Principal Engineer, Online Systems

Hybrid

Quick summary

Work type: Hybrid
Location: San Francisco, CAPalo Alto, CA
Salary: $285,452–$499,541 / yr
Posted: 16 days ago
Nearby: 99+ roles within 25 mi

Market check

Salary context

Above market

How this pay compares to similar roles

Similar $204k

This role $392k

$103k most similar roles pay here $542k

This role pays more than 99% of similar roles. Most pay $166,300–$241,550 — the shaded band above. At the midpoint, this role pays about $392k versus about $204k for comparable roles.

Based on 238 similar postings.

Employer

About Pinterest

Pinterest is a visual discovery and inspiration platform where people find ideas for home, style, recipes, and more. It serves hundreds of millions of users worldwide through its image and video pinboard product.

Pinterest currently has 55 open roles on FindRole.

Listed pay typically runs $158,765–$320,320 across 55 roles with salary data.

Most-posted roles

View all roles at Pinterest

At a glance

TL;DR · Principal Engineer, Online Systems

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As a principal engineer on Pinterest’s Online Systems team, you will lead the development and maintenance of business-critical online systems at massive scale, focusing on reliability, efficiency, and modernization efforts such as multi-region deployment and Kubernetes migration. Your daily responsibilities include driving strategic initiatives to improve infrastructural efficiency and scalability, setting high standards for operational excellence, and defining long-term technical vision with measurable outcomes. You will work closely with cross-functional teams to foster a culture of inclusivity and mentorship while ensuring engineering quality and accountability. The ideal candidate has over 12 years of experience in distributed systems, particularly online serving, storage, and caching, with proficiency in C++, Java, or Python, and a proven track record of leading large-scale technical projects that enhance system reliability and cost efficiency.

Skills

Python Kubernetes Docker C++ Java CI/CD AWS PostgreSQL Redis Memcached Prometheus Grafana GitLab Terraform Ansible Bash SQL NoSQL DevOps

What you'll do

Improve reliability and scalability for Pinterest’s critical online systems.
Lead initiatives to modernize the online serving stack through multi-region deployment.
Set standards for operational excellence in engineering practices.
Define long-term vision and strategy for online systems infrastructure.
Drive cross-functional roadmaps with measurable outcomes for technical improvements.
Foster a diverse and inclusive culture within the engineering team.

What we're looking for

12+ years experience in distributed systems and online serving infrastructure.
Deep expertise in building and operating highly available production-grade systems at scale.
Proven track record of leading large-scale technical improvements and modernization efforts.
Strong ownership and quality mindset with thoughtful use of AI tools.
Exceptional cross-functional collaboration skills, including navigating ambiguity and tradeoffs.
Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or related field required.

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