[Remote] Principal Software Engineer (hands-on)

Note: The job is a remote job and is open to candidates in USA. Cars Commerce is focused on simplifying car buying and selling through innovative technology. The Principal Software Engineer will lead the Platform Core Services team, overseeing high-concurrency engines and driving the transformation of the automotive commerce ecosystem.ResponsibilitiesArchitectural Stewardship: Define the evolution of our services to support sub-second latency and massive concurrency. You will bridge the gap between heavy-lift backend systems and modern, intuitive UI productsAI Orchestration: Redefine the SDLC by integrating LLM-based orchestration into the development workflow, significantly increasing the organization’s velocityInfluence via Data: Lead the RFC process by driving consensus across engineering and product boundaries. You don't rely on "title power"—you use data, benchmarks, and clear trade-off analysis to align stakeholdersOperational Excellence at Scale: Own the "Four Nines" (99.99%) for services handling tens of thousands of requests per second. You will treat observability and developer experience as first-class productsForce Multiplier: Act as a sponsor for Staff and Senior engineers. You are responsible for raising the technical "ceiling" of the entire engineering organizationSkillsBachelor's degree or higher in Computer Science or equivalent industry experience12+ years of software engineering excellence, including significant time at the Staff or Principal levelDeep expertise in designing high-concurrency distributed systemsComfortable navigating complex data-consistency models, event-driven architectures (Kafka/MSK), and optimizing for sub-second latencyArchitect extensible frontend platformsDesign robust State Management strategiesImplement complex RBAC across the stackEnsure UI performance through efficient data-fetching patternsExpert in TypeScript/Node.js, but language-agnosticProven ability to drive consensus in complex environments by using data—not just opinion—to influence stakeholdersTrack record of evaluating emerging technologies (e.g., NewSQL, Edge Computing, or Agentic AI) and running proof-of-conceptsExperience within a large-scale, 'Big Tech,' or high-growth environment or FAANG, Uber, Stripe etcBenefitsMedical, Dental & Vision Healthcare PlansNew Hire Stipend for Home Office Set-UpGenerous PTOPaid Holidays, Floating Holiday, Volunteer Day, Recharge DayCompany OverviewCars Commerce is an audience-driven technology company that simplifies buying and selling cars. It was founded in 1998, and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, USA, with a workforce of 1001-5000 employees. Its website is https://www.carscommerce.inc.