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Principal Software Engineer

Element AI

Software Engineering

Santa Clara, CA, USA

USD 217,500-380,700 / year + Equity

Posted on Nov 4, 2025

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Company Description

It all started in sunny San Diego, California in 2004 when a visionary engineer, Fred Luddy, saw the potential to transform how we work. Fast forward to today — ServiceNow stands as a global market leader, bringing innovative AI-enhanced technology to over 8,100 customers, including 85% of the Fortune 500®. Our intelligent cloud-based platform seamlessly connects people, systems, and processes to empower organizations to find smarter, faster, and better ways to work. But this is just the beginning of our journey. Join us as we pursue our purpose to make the world work better for everyone.

Job Description

About the Team:

The intelligent Developer Ops team builds tools used by ServiceNow’s customers for developing, testing and deploying code to their ServiceNow environments. We’re a team focused on bringing modern solutions for development to ServiceNow’s enterprise customer base.

We are looking for a seasoned Principal Backend Engineer to architect, develop, and optimize backend systems that power critical application lifecycle and customer-facing SDLC systems at ServiceNow. This role demands deep expertise in Java and JavaScript, strong architectural vision, and leadership in building scalable, secure, and high-performance services.

What you’ll do:

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.

To be successful in this role you have:

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.

Qualifications

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.
Experience In using AI Productivity tools such as Windsurf, Cursor, etc is a plus or nice to have.
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

JV21

For positions in this location, we offer a base pay of $217,500 - $380,700, plus equity (when applicable), variable/incentive compensation and benefits. Sales positions generally offer a competitive On Target Earnings (OTE) incentive compensation structure. Please note that the base pay shown is a guideline, and individual total compensation will vary based on factors such as qualifications, skill level, competencies, and work location. We also offer health plans, including flexible spending accounts, a 401(k) Plan with company match, ESPP, matching donations, a flexible time away plan and family leave programs. Compensation is based on the geographic location in which the role is located and is subject to change based on work location.

Additional Information

Work Personas

We approach our distributed world of work with flexibility and trust. Work personas (flexible, remote, or required in office) are categories that are assigned to ServiceNow employees depending on the nature of their work and their assigned work location. Learn more here. To determine eligibility for a work persona, ServiceNow may confirm the distance between your primary residence and the closest ServiceNow office using a third-party service.

Equal Opportunity Employer

ServiceNow is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin or nationality, ancestry, age, disability, gender identity or expression, marital status, veteran status, or any other category protected by law. In addition, all qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with legal requirements.

Accommodations

We strive to create an accessible and inclusive experience for all candidates. If you require a reasonable accommodation to complete any part of the application process, or are unable to use this online application and need an alternative method to apply, please contact [email protected] for assistance.

Export Control Regulations

For positions requiring access to controlled technology subject to export control regulations, including the U.S. Export Administration Regulations (EAR), ServiceNow may be required to obtain export control approval from government authorities for certain individuals. All employment is contingent upon ServiceNow obtaining any export license or other approval that may be required by relevant export control authorities.

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