision (fully covered for employees with 75% for dependents)
  • Fertility & family-planning support
  • 401k plan
  • Unlimited PTO
Things to weigh
  • Salary range is $190,000 – $240,000, which may vary based on experience and qualifications
  • The role emphasizes AI literacy and discourages over-reliance on AI-generated responses during interviews
  • Fast-paced, hyper-growth environment may not suit everyone
Job score3.8/5
Benefits4/5
Freshness1/5
Career value4/5
Role clarity5/5
Pay transparency5/5

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