Principal Engineer (Site Reliability/SRE)

Xero1 weeks ago

Location

AU: Sydney (45 Clarence St)

Type

Full Time

Salary

USD 220,000 – 320,000

Level

Principal

Role

Site Reliability Engineer

Posted

Mar 5, 2026

Full TimePrincipal

The role

Summary

A Principal Site Reliability Engineering role at Xero that focuses on driving strategic technical direction, improving system reliability, and leading complex distributed systems architecture across cloud platforms and microservices. The ideal candidate will be a thought leader who can transform technical challenges through expert-level automation, mentorship, and innovative problem-solving.

What you'll do

Technical Strategy Leadership: Drive strategic technical direction across the organization, focusing on systemic reliability improvements and complex distributed systems architecture

Infrastructure Optimization: Implement strategic capacity forecasting and performance optimization to ensure critical systems can accommodate growth without service degradation

Automation and Tooling: Design and implement expert-level automation frameworks and tools to reduce manual toil and enhance operational efficiency

Monitoring and Observability: Design and implement comprehensive monitoring solutions to gain deep, actionable, data-driven insights into system performance

Organizational Capability Development: Mentor and elevate Site Reliability Engineering capabilities across the organization, setting code quality and best practices

Critical Incident Management: Lead critical incident responses, translating ambiguous technical challenges into clear, actionable work streams

What we look for

Technical

Distributed SystemsExpert-level knowledge of distributed systems architecture and design

Cloud PlatformsAdvanced understanding of cloud platform technologies and scalable infrastructure

MicroservicesDeep expertise in microservices architecture and implementation

Automation FrameworksProven ability to design and implement sophisticated automation tools beyond basic scripting

Education

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

Experience

Site Reliability EngineeringExtensive career background in Site Reliability Engineering with demonstrated leadership experience

Strategic Decision MakingProven track record of strategic decision-making during complex technical challenges and critical incidents

Skills

Required skills

Cloud InfrastructureExpert-level cloud infrastructure design and management

Performance OptimizationAdvanced skills in system performance analysis and optimization

Incident ResponseAdvanced incident management and rapid problem-resolution capabilities

Nice to have

Multi-region DeploymentExperience with global, distributed system deployments

MentorshipStrong track record of technical mentorship and capability building

Compensation & benefits

Salary

USD 220,000 – 320,000 (annual)

Benefits

Flexible Working

Hybrid and fully remote work arrangements available

Global Team

Collaboration across US, Australia, and New Zealand teams

Professional Development

Opportunities for mentorship and technical skill enhancement

Interview process

1
Initial Screening — Review of resume and initial qualifications
2
Technical Interview — Deep dive into technical expertise, system design, and problem-solving skills
3
Leadership Assessment — Evaluation of strategic thinking and mentorship capabilities
4
Final Panel Interview — Comprehensive discussion with SRE leadership team