Staff Full Stack Software Engineer

Key Responsibilities

• Own multi-quarter technical roadmaps for platform systems, translating company goals into durable architectural decisions.
• Define and evangelize engineering standards, patterns, and best practices across teams — writing the documents other engineers reference.
• Drive architectural decisions for distributed systems and ensure long-term technical scalability across the stack.
• Identify and resolve systemic technical risks before they become production incidents.
• Lead multi-team technical design processes — writing RFCs, facilitating alignment, and driving decisions to closure.
• Actively develop senior and mid-level engineers through design reviews, pairing, and structured feedback.
• Translate complex technical tradeoffs into business impact for non-technical stakeholders including executives and customers.
• Work closely with cross-functional teams to define and deliver solutions for our customers.
• Contribute to hiring by interviewing candidates and helping define what "great" looks like at Observable Space.

Organizational Impact

• Own multi-quarter technical roadmaps for platform systems, translating company goals into durable architectural decisions.
• Define and evangelize engineering standards, patterns, and best practices across teams — writing the documents other engineers reference.
• Drive architectural decisions for distributed systems and ensure long-term technical scalability across the stack.
• Identify and resolve systemic technical risks before they become production incidents.
• Lead multi-team technical design processes — writing RFCs, facilitating alignment, and driving decisions to closure.
• Actively develop senior and mid-level engineers through design reviews, pairing, and structured feedback.
• Translate complex technical tradeoffs into business impact for non-technical stakeholders including executives and customers.
• Work closely with cross-functional teams to define and deliver solutions for our customers.
• Contribute to hiring by interviewing candidates and helping define what "great" looks like at Observable Space.

Basic Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in a relevant software engineering role, with at least 2–3 years in a Staff, Principal, or technical lead capacity.
• Demonstrated ability to influence technical direction beyond your immediate team — through documents, standards, or organizational initiatives.
• Track record of improving engineering quality, velocity, or culture at an organizational level.
• Strong programming skills in Java, Kotlin, C++, or C# (we love our statically typed object oriented languages!)
• Excellent data modeling skills - extensive experience working with RDBMSs, ETL processes, and data warehousing.
• Experience in a test-driven development environment.
• Acute product sense, placing an emphasis on user experience and outcomes over outputs.
• An iterative mindset — perfect is the enemy of good, and you know when to pay down technical debt vs. when to ship.
• Ability to navigate ambiguity and lead others through it in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working with foreign function interfaces to call rust and C++ from the JVM.
• Experience with Kotlin for backend programming and have an allergy to monolithic frameworks and ORMs.
• Experience with TypeScript and React to create complex user interfaces.
• A love of astronomy, physics, and science.

What we offer

• Competitive Compensation – A salary package aligned with industry standards and your experience.
• Equity Opportunities – Take part in our success with stock options.
• Flexible Work Environment – Enjoy working from our office or in a hybrid work setup with the flexibility to work remotely part of the week.
• Unlimited PTO – Take the time you need with our flexible, trust-based vacation policy, including paid holidays.
• We require a minimum of 3 days per week in our office to support collaboration and team culture. (LA Office only)
• Health & Wellness – Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage with 100% of the premium paid by the employer for employees.
• Cutting-Edge Tools – Get access to the latest hardware and software you need to do your best work.
• Mission-Driven Culture – Be part of a team working on meaningful challenges with real-world impact.
• Inclusive Team – We foster a supportive and diverse workplace where all voices are valued.