Principal Software Engineer

The role

As a Principal Software Engineer, you will serve as a senior technical leader across Ro's engineering organization. You will shape the long-term direction of the platform and drive architectural decisions so Ro can scale safely and quickly.

What you will do

• Define and drive the architectural vision for key systems and platforms.
• Evaluate and recommend foundational technologies, patterns and practices.
• Turn complex, ambiguous problems into clear technical roadmaps.
• Lead organization-wide initiatives for system health, observability, performance, security and operational excellence.
• Partner with product, design, data and other teams to align technical strategy with business priorities.
• Break large multi-team initiatives into actionable plans and drive them to delivery.
• Mentor Staff, Senior and early-career engineers.
• Foster a culture of high-quality engineering, rigorous review and continuous learning.
• Provide technical leadership in design reviews, architecture discussions and cross-team forums.
• Act as a trusted technical advisor to engineering leadership and cross-functional partners.

Required qualifications

• 12+ years of experience building scalable, maintainable software systems.
• Proven technical leadership across multiple teams or domains, including designing and evolving complex distributed systems.
• Deep expertise in backend engineering, preferably with strong Python proficiency.
• Experience with distributed systems and relational databases.
• Experience in metrics instrumentation and data-driven performance tuning, using load testing infrastructure and tools like Datadog.
• Strong architectural skills to reason about long-term tradeoffs, system interactions, operational risks and platform evolution.
• Demonstrated ability to influence technical strategy, align multiple teams and guide organizations through ambiguity.
• Exceptional communication skills with both technical and non-technical audiences.
• A track record of developing engineers and raising the technical bar through mentorship, coaching and leadership.

Nice to have

• Experience in telehealth or other highly-regulated industries.

Benefits

• Full medical, dental and vision insurance plus OneMedical membership
• Healthcare and Dependent Care FSA
• 401(k) with company match
• Flexible PTO
• Wellbeing and Learning & Growth reimbursements
• Paid parental leave and fertility benefits
• Pet insurance
• Student loan refinancing
• Virtual resources for mindfulness, counseling and fitness

Before you apply

• Ro is committed to reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities in the application and interview process; contact talent@ro.co to request one.

About the company

Ro is building a vertically integrated healthcare platform that connects telehealth, diagnostics, pharmacy and logistics for millions of patients. The company has been recognized as a top workplace in Health Care, in New York, and for Women and Parents.