Principal, Software Engineer - BACKEND

What you'll do... Role summary: The (USA) Principal, Software Engineer leads the design and delivery of scalable platform capabilities, driving technical excellence across multiple teams. This role oversees the full software development lifecycle, applying cloud-native architecture and AI/ML integration to build intelligent, high-availability systems.

The position requires strategic technical leadership, mentorship, and collaboration with cross-functional stakeholders to translate complex business needs into effective solutions. The Principal Engineer champions innovation, continuous improvement, and operational excellence while ensuring alignment with long-term platform strategies and business objectives.

About the team: The BuyBox team is integral to Walmart’s e-commerce platform, developing and maintaining a microservices ecosystem that optimizes offer selection through machine learning and business rules. The team enhances offer ranking, ensures seamless system interactions, and monitors performance to resolve issues promptly.

Focused on collaboration, technical expertise, and continuous innovation, the team drives operational excellence and supply chain efficiency. Utilizing agile methodologies and data-driven decision making, the team supports Walmart’s commitment to reliable service and value, fostering a culture centered on problem solving and ongoing improvement.

What you'll do:

• Lead platform engineering efforts by delivering scalable infrastructure, reusable tooling, and cloud-native architectures aligned with strategic roadmaps.
• Drive full software development lifecycle activities including coding, testing, deployment, monitoring, and maintenance across multiple teams.
• Architect and implement AI-enhanced applications and intelligent systems supporting millions of users.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to engineering teams, promoting best practices and innovation.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to translate business needs into actionable technical requirements and measurable outcomes.
• Maintain architectural documentation to ensure transparency and alignment.
• Foster continuous improvement through experimentation and adoption of emerging technologies.

• Extensive experience in platform engineering leadership, delivering scalable, cloud-native architectures and reusable tooling.
• Proven expertise in designing and implementing distributed systems optimized for real-time data processing and AI/ML integration.
• Strong proficiency in software development lifecycle management, including coding, testing, CI/CD deployment, and observability.
• Demonstrated ability to apply model-driven design and leverage advanced development tools to enhance quality and velocity.
• Skilled in technical mentorship, architectural decision-making, and fostering engineering excellence across multiple teams.
• Excellent problem-solving skills with a focus on requirements analysis, debugging, and delivering customer-centric solutions.
• Effective collaboration and communication skills to engage cross-functional stakeholders and drive strategic alignment.

The annual salary range for this position is $143,000.00 - $286,000.00

Additional compensation includes annual or quarterly performance bonuses.

Option 1: Bachelor's degree in computer science, computer engineering, computer information systems, software engineering, or related area and 5 years’ experience in software engineering or related area. Option 2: 7 years’ experience in software engineering or related area.

Master’s degree in computer science, computer engineering, computer information systems, software engineering, or related area and 3 years' experience in software engineering or related area., We value candidates with a background in creating inclusive digital experiences, demonstrating knowledge in implementing Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 AA standards, assistive technologies, and integrating digital accessibility seamlessly.

The ideal candidate would have knowledge of accessibility best practices and join us as we continue to create accessible products and services following Walmart’s accessibility standards and guidelines for supporting an inclusive culture.

1395 Crossman Ave, Sunnyvale, CA 94089-1114, United States of America