Principal Engineer

riented architecture. Your decisions will define how we scale over the next 5 years, influencing everything from system design to engineering culture.

This is a high-impact, hands-on leadership role where you'll shape architecture while staying connected to real-world implementation. You'll collaborate closely with senior leadership, engineering squads, and product partners to define and execute a pragmatic, scalable technical roadmap. Executive leadership is fully aligned on platform modernization, and you'll be at the forefront of that effort.

Beyond technical excellence, we value strong collaborators who can foster a culture of mentorship, promote in-person engagement within our local engineering teams, and cultivate global partnerships with distributed peers. You'll be surrounded by experienced, motivated engineers who are eager to build, grow, and elevate the systems and people around them.

Where you'll work

We are looking for a candidate based in or near Warsaw. The role will be primarily remote, but regular in-office collaboration is encouraged to support team engagement and cultural development.

What you'll be doing

• Own the architecture and delivery of core backend systems using modern, service-oriented design patterns.

• Lead the migration from a monolith to a microservices-based platform, guiding both technical execution and cultural adoption.

• Establish engineering standards for Node.js, MongoDB, Kafka, AWS, Docker, and Kubernetes, ensuring they scale with the business.

• Collaborate with engineering squads, leadership, and the business to shape the technical roadmap and evaluate trade-offs for long-term success.

• Mentor engineers across squads, growing their architecture and design skills while embedding quality and scalability into our culture.

• Influence cross-functional initiatives, from DevOps integration to platform reliability to developer experience improvements.

• Stay connected to code while shaping systems holistically - you're not expected to do all the coding, but you're comfortable diving into critical paths when needed.

What you'll need

• 10+ years of backend software engineering experience, including at least 2+ years in staff, principal, or architect-level roles.

• Demonstrated experience designing and evolving distributed systems and leading large-scale technical migrations (e.g., monolith to microservices).

• Strong proficiency in Node.js and production experience with MongoDB, Kafka, and cloud platforms (AWS preferred).

• Experience operating within Docker/Kubernetes-based environments at scale.

• Ability to influence cross-team direction, mentor senior engineers, and drive consensus on complex trade-offs.

• Comfortable communicating architecture to diverse audiences - from hands-on devs to senior executives.

• Passion for scalable design, performance tuning, and thoughtful abstraction - you think like a systems builder.

Perks of working for Shiftkey

• A high-growth, friendly, and engaging work environment with opportunities for career development.

• Additional vacation days for better work-life balance.

• Modern office in Warsaw's Powiśle district with Vistula River views, recreational facilities, and great nearby restaurants.

• Thoughtfully designed private medical package to take care of what matters most.

• Sports card to fuel your active lifestyle.

• Life and accident insurance for peace of mind.

#LI-Remote #LI-AT1

Our Commitment to Diversity

ShiftKey is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to embracing diverse and individual perspectives shaping our culture and contributing to the solutions that transform the world. We actively work to create an inclusive environment for employees to thrive.

EEO Statement

ShiftKey does not discriminate based on race, religion, color, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, non-disqualifying physical or mental disability, national origin, veteran status, or any other basis covered by applicable law. All employment is decided based on qualifications, merit, and business needs. ShiftKey is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to applicants with a mental or physical disability, please contact: [email protected]