Principal Software Engineer

Job Description:

This position requires office presence of a minimum of 5 days per week and is only located in the location(s) posted. No relocation is offered.

What You'll Do:

This position will drive hands-on operational optimization and SRE practices across Tier 1-3 (T1-T3) support for multiple API platforms. You will standardize processes, enhance automation, CI/CD pipelines, security, and reliability; perform root cause analyses (RCAs) for complex issues; and lead targeted modernizations and cloud migrations. As a hands-on SME, you'll supplement the team with deep technical expertise to enable meaningful transformations, emphasizing proactive incident prevention, post-incident learnings, and continuous improvements in platform stability/resiliency.

What You'll Need:

• Hands-on API development, troubleshooting, and optimization: Design, build, debug, and enhance APIs (SOAP, REST, stateful using Cassandra) on legacy and modern platforms like Mule Anypoint (integrations with Salesforce, low-code systems), ensuring high availability, sub-3-second performance with scalability and resiliency.
• Drive platform modernizations and cloud migrations with a hands-on approach: Lead targeted initiatives, evaluate emerging technologies, and implement reliability enhancements.
• Implement and automate CI/CD pipelines, monitoring, and alerting: Develop robust automation scripts, integrate observability tools (e.g., Prometheus, Grafana), and optimize DevOps workflows to reduce toil, improve deployment velocity, and enhance security across platforms.
• In-depth troubleshooting and RCAs for complex, cross-system issues in APIs, cloud environments, messaging, and network layers: Analyze incidents hands-on, derive actionable insights, and drive post-incident improvements or architectural modernizations to prevent recurrence and boost overall system reliability.
• Help standardize T1-T3 support processes across platforms with an SRE lens: Identify and close gaps, promote reliability engineering practices like error budgets, SLAs/SLOs, and chaos engineering where applicable.
• Build, troubleshoot, and automate event-driven architectures using Kafka, Confluent Kafka, Solace to support high-velocity data flows.
• Support data layer transformations and integrations: prioritizing reliability and efficiency in NoSQL (e.g., Cassandra) and tools like Databricks.
• Provide technical leadership: Collaborate with cross-functional teams, share hands-on knowledge, and mentor on SRE best practices to elevate team capabilities in a dynamic environment.
• Stay ahead of telecom trends (e.g., AI-assisted automation, 5G APIs) and apply them to drive organizational impact through optimization and innovation.

What You'll Bring:

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in computer science, Computer Engineering, Information Systems, or a related technical field (or equivalent experience).
• 10+ years in software engineering with a proven track record in hands-on development of scalable applications and APIs in cloud/hybrid environments.
• 5+ years of hands-on experience with high-volume, high-velocity systems, including performance tuning, incident response, and reliability engineering.
• Demonstrated SRE or similar expertise in at least one core area (e.g., API troubleshooting, cloud migrations, automation) with aptitude to adapt across domains.
• Experience in telecom or network environments preferred, including legacy/modern API gateways, messaging, and data integration.
• Hands-on proficiency in API technologies: development, troubleshooting, and optimization of REST, SOAP, MuleSoft Anypoint platform, stateful APIs, and - must be able to dive into code, debug issues, and implement fixes in real-time
• Expertise in CI/CD and automation: Building pipelines (Jenkins, Git), scripting for orchestration, and integrating tools for continuous testing, deployment, and monitoring.
• Exceptional troubleshooting and problem-solving skills across APIs, cloud (Azure preferred, AWS/Google Cloud acceptable), messaging, and network layers: Ability to perform RCAs, learn from incidents, and implement improvements like enhanced alerting, tooling or code.
• Cloud expertise: Hands-on architecting with Docker, Kubernetes, multi-region setups, and SRE practices for high availability.
• Strong hands-on experience in platform modernizations: Leading migrations, architectural refactoring, and transformations in complex environments (e.g., legacy to cloud-native), with direct involvement in coding and implementation.
• Proficiency in messaging and streaming: Hands-on development with Kafka, Confluent Kafka, Solace, or similar for event-driven systems.
• Data handling skills: Hands-on with NoSQL (Cassandra, MongoDB), data transformation tools (Informatica, Databricks), and integration patterns.
• Full-stack or backend development: Java, Python, Spring Boot, Node.js, or equivalent, with focus on reliable, scalable code.

Our Principal Software Engineer earns between $141,300.00 - $237,400.00 USD Annual, not to mention all the other amazing rewards that working at AT&T offers. Individual starting salary within this range may depend on geography, experience, expertise, and education/training.

Joining our team comes with amazing perks and benefits:

• Medical/Dental/Vision coverage
• 401(k) plan
• Tuition reimbursement program
• Paid Time Off and Holidays (based on date of hire, at least 23 days of vacation each year and 9 company-designated holidays)
• Paid Parental Leave
• Paid Caregiver Leave
• Additional sick leave beyond what state and local law require may be available but is unprotected.
• Adoption Reimbursement
• Disability Benefits (short term and long term)
• Life and Accidental Death Insurance
• Supplemental benefit programs: critical illness/accident hospital indemnity/group legal
• Employee Assistance Programs (EAP)
• Extensive employee wellness programs
• Employee discounts up to 50% off on eligible AT&T mobility plans and accessories, AT&T internet (and fiber where available) and AT&T phone.

#LI-Onsite - Full-time office role-

Weekly Hours:
40

Time Type:
Regular

Location:
Alpharetta, Georgia

Salary Range:
$141,300.00 - $237,400.00

It is the policy of AT&T to provide equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. In addition, AT&T will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities. AT&T is a fair chance employer and does not initiate a background check until an offer is made.