This Principal Software Engineer role focuses on designing, building, and maintaining scalable systems critical to customer success. The position involves defining long-term technical strategy, mentoring senior engineers, and optimizing system performance. Candidates require over 9 years of experience in production software development, proficiency in object-oriented programming like Java or Kotlin, and strong communication skills.
Location(s): US (remote), Boston (hybrid), or New York (hybrid) - EST preferred
About this roll* (Responsibilities)
- Design, build, deploy, and maintain highly resilient and scalable systems that are critical to our customers’ success
- Define and drive long-term technical architecture and strategy across the entire organization, aligning executive business goals with platform capabilities.
- Design solutions that anticipate and accommodate future needs while considering tradeoffs
- Effectively communicate technical direction
- Sponsor and mentor senior engineering talent (Staff and Senior Staff engineers) to grow the next generation of technical leaders across Toast.
- Act as a force multiplier in improving engineering productivity
- Diagnose performance bottlenecks and implement optimizations
- Leverage cutting edge AI tools to enhance your development workflow, improve velocity, and help pioneer new approaches to building - contributing to a culture of innovation and productivity across the team.
Do you have the right ingredients*? (Requirements)
- 9+ years experience building and shipping production software to customers
- Experience with Java, Kotlin, or other object oriented programming languages
- Approach your work with humility, empathy, and deep respect for your peers
- Articulate sophisticated project roadmaps and empower engineering cohorts to drive them toward fruition
- Startup mindset in driving initiatives and ability to find order in ambiguity
- Passionate about making users happy and seeing people use your product in the wild.
- Embody a growth-oriented mindset focused on continuous elevation of your craft and domain
- Establish yourself as a trusted technical authority capable of making decisions that secure both immediate wins and long-term strategic goals
AI at Toast
At Toast, one of our company values is that we're hungry to build and learn. We believe learning new AI tools empowers us to build for our customers faster, more independently, and with higher quality. We provide these tools across all disciplines, from Engineering and Product to Sales and Support, and are inspired by how our Toasters are already driving real value with them. The people who thrive here are those who embrace changes that let us build more for our customers; it’s a core part of our culture.
The base salary range for this role is listed below. The starting salary will be determined based on skills, experience, and geographic location. In addition to base salary, our total rewards components include cash compensation (overtime, bonus/commissions if eligible), equity, and benefits. You can learn more about how we align pay with local labor markets in our Geographic Pay Zone Philosophy.
How Toast Uses AI in its Hiring Process
Throughout the hiring process, our goal is to get to know you. We use AI tools to support our recruiters and interviewers with tasks like note-taking, summarization, and documentation of interviews to ensure they can be fully focused on your conversation. All hiring decisions are made by people. We ask that you complete interviews and assessments on your own, without real-time AI tools, recording, or transcription bots, unless we tell you otherwise in advance. To learn more:
Our Approach to Hybrid Working
We embrace a hybrid work model that fosters in-person collaboration while valuing individual needs. Our goal is to build a strong culture of connection as we work together to empower the hospitality community, regardless of location. Please visit the Locations page on our career site to learn more about our in-office expectations by region:
People Are the Secret Ingredient in Our Recipe for Success
At Toast, our employees are our secret ingredient—when they thrive, we thrive. The restaurant industry brings together people with a wide range of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives, and we value that same breadth at Toast. We strive to build a culture grounded in authenticity, respect, and humility, where every Toaster has a real opportunity to grow, contribute, and do their best work—raising the bar in delivering exceptional experiences for our customers and each other.
Toast is committed to creating an accessible and inclusive hiring process. As part of this commitment, we strive to provide reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities to enable them to access the hiring process. If you need an accommodation to access the job application or interview process, please contact candidateaccommodations@toasttab.com.
For roles in the United States, it is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.
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