Principal Backend Software Engineer-Pipeline Infrastructure (FULLY REMOTE Bay Area, Seattle)

Description

Splunk, a Cisco company, is here to build a safer and more resilient digital world. The world's leading enterprises use our unified security and observability platform to keep their digital systems secure and reliable. While customers love our technology, it's our people that make Splunk stand out as an amazing career destination and why we've won so many awards as a best place to work. If you become a Splunker, we want your whole, authentic self, what we call your "million data points". So bring your work experience, problem-solving skills, and talent, of course, but also bring your joy, your passion, and all the things that make you, you.

Role: Principal Backend Software Engineer-Pipeline Infrastructure (FULLY REMOTE)

The Pipeline Infrastructure team is a core part of Splunk's Indexing and Storage organization, responsible for building and maintaining critical components that power data ingestion, processing, and indexing workflows. We focus on designing robust, fault-tolerant distributed systems to efficiently manage massive volumes of data. Our modern tech stack includes Golang, C++, PostgreSQL, Terraform, and Kubernetes, and we operate across major cloud providers such as AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud Platform - handling petabytes of data for thousands of customers. The work we do directly impacts the reliability, scalability, and performance of Splunk's cloud platform. Join a dynamic environment where innovation meets scale, and your contributions drive meaningful customer outcomes.

ROLE:

• Solve large-scale, real-world challenges using strong software engineering and analytical skills.
• Design, build, and maintain robust, fault-tolerant distributed systems operating in multi-threaded, multi-process environments.
• Investigate and resolve bottlenecks in distributed systems, data pipelines, and performance-critical code paths.
• Lead technical direction and architecture for infrastructure components, contributing to product roadmaps and aligning with partner teams across the organization.
• Drive system design decisions that balance performance, scalability, consistency, and operational cost.
• Build tools and automation to improve system reliability, reduce manual effort, and enhance observability.
• Maintain high engineering standards across development practices, CI/CD pipelines, and operational readiness.
• Mentor and support junior engineers, helping to grow team capability and domain expertise.
• Collaborate across globally distributed teams, spanning infrastructure, platform, product, and customer-facing domains.

REQUIREMENTS:

• 15+ years of relevant software engineering experience with a technical Bachelor's or Master's degree, or equivalent practical experience.
• C/C++, low-level or systems-level development highly desired
• Deep hands-on experience with cloud infrastructure, particularly in AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud Platform.
• Strong understanding of operating systems fundamentals including multithreading, memory management, networking, storage, and performance at scale.
• Experience building scalable, reliable systems in distributed and cloud-native environments.
• Solid grasp of microservices architecture, including service mesh (e.g., Istio), service discovery, deployment strategies, monitoring, and load balancing.
• Proven ability to debug, triage, and resolve complex issues in large-scale distributed systems.
• Ability to work with multiple programming languages, such as C++, Golang, Java, or Python. We have code in several languages. A solid base foundation in object-oriented coding and the ability to rapidly learn new languages as needed.
• We have code in several languages. A solid base foundation in object-oriented coding and the ability to rapidly learn new languages as needed.
• Effective communicator with strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Adaptable, self-motivated, and eager to thrive in a fast-paced, evolving environment.

Splunk, a Cisco company, is an Equal Opportunity Employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, genetic information, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected basis.

Note:

Base Pay Range

SF Bay Area, Seattle Metro, and New York City Metro Area

Base Pay Range: $203,200.00 - 279,400.00 per year

California (excludes SF Bay Area), Washington (excludes Seattle Metro), Washington DC Metro, and Massachusetts

Base Pay Range: $182,880.00 - 251,460.00 per year

All other cities and states excluding California, Washington, Massachusetts, New York City Metro Area and Washington DC Metro Area.

Base Pay Range: $162,560.00 - 223,520.00 per year

Splunk provides flexibility and choice in the working arrangement for most roles, including remote and/or in-office roles. We have a market-based pay structure which varies by location. Please note that the base pay range is a guideline and for candidates who receive an offer, the base pay will vary based on factors such as work location as set out above, as well as the knowledge, skills and experience of the candidate. In addition to base pay, this role is eligible for incentive compensation and may be eligible for equity or long-term cash awards.

Benefits are an important part of Splunk's Total Rewards package. This role is eligible for a competitive benefits package which includes medical, dental, vision, a 401(k) plan and match, paid time off and much more! Learn more about our next-level benefits at ;br>
Thank you for your interest in Splunk!