Senior Principal Engineer

About the Role

We are hiring a Senior Principal Engineer for our AI Foundations team, responsible for making AI work effectively across our engineering processes. This role involves setting the technical vision, building foundational systems, and partnering with teams to shape both internal tools and AI capabilities for customers.

Responsibilities

• Set the technical vision for enabling and building AI across the software development lifecycle.
• Stay hands-on: prototype, write code, and set the engineering bar for others.
• Build foundational systems for measuring AI effectiveness, providing context, and running AI reliably at scale.
• Provide real signal to engineers and leaders on where AI genuinely helps.
• Partner with engineering and product teams to shape internal tools and customer-facing AI capabilities.
• Decide between buying, building alongside product teams, or creating purpose-built solutions.
• Mentor senior engineers, align principals, and raise the team’s potential.

Qualifications

• 12+ years in hands-on technical leadership roles with end-to-end ownership across the software development lifecycle.
• Track record of setting technical direction across a function or organization.
• Deep expertise in large-scale systems: distributed systems, cloud infrastructure, developer platforms, data/measurement systems, or applied AI.
• Genuine technical depth: actively writes code, solves hard problems, and raises quality standards.
• Strong judgment on cost, scale, and ROI; treats efficiency as an engineering problem.
• Experience influencing decision-makers and turning ambiguity into clear plans.
• Excitement for exploring unmapped spaces in AI and software development.

Nice to Have

• Hands-on experience with modern AI systems (e.g., large language models, agents, AI developer tools).
• Background in developer experience, productivity, or CI/CD tooling and infrastructure.

Pay

In the United States, base pay ranges for new hires are:

• Zone A: $243,900 - $318,425
• Zone B: $219,510 - $286,583
• Zone C: $202,437 - $264,293

This role may also include benefits, bonuses, commissions, and equity.

About Atlassian

At Atlassian, we unleash the potential of every team through our software products. We value diversity, inclusivity, and the unique contributions of all Atlassians. Our culture fosters collaboration, innovation, and a commitment to supporting teams globally.