Staff Software Engineer — Cortex Code Platform

Snowflake5 days ago

Location

US-CA-Menlo Park

Type

Full Time

Salary

USD 236,000 – 339,200

Level

Staff

Role

Staff Software Engineer

Posted

Mar 24, 2026

Full TimeStaff

The role

Summary

Snowflake is seeking a Staff Software Engineer for its Cortex Code Platform, focusing on building robust backend infrastructure for AI agent sessions with an emphasis on security, scalability, and enterprise-grade reliability. The ideal candidate will design and implement sophisticated distributed systems, enforce AI security measures, and drive platform improvements across container infrastructure and data systems.

What you'll do

Platform Architecture: Design and build scalable services, APIs, and core primitives for orchestration, session lifecycle, tool execution boundaries, and Snowflake ecosystem integration

AI Security: Threat-model agent workflows, enforce least-privilege access, implement safe secret/credential handling, and develop controls to mitigate injection, tool misuse, and data exfiltration risks

Container Infrastructure: Manage secure, cost-aware container execution for agents, including image management, isolation, scheduling, networking, and production operability

Distributed Data Systems: Develop data-intensive platform components with robust observability, focusing on durable workflows, queues/streaming, caching, and consistency management

Technical Leadership: Drive cross-team execution, create design documentation, mentor team members, define SLOs, establish incident response patterns, and maintain hands-on coding involvement

What we look for

Technical

Backend Systems8+ years of experience shipping distributed systems and backend platform software in production

Container OrchestrationProduction experience with Kubernetes-class container orchestration patterns

Distributed SystemsExpertise in distributed data systems, including queues, streaming, partitioning, replication, and failure mode management

Education

Computer Science DegreeBachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field; Master's preferred but not required

Experience

Staff-Level EngineeringDemonstrated ability to own architecture, drive cross-team delivery, and provide technical mentorship

Cloud SecurityStrong security fundamentals for cloud services, including threat modeling and least privilege principles

Skills

Required skills

Programming LanguagesProficiency in Go, ability to contribute in TypeScript and Python

Cloud SecurityAdvanced understanding of cloud service security, AI/agent risk management

Distributed SystemsDeep knowledge of distributed system design, scalability, and reliability patterns

Nice to have

Multi-tenant SystemsExperience with multi-tenant SaaS, workflow orchestration, or high-throughput async systems

Advanced Execution EnvironmentsKnowledge of sandboxed execution, LLM serving patterns, or Snowflake platform integration

Compensation & benefits

Salary

USD 236,000 – 339,200 (annual)

Stock options

Available

Benefits

Healthcare

Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance

Retirement Planning

401(k) plan with company matching

Professional Development

Ongoing learning and career growth opportunities

Stock Options

Equity compensation for long-term value creation

Interview process

1
Initial Screening — Phone or video interview with recruiting team to assess basic qualifications and cultural fit
2
Technical Phone Screen — Detailed technical discussion focusing on distributed systems, backend infrastructure, and AI security expertise
3
Architectural Design Interview — In-depth system design interview to evaluate complex problem-solving and architectural design skills
4
Team Fit Interviews — Multiple interviews with potential team members to assess collaboration and leadership capabilities
5
Final Executive Interview — Conversation with senior leadership to align on team vision and candidate's potential impact