Staff Software Engineer - Container Platform

Snowflake4 weeks ago

Location

US-CA-Menlo Park

Type

Full Time

Salary

USD 236,000 – 339,200

Level

Staff

Role

Staff Software Engineer

Posted

May 18, 2026

Full TimeStaff

The role

Summary

Snowflake is seeking a Staff Software Engineer to lead the development of their critical Container Platform, managing hundreds of Kubernetes clusters across multiple cloud providers. The ideal candidate will drive technical improvements, build scalable automation, and enhance the developer experience for thousands of internal engineers at this rapidly growing cloud computing company.

What you'll do

Platform Ownership: Own the design and delivery of complex platform initiatives spanning cluster lifecycle management, multi-cloud automation, and internal developer tooling

Technical Leadership: Drive cross-team technical improvements, identify architectural enhancements, and act as a technical anchor for the team

Architectural Decision Making: Make and defend architectural trade-offs focused on reliability, scalability, and operational efficiency

Engineering Excellence: Develop expertise in team members, raise engineering standards, and become the go-to expert for complex technical challenges

Developer Experience: Prioritize internal engineers as primary customers, measuring success through their velocity and platform reliability

What we look for

Technical

Distributed SystemsExtensive experience designing and operating large-scale distributed systems in production environments

Kubernetes ExpertiseProven experience managing Kubernetes or similar orchestration systems at scale, including cluster lifecycle, upgrades, and fleet management

Programming LanguagesProficiency in Go or comparable systems programming language

Cloud InfrastructureOperational experience across multiple cloud providers (AWS, Azure, GCP)

Education

Computer ScienceBachelor's or advanced degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related technical field preferred

Experience

Platform EngineeringDemonstrated history of building scalable platforms that enable large engineering teams

Production SystemsMinimum of 6-8 years of professional software engineering experience with a focus on infrastructure and platform engineering

Skills

Required skills

KubernetesDeep expertise in Kubernetes cluster management and orchestration

Cloud ArchitectureAdvanced understanding of multi-cloud infrastructure design and management

Systems ProgrammingStrong systems programming skills with emphasis on performance and scalability

Nice to have

GPU InfrastructureExperience with GPU infrastructure and AI/ML training workloads at scale

Open Source ContributionsContributions to Kubernetes or related ecosystem projects

Compensation & benefits

Salary

USD 236,000 – 339,200 (annual)

Stock options

Available

Benefits

Competitive Compensation

Comprehensive salary range with potential for stock options

Innovative Work Environment

Opportunity to work on cutting-edge cloud computing and AI technologies

Professional Growth

High-performing team with opportunities for technical leadership and skill development

Interview process

1
Initial Screening — Technical resume review and initial recruiter conversation
2
Technical Phone Screen — Detailed discussion of technical experience and problem-solving approach
3
Technical Interviews — Multiple rounds of in-depth technical interviews focusing on systems design, coding, and architectural expertise
4
Leadership Interview — Assessment of technical leadership capabilities and cultural fit
5
Final Executive Interview — Conversation with senior leadership to discuss strategic contributions