About this opportunity
Ledgent Technology lists this Principal Software Engineer - Distributed Systems opportunity in houston, Texas. Review the employer’s description below for duties, qualifications and application requirements.
Job description
Overview
Job Title: Principal Software Engineer - Distributed Data Systems
Engagement Type: Direct Hire
Location: Remote
Work Model: 100% Remote
Compensation: $150,000-$214,000 base salary plus 10% bonus
Role Overview
We are seeking a Principal Engineer - Distributed Data Systems to act as the data authority within our software engineering organization as we move toward autonomous, stream‑aligned teams.
This is not a Data Analytics, BI, ETL, or DevOps role. This is a principal‑level backend and software engineering position focused on how production applications design, use, and scale their data systems. You are not a centralized gatekeeper; you are an embedded technical leader who enables teams to make strong, independent data decisions.
You will partner directly with application engineers to improve data modeling, performance, reliability, and scalability in real, customer‑facing systems.
Key Responsibilities
Serve as the principal expert guiding application‑level data decisions across engineering teams
Partner with backend and full‑stack engineers to design scalable, resilient, and cost‑effective data architectures
Review application designs and production code to identify data modeling, performance, and scaling risks early
Influence standards and best practices for distributed data systems without becoming a bottleneck
Optimize live production systems under real traffic through query tuning, indexing strategies, execution plan analysis, and resource optimization
Design schemas and data models that support domain ownership, evolution over time, and operational correctness
Guide teams on cloud‑native data usage, balancing scalability, reliability, and cost
Mentor engineers and elevate organizational understanding of modern data system patterns
Required Qualifications
Application and Backend Engineering
Proven experience building and operating production backend systems
Strong understanding of service‑oriented architecture, API design, and runtime considerations
Comfortable reviewing backend code and identifying data‑related concerns early in the development lifecycle
Distributed Data Systems Expertise
Deep, hands‑on experience with relational and NoSQL databases
Experience with PostgreSQL, SQL Server, MongoDB, DynamoDB, and/or DocumentDB
Strong judgment on trade‑offs between different data models and database technologies
Performance, Scale, and Reliability
Demonstrated experience optimizing high‑traffic production systems
Expertise in query performance tuning, index and schema optimization, execution plan analysis, and cost‑aware scaling
Data Modeling and Architecture
Experience designing schemas that support domain ownership, system evolution, and correctness
Familiarity with event‑driven architectures, data replication and syndication, and temporal data models
Deep experience with data platforms in AWS, Azure, or GCP
Strong understanding of managed database services, cloud‑native scaling patterns, and cost versus performance trade‑offs
Leadership and Communication
Proven ability to mentor and educate engineers
Ability to influence architectural decisions without formal authority
Clear communication skills with engineers and technical leadership
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, age, ancestry, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, disability, medical condition, genetic information, pregnancy, or military or veteran status. We consider all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with state and local laws, including the California Fair Chance Act, City of Los Angeles\' Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, and Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance.
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Worksite address
houston, TX, 77246, US
Who can apply
Review the original listing for work authorization, qualifications and employer requirements.