Principal Software Engineer

Who you are

• 11+ years experience in Software Engineering, Computer Science, or related technical discipline with proven experience maintaining and delivering production software coding in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, Go, Ruby, Rust, or Python
• OR Associate's Degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Math, Physics, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field AND 10+ years experience in Software Engineering, Computer Science, or related technical discipline with proven experience maintaining and delivering production software coding in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, Go, Ruby, Rust, or Python
• OR Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or related field AND 9+ years experience in Software Engineering, Computer Science, or related technical discipline with proven experience maintaining and delivering production software coding in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, Go, Ruby, Rust, or Python
• OR Master's Degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Math, Physics, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field AND 7+ years experience in Software Engineering, Computer Science, or related technical discipline with proven experience maintaining and delivering production software coding in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, Go, Ruby, Rust, or Python
• OR Doctorate in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Math, Physics, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field AND 5+ years experience in Software Engineering, Computer Science, or related technical discipline with proven experience maintaining and delivering production software coding in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, Go, Ruby, Rust, or Python
• OR equivalent experience
• Deep knowledge of React or Angular internals and server-side rendering, with experience modernizing frontend systems in large, multi-team codebases
• Track record of improving web performance (Core Web Vitals, interaction latency, bundle size) through systematic, data-driven work
• Experience leading cross-team frontend migrations and rollouts, managing sequencing, deprecation, and incremental adoption across many engineers
• Strong command of web platform and accessibility fundamentals (browser APIs, a11y standards, TypeScript, JavaScript, CSS) and how they interact with framework-level abstractions
• Experience building design systems, shared component libraries, or paved-path tooling that many teams adopt

What the job involves

• GitHub's Core UX organization owns the frontend platform behind GitHub.com: the architecture, tooling, and standards that let hundreds of engineers ship UI that is fast, accessible, consistent, and reliable
• We're looking for a Principal Software Engineer to set technical direction across that platform and raise the ceiling on what the frontend can do for millions of developers
• This is a systems role, not a single-team role. You'll work across the concerns that overlap in frontend at scale: performance, accessibility, UX consistency, and availability
• Much of the work is evolving a large, actively developed codebase rather than starting from scratch, so success depends as much on migration strategy and cross-team alignment as on architecture. You'll shape paved paths that many teams adopt, not one-off solutions that rely on heroics
• You'll partner closely with other Principal and Staff engineers, Engineering Managers, and Product and Design leadership to decide where the platform goes next and to drive that direction to real, shipped outcomes
• Own the technical direction for GitHub's web UI platform across performance, accessibility, consistency, and availability, balancing long-term architecture with hands-on execution
• Drive large cross-team initiatives and migrations, sequencing the work so the platform moves forward without disrupting active product development
• Establish patterns, standards, and paved paths for frontend development that lower cognitive load and scale across many teams
• Produce architecture and design proposals, evaluate tradeoffs honestly, and build alignment across engineering, product, and design
• Mentor and raise the bar for engineers at every level through design review, code review, and pairing
• Represent frontend platform priorities to leadership, securing the support and resourcing needed to deliver
• What Success Looks Like in the First 6 Months:
• You've built a deep working understanding of GitHub's frontend systems, infrastructure, and their backend dependencies, and you're using it to make informed, high-leverage decisions
• You're leading at least one platform-wide initiative that measurably improves performance, availability, frontend infrastructure, or developer velocity
• Teams are adopting the patterns and paved paths you've shaped, with less need for direct hand-holding

Benefits

• Flexible time away to support balance in your work and life
• Clear diversity, inclusion, and anti-discrimination policies backed by business practices and company culture
• 100% of medical, dental, and vision insurance premiums covered by GitHub for you + your dependents. (Includes gender-affirming benefits)
• Five months of paid family leave to all new parents with the option to use it all at once or throughout the child’s first year
• Family forming benefits that cover fertility, infertility, adoption, and surrogacy costs and support
• Mental health benefits that offer resources and support and cover therapy and coaching sessions for you and your dependents
• Generous 401(k) matching with 50% match up to the IRS 402(g) limit (US; competitive non-US pension options internationally)
• Employee stock purchase plan that lets you purchase Microsoft stock at a discount. (Microsoft is our parent company.)