Principal Software Engineer
Unstructured
Software Engineering
San Francisco, CA, USA
Posted 6+ months ago
Ready to shape the future of AI infrastructure and build systems that power the most advanced unstructured data pipelines in the world?
At Unstructured, we’re building the backbone of generative AI—enabling companies to transform PDFs, HTML, Word docs, images, and more into high-performance data pipelines that scale. Our tools are already used by half of the Fortune 500, and our open-source package has been downloaded 26+ million times. Now we’re entering our next chapter—and we’re hiring a Principal Software Engineer to help lead the charge.
If you're energized by hard problems, want to build products that matter, and are ready to work alongside serious builders, this is your moment. We're looking for a deeply experienced technical leader to own org-wide architecture, guide strategic projects, and mentor our engineers while driving high-impact software development.
🏢 This role is hybrid in San Francisco—join us in-office 3x a week for deep collaboration, whiteboard sessions, and hands-on impact.
🔧 What You’ll Own & Drive
🏗 Architect Our Future
Lead the architecture and design of core product systems, ensuring alignment with our long-term vision and business needs
Define and evolve technical direction across teams, setting the standard for scale, performance, and quality
🚀 Drive Strategic Projects
Own cross-functional, high-impact initiatives that shape the future of our products
Provide technical direction across teams and projects while delivering production-ready, strategic code
🧠 Solve Hard Problems
Tackle complex, persistent software challenges that span systems and teams
Set new standards for engineering excellence through scalable, elegant solutions
🧑🏫 Mentor & Multiply
Mentor engineers and foster a culture of technical excellence and collaboration
Act as a force multiplier—raising the bar on architecture, design, and implementation across the org
🤝 Align the Org
Ensure product and engineering teams are aligned on coherent design patterns and long-term decisions
Resolve escalations, identify risks, and guide us through critical “one-way door” decisions
🌍 Make Lasting Impact
Shape how we build software now and in the future
Influence key architectural decisions that impact our software offerings, developer experience, and go-to-market velocity
🧬 What You Bring
-10+ years of software engineering experience with a strong record of building and shipping complex systems
- Expertise in software architecture, design patterns, and system-level thinking
-Expertise in Python and experience with modern programming frameworks
-Proven leadership driving multi-team initiatives, mentoring engineers, and influencing senior stakeholders
-Exceptional problem-solving skills and the ability to simplify complexity
-Excellent communication—you bring clarity and confidence to technical discussions across audiences
-Thrives in fast-paced, ambiguous environments and builds structure where none exists
💎 Bonus Points
Experience in generative AI, ML infrastructure, or unstructured data processing
Background in cloud-native architectures (AWS/GCP), large-scale systems, or developer platform tooling
History of growing engineering orgs or mentoring early-career engineers
🌟 Why You’ll Love It Here
Real Impact: Shape core software that powers AI innovation across the Fortune 500
Big Challenges: Build elegant systems that tackle messy, meaningful problems
Elite Team: Collaborate with sharp, humble engineers who prioritize execution and clarity
In-Person Energy: Be part of our SF office culture—ideas flow faster on whiteboards than Zoom
Fast Growth: We’re scaling fast. Help us lay the foundation for what’s next