Principal Software Engineer

At Shutterfly, we make life’s experiences unforgettable. We believe there is extraordinary power in the self-expression. That’s why our family of brands helps customers create products and capture moments that reflect who they uniquely are.

We are looking for a hands-on and visionary Principal Tech Lead (Principal Software Engineer) for the Personalization & Martech group to guide our architecture and engineering efforts as we evolve into the next generation of our platform. In this highly visible role, you’ll lead technical direction across projects, mentor developers, and help modernize both our stack and processes. You'll collaborate closely with product, analytics, and marketing to deliver scalable and impactful systems that power personalized journeys, customer engagement and campaign automation.

Responsibilities

• Drive technical leadership across Personalization and Martech teams, setting architectural standards and best practices
• Lead the migration from legacy monoliths to micro-services and micro-frontends
• Develop tools and integrations using React, TypeScript, Node.js, and Python
• Architect cloud-native systems using AWS Lambda, API Gateway, CloudFront, DynamoDB, and S3
• Design scalable, secure, and observable APIs and event-driven systems using SNS, SQS, Kafka, and Kinesis
• Partner with Marketing and Product to build personalized customer experiences, experimentation frameworks, and campaign infrastructure
• Support and evolve legacy systems to maintain business continuity during platform transition
• Set and uphold high standards for code quality, system design, and documentation
• Mentor engineers and guide technical decision-making across multiple squads
• Champion innovation through the introduction of LLM-powered automation, internal tools, and AI-driven optimizations
  
  

Minimum Qualifications

• BS/MS in Computer Science or equivalent hands-on experience
• 7+ years in software engineering; 3+ years in a tech lead or staff/principal engineering role
• Expertise in both backend and frontend engineering, with strong skills in React, TypeScript, Node.js, and Python
• Proven experience architecting scalable cloud-based systems and big-data applications using AWS services, including Lambda, API Gateway, CloudFront, S3, and DynamoDB
• Ability to balance legacy system maintenance with forward-looking architectural design
• Strong collaboration and communication skills, with the ability to influence across teams
• Experience in Implementing software engineering best practices for the entire SDLC (including business analysis and implementation, design and architecture, planning and development, implementation, and support)
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working with Martech platforms, CDPs, and customer engagement systems
• Experience with personalization, experimentation, and campaign orchestration systems
• Familiarity with LLM integrations (e.g., Claude, Bedrock, OpenAI) and building internal AI tools
• Understanding of observability stacks (e.g., CloudWatch, Datadog), security (e.g., WAF), and compliance in marketing systems
• Strong documentation practices and a bias toward action and clarity
  
  

Supporting a diverse and inclusive workforce is important to Shutterfly not only because it directly reflects our value of Embracing our Differences, but also because it’s the right thing to do for our business and for our people. We welcome all applicants and evaluate them based on their qualifications, without regard to age, race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, marital status, affectional or sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, nationality, sex, or other characteristic covered by law. Learn more about our commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion on our Career Site.

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