Unstructured is hiring: Principal Software Engineer in San Francisco

This range is provided by Unstructured. Your actual pay will be based on your skills and experience talk with your recruiter to learn more. Base pay range $190,000.00/yr - $300,000.00/yr Ready to shape the future of AI infrastructure and build systems that power the most advanced unstructured data pipelines in the world? At Unstructured, were building the backbone of generative AIenabling 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 36+ million times. Now were entering our next chapterand were 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 Franciscojoin us in-office 3x a week for deep collaboration, whiteboard sessions, and hands-on impact. What Youll 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 multiplierraising 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 communicationyou 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 Youll 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 cultureideas flow faster on whiteboards than Zoom Fast Growth : Were scaling fast. Help us lay the foundation for whats next This role's salary is benchmarked against San Francisco market rates to remain competitive with top-tier talent in high-cost-of-living regions. Final compensation may vary based on experience, skill set, and location. Seniority level Seniority level Not Applicable Employment type Employment type Full-time Job function Job function Engineering and Information Technology Industries Transportation, Logistics, Supply Chain and Storage Referrals increase your chances of interviewing at Unstructured by 2x Sign in to set job alerts for Principal Software Engineer roles. 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