Principal Engineer, Distributed Data Systems

About the Role: We need someone who gets excited about data pipeline architecture at a ridiculous scale. Not the kind that just handles millions of records—we’re talking about the best engineering organizations in the world throwing their AI workload cost and usage data at us… and our systems not breaking a sweat.CloudZero processes billions of cost and usage events daily across AWS, Azure, GCP, and a fast-growing list of SaaS and AI providers. Our customers depend on real-time, accurate cost attribution to make big decisions. If our data pipeline hiccups, their financial planning halts. We’ve built something unique: a fully event-driven, serverless architecture that processes terabytes of cost data while maintaining sub-second query performance.But here’s the thing—we’re scaling fast. The architecture that got us here won’t be the one that gets us where we’re going. We need someone who’s pushed traditional database architectures to the edge and lived to tell the tale. Someone who sees the elegance in what we’ve built—and the limits we’ll need to blow past.What You’ll DoYou won’t just be maintaining systems—you’ll be reimagining how data at scale should work. The problems are hard, the expectations are high, and the opportunity to build something enduring is massive.Architect for hyper-scaleDesign pipelines that can handle customers 5–10x larger than our biggest today, without architectural rewrites every 18 months.Push the boundaries of simplicityBuild for reliability by stripping complexity to its elegant core. Fewer moving parts. Clearer data flows. Predictable performance.Mentor and influenceHelp level up engineers across the org. Share your scars from performance bottlenecks, architectural dead ends, and clever fixes that worked.Drive innovation across teamsBe the voice that challenges how we think about scale, reliability, and performance—not just for the data team, but for all of engineering.Translate complexity into clarityMake technical tradeoffs legible to leadership. Your insights won’t just shape implementation—they’ll steer product and business strategy.You Might Be a Good Fit If You…Have built systems that processed serious volumes, and hit the edge of what your tools could handleSee code as a liability and simplicity as a superpowerCan explain why a system chokes under scale to a CEO without losing the technical nuanceThink deeply about what not to build, and what tradeoffs you’re making when you doExperiment with emerging technologies not because they’re shiny, but because you’re curious about what’s nextTreat architectural constraints as interesting puzzles, not roadblocksRequirements15+ years of experience building and scaling complex data systemsExperience at early- or growth-stage SaaS companiesDeep experience with large-scale data pipelines and distributed systemsStrong grasp of system design patterns and real-world tradeoffsCollaborative and clear communicator, across both technical and non-technical teamsPlease note: CloudZero is unable to offer visa sponsorship or any form of employment authorization support now or in the future. Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States without current or future need for visa sponsorship.Please note: CloudZero is unable to sponsor employment visas or provide immigration-related support now or in the future. All candidates must have current, unrestricted authorization to work in the United States permanently.

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