Principal Software Engineer

Company: Atlan
Website: Visit Website
LinkedIn: Visit LinkedIn
Business Type: Startup
Company Type: Product
Business Model: B2B
Funding Stage: Series C
Industry: Data & AI
Job Description
Who We Are
Atlan is building the context layer for enterprise AI. Enterprises are pouring money into AI and most of it dies in production because the AI does not understand the business context around the data. That is the problem Atlan solves.
Gartner has named context the defining issue in enterprise AI, and calls context graphs the essential infrastructure for AI agents, naming Atlan one of three vendors already building it. We are also the only vendor named a Leader across all four major Gartner and Forrester evaluations for data catalogs, data governance and metadata management, the foundation the context layer runs on.
Come build the infrastructure that AI runs on.
About The Role
Atlan is building the context layer for AI agents and applications - transforming how data platforms power the next generation of AI. We're looking for a Principal Engineer to help architect and scale the foundational data plane that makes it easy to build apps, agents, and solutions for the AI era.
You'll work on systems handling billions of assets, serving 100K+ users, with 99.99% availability targets. This is a high-agency role where you'll define technical direction, drive multi-quarter initiatives, and pioneer AI-native development practices.
What You Will Do 🤔
Design and build platform services - APIs, infrastructure components, runtime systems, and ingestion frameworks at enterprise scale
Architect the context store that transforms lakehouse infrastructure into AI-ready systems with multimodal capabilities (structured, unstructured, vector, graph)
Solve complex multi-tenant isolation and scaling problems for enterprise SaaS
Design data contracts governing ingestion, validation, processing, routing, storage, and serving across heterogeneous systems
Own critical shared infrastructure including lakehouse (Iceberg/Polaris), vector stores, graph databases, and OLTP systems
Drive technical standards through RFCs, architecture reviews, and documentation
Mentor senior engineers and influence architecture decisions across teams
Write production code using AI-assisted development tools (Claude Code, Cursor)
Debug distributed systems issues across Kubernetes, workflow orchestration, and microservices
What makes you a match? 😍
Must Have
14+ years in platform engineering, infrastructure, or backend systems at a SaaS company
Experience building enterprise-scale distributed systems at scale
Deep expertise in multi-tenant architectures and tenant isolation strategies
Strong Kubernetes, containerization, and cloud infrastructure skills (AWS/GCP/Azure)
Hands-on experience with distributed systems patterns - service mesh, event-driven architecture, orchestration
Track record of driving multi-quarter technical initiatives from concept through production at scale
Strong to Have
Experience designing contract-driven or schema-first data platforms
Familiarity with Temporal or similar workflow orchestration systems
Data quality frameworks, observability systems, and cost attribution at scale
Experience supporting enterprise workloads with strict compliance requirements
CI/CD pipeline design and GitOps practices
Who You Are
You embrace AI-native development and want to pioneer new engineering workflows
You have high agency and take ownership of ambiguous problems
You're a strong async communicator who can influence without authority
You're comfortable with fast-changing priorities in a scale-up environment
You act as a force multiplier—elevating the technical bar for those around you
Why Atlan?
Joining Atlan Means Being Part Of a Global Movement To Help Data Teams Do Their Life’s Best Work. Here’s What You Can Expect
Competitive Compensation: We benchmark at the top of the market and keep compensation simple: strong base salary, performance‑based variable pay, and impact‑driven equity (for most roles), so your total rewards grow in step with the value you create over time.
AI Native Culture: Atlan is where AI-native builders come to build the systems the future of work will run on. AI isn’t an add-on, it’s woven into how we build, think, and work every day, empowering every Atlanian to move faster and create a bigger impact.
Health & Wellness: From Day‑1 health, dental, vision, and mental health to flexible health stipends, we design benefits offerings that lead in each country we're in.
Flexible Time Off & Leave Policies: We trust you to own your energy: flexible time off and modern leave so you can unplug properly, support yourself and your loved ones, and come back ready to drive an impact.
Accelerated Growth & Learning: Develop at an uncommon velocity through cutting-edge tech, complex implementations, and an experienced team that values mastery.
Global, Remote-First, High-Trust: Work from anywhere with a diverse team across 15+ countries, in a trust-first, async environment that gives you true flexibility and ownership over how you work.
More About Us
Atlan is building the shared context layer that enterprises need so AI can operate on trusted, governed context. The conversation has moved from data leaders asking: “Can we trust the data in our stack?” to businesses asking: “Can we trust AI inside the business?”
We are the missing infrastructure for businesses becoming AI-forward - the connective tissue between their data stack, operational systems, and AI agents.
Equal Opportunity Employer
Atlan is committed to building an inclusive, diverse, and authentic workplace. We do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, military or veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristic.

Work arrangement
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