Principal Software Engineer I - Serverless - Platform Control Plane

About the Role

Elastic is looking for a Principal Software Engineer to join the Control Plane Serverless team. You will help shape the orchestration layer behind Elastic Cloud Serverless, a fully managed, stateless architecture that separates compute from storage. You will set the technical direction for our distributed services that manage the lifecycle of Serverless projects across AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure.

What You Will Be Doing

• Technical Leadership: Set the technical direction for major initiatives, owning designs from proposal through general availability.
• System Design: Design and evolve distributed systems that orchestrate and manage Serverless projects across cloud providers.
• Project Management: Lead multi-quarter projects with cross-team dependencies (e.g., Elasticsearch, Kibana) and guide them to delivery.
• Operational Excellence: Raise the operational bar, lead complex incident investigations, and participate in the on-call rotation.
• Mentorship: Mentor engineers, improve collective technical judgment, and set standards for software development.
• Strategic Partnership: Partner with product management and senior stakeholders to advise on technical trade-offs, feasibility, and roadmap direction.

What You Bring

• 8+ years of experience building software, including setting technical direction for complex distributed systems at scale (Staff or Principal level).
• Deep expertise in Kubernetes and cloud-native architecture.
• Proficiency with Go and hands-on experience with at least one major cloud provider (AWS, GCP, or Azure).
• Proven track record of operating high-availability SaaS platforms and improving reliability.
• Ability to work autonomously and drive results in a distributed, asynchronous environment.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to influence direction across teams without formal authority.

Bonus Points

• Experience building for FedRAMP or other regulated, compliance-heavy environments.
• Practical knowledge of the Elastic Stack or Elastic Cloud on Kubernetes (ECK).

Benefits

• Competitive pay with stock program participation.
• Company-matched 401k (up to 6%).
• Flexible locations and schedules.
• Generous vacation policy.
• Comprehensive health coverage for you and your family.
• Support for volunteer projects and financial donation matching.