Principal Software Engineer - Platform

Who We Are

Atlan is building the context layer for enterprise AI. Enterprises are pouring money into AI and most of it dies in production because the AI does not understand the business context around the data. That is the problem Atlan solves.

Gartner has named context the defining issue in enterprise AI, and calls context graphs the essential infrastructure for AI agents, naming Atlan one of three vendors already building it. We are also the only vendor named a Leader across all four major Gartner and Forrester evaluations for data catalogs, data governance and metadata management, the foundation the context layer runs on.

Come build the infrastructure that AI runs on.

The Team

The App Platform team is building the core platform that enables teams to build, run, distribute, and scale Apps across Atlan.

The team owns key platform capabilities including SDKs & APIs, App Runtime, Distribution, Lifecycle, Automation, and Agent Platform infrastructure.

As Atlan moves from Metadata → Context, Data Governance → Agentic Outcomes, and Product → Apps, the App Platform is becoming increasingly central to how we build the product. We’re looking for engineers who can own complex technical domains end-to-end, build reliable systems at enterprise scale, and help shape Atlan’s AI-native engineering practices.

What You’ll Do

• Define and drive the architecture and technical strategy for Atlan's App Platform.

• Design and build foundational platform primitives that enable apps to be developed, distributed, and executed at scale.

• Solve complex distributed systems challenges, including multi-tenancy, workload isolation, tenant-aware scaling, fault tolerance, and observability.

• Lead high-impact initiatives end-to-end, from problem discovery and RFCs to implementation, rollout, and long-term ownership.

• Build and evolve cloud-native infrastructure on Kubernetes across AWS and GCP.

• Drive architectural alignment across App Runtime, Distribution, Builder Experience, Product, and Infrastructure teams.

• Influence technical direction across teams through design reviews, mentorship, and engineering best practices.

• Remain hands-on in solving complex technical problems and validating critical architectural decisions.

• Leverage AI-assisted development tools such as Claude and Cursor to improve engineering velocity and quality.

• Contribute to long-term platform strategy, architectural documentation, and RFCs.

What Makes You a Match

• 14+ years of experience building and operating large-scale backend, infrastructure, or platform systems, with experience operating at a Principal Engineer level or equivalent.

• Deep expertise in distributed systems, Kubernetes, containerization, and cloud-native architectures.

• Strong hands-on experience with AWS, GCP, or Azure, including networking, compute, storage, and security.

• Proven experience designing and operating highly available, fault-tolerant, and mission-critical systems at scale.

• Strong understanding of platform engineering principles, including reliability, automation, self-service, and developer experience.

• Experience designing multi-tenant systems with deep observability and operational excellence.

• Demonstrated ability to define architecture, drive technical strategy, and influence decisions across multiple engineering teams.

• Strong technical judgment and the ability to balance long-term investments with pragmatic execution.

AI-Native Mindset

• You design platforms for non-deterministic workloads and AI-powered applications.

• You think in terms of automation, leverage, and feedback loops.

• You’ve supported or built infrastructure for AI/ML or AI-powered systems.

• You actively leverage AI in your own development workflow to improve speed, quality, and engineering leverage.

• You help establish AI-native engineering practices across teams.

Principal-Level Expectations

• Ability to own ambiguous, high-impact problem spaces and drive clarity, architecture, and execution.

• Ability to influence technical direction across organizational boundaries without relying on formal authority.

• Strong communication skills and the ability to partner with senior engineers and engineering leadership.

• Willingness to remain hands-on while driving technical direction and creating leverage across the organization.

Why Atlan?

Joining Atlan means being part of a global movement to help data teams do their life’s best work. Here’s what you can expect:

• Competitive Compensation: We benchmark at the top of the market and keep compensation simple: strong base salary, performance‑based variable pay, and impact‑driven equity (for most roles), so your total rewards grow in step with the value you create over time.

• AI Native Culture: Atlan is where AI-native builders come to build the systems the future of work will run on. AI isn’t an add-on, it’s woven into how we build, think, and work every day, empowering every Atlanian to move faster and create a bigger impact.

• Health & Wellness: From Day‑1 health, dental, vision, and mental health to flexible health stipends, we design benefits offerings that lead in each country we're in.

• Flexible Time Off & Leave Policies: We trust you to own your energy: flexible time off and modern leave so you can unplug properly, support yourself and your loved ones, and come back ready to drive an impact.

• Accelerated Growth & Learning: Develop at an uncommon velocity through cutting-edge tech, complex implementations, and an experienced team that values mastery.

• Global, Remote-First, High-Trust: Work from anywhere with a diverse team across 15+ countries, in a trust-first, async environment that gives you true flexibility and ownership over how you work.

More About Us

Atlan is building the shared context layer that enterprises need so AI can operate on trusted, governed context. The conversation has moved from data leaders asking: “Can we trust the data in our stack?” to businesses asking: “Can we trust AI inside the business?”

We are the missing infrastructure for businesses becoming AI-forward - the connective tissue between their data stack, operational systems, and AI agents.

To learn more, visit www.atlan.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Atlan is committed to building an inclusive, diverse, and authentic workplace. We do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, military or veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristic.

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