Principal Engineer, Distributed Data Systems

Job Description

Job Description

About the Role:
We need someone passionate about data pipeline architecture at a massive scale. Not the kind that just handles millions of records, we’re talking about the best engineering organizations in the world throwing their AI workload cost and usage data at us… and our systems not breaking a sweat.

CloudZero processes billions of cost and usage events daily across AWS, Azure, GCP, and a fast-growing list of SaaS and AI providers. Our customers depend on real-time, accurate cost attribution to make big decisions. If our data pipeline hiccups, their financial planning halts. We’ve built something unique: a fully event-driven, serverless architecture that processes terabytes of cost data while maintaining sub-second query performance.

But here’s the thing—we’re scaling fast. The architecture that got us here won’t be the one that gets us where we’re going. We need someone who’s pushed traditional database architectures to the edge and lived to tell the tale. Someone who sees the elegance in what we’ve built—and the limits we’ll need to blow past.

What You’ll Do

You won’t just be maintaining systems—you’ll be reimagining how data at scale should work. The problems are hard, the expectations are high, and the opportunity to build something enduring is massive.

• Architect for hyper-scale

  • Design pipelines that can handle customers 5–10x larger than our biggest today, without architectural rewrites every 18 months.

• Push the boundaries of simplicity

  • Build for reliability by stripping complexity to its elegant core. Fewer moving parts. Clearer data flows. Predictable performance.

• Mentor and influence

  • Help level up engineers across the org. Share your scars from performance bottlenecks, architectural dead ends, and clever fixes that worked.

• Drive innovation across teams

  • Be the voice that challenges how we think about scale, reliability, and performance—not just for the data team, but for all of engineering.

• Translate complexity into clarity

  • Make technical tradeoffs legible to leadership. Your insights won’t just shape implementation, they’ll steer product and business strategy.

You Might Be a Good Fit If You…

• Have built systems that processed serious volumes, and hit the edge of what your tools could handle

• See code as a liability and simplicity as a superpower

• Can explain why a system chokes under scale to a CEO without losing the technical nuance

• Think deeply about what not to build, and what tradeoffs you’re making when you do

• Experiment with emerging technologies not because they’re shiny, but because you’re curious about what’s next

• Treat architectural constraints as interesting puzzles, not roadblocks

Requirements

• 15+ years of experience building and scaling complex data systems

• Experience at early- or growth-stage SaaS companies

• Deep experience with large-scale data pipelines and distributed systems

• Strong grasp of system design patterns and real-world tradeoffs

• Collaborative and clear communicator, across both technical and non-technical teams

Please note: CloudZero is unable to sponsor employment visas or provide immigration-related support now or in the future. All candidates must have current, unrestricted authorization to work in the United States permanently.