Principal Software Engineer

About The Team

• The Service Operations Business Unit brings together IT Service Management (ITSM), IT Operations Management (ITOM)
• CMDB capabilities on the ServiceNow Platform. This product engineering organization builds the software that helps customers deliver resilient, intelligent
• efficient enterprise services. The Service Operations product portfolio connects incident, request, fulfillment, infrastructure visibility, service mapping, trusted configuration data, automation
• AIOps into a unified operating model. By combining service delivery with operational intelligence and trusted operational context, these products help customers move toward proactive, AI-assisted
• increasingly self-healing operations at enterprise scale. Together, these capabilities help customers modernize how they deliver and operate services, improve reliability, reduce manual effort
• drive measurable productivity outcomes on a single platform. What you get to do in this role: As a Principal Software Engineer, you will architect and build assistive and autonomous AI-native products that help our customers’ IT departments move into an agentic-first era. The work will span large-scale distributed systems, data ingestion, enterprise context creation and utilization, agentic harnesses, cost optimization, agentic feedback loops
• enterprise-grade user experiences. This role requires thought leadership, deep technical expertise, strong architectural judgment
• the ability to translate business requirements into product capabilities through experimentation. Responsibilities include: Define and drive the technical direction for AI-native Service Operations product capabilities that support proactive, reliable
• increasingly autonomous enterprise workflows. Architect scalable, reliable
• extensible systems that power service delivery, operational intelligence, automation, data processing, discovery, visibility
• AI-assisted experiences. Lead the design of core frameworks and platform capabilities that enable teams to build consistent, intelligent
• highly reliable products across the Service Operations portfolio. Help shape how AI agents, automation, operational data, trusted configuration context
• human workflows come together to improve service reliability, reduce manual effort
• increase productivity. Partner with product, design, platform
• engineering leaders to translate Service Operations Business Unit strategy into clear technical roadmaps and executable delivery plans. Drive large-scale technical initiatives from concept through delivery, balancing customer value, scalability, reliability, security, data quality, engineering velocity
• long-term maintainability. Establish architecture patterns, engineering standards
• best practices for distributed systems, platform services, observability, performance, data quality
• production readiness. Build and evolve systems that support proactive, predictive, AI-assisted
• agentic workflows across enterprise environments. Make clear technical trade-offs, including what should be solved now, what should be deferred
• what should not be solved. Design and develop reusable software components and frameworks that improve engineering velocity and product consistency across teams. Guide teams through complex technical decisions, design reviews, code reviews, architecture trade-offs, migration planning
• execution risks. Mentor senior engineers and technical leaders, helping raise the bar for engineering craftsmanship, systems thinking, operational excellence
• long-term ownership. Foster a culture of continuous learning, innovation, quality, accountability
• thoughtful use of AI across the engineering organization. Help teams adopt AI-powered tools and automation to improve engineering productivity, product reliability
• To be successful in this role, you have: Core Engineering Experience 15+ years of related engineering experience
• equivalent practical experience. Strong experience building and operating large-scale distributed systems, enterprise platforms, workflow systems, data-intensive products, integration frameworks
• cloud-scale infrastructure. Deep understanding of system design for scale, reliability, observability, fault tolerance, data quality, security
• production readiness. Strong technical depth in Java, Python
• similar programming languages. Strong knowledge of data structures, algorithms, object-oriented design, design patterns, API design
• performance optimization. Ability to troubleshoot complex systems and optimize performance across application, service, data
• infrastructure layers. Familiarity with automated testing, CI/CD, performance testing, operational readiness
• modern engineering tools. Principal-Level Leadership Proven ability to define technical direction, influence architecture across teams
• translate ambiguous product strategy into executable engineering plans. Ability to operate as a Principal IC by leading through technical credibility, collaboration
• influence rather than formal authority. Experience driving alignment across multiple teams, resolving technical ambiguity
• making high-impact architecture decisions. Ability to balance long-term architecture with pragmatic execution, customer impact
• business priorities. Experience mentoring senior engineers, raising engineering standards
• building reusable patterns that create leverage across teams. Strong judgment in deciding what to build, what to simplify, what to defer
• what not to solve. AI-Native and Automation Experience Experience with AI-powered products, automation platforms, AI-assisted workflows
• agentic systems is strongly preferred. Ability to think critically about how AI can be integrated into enterprise workflows, decision-making, operations
• user experiences. Experience designing or validating AI-assisted systems, including data quality, workflow correctness, model output evaluation, inference consistency, observability, safety controls
• human-in-the-loop review. Understanding of how to build reliable and trusted AI-assisted capabilities in enterprise environments. Relevant Domain Experience Experience with enterprise service management, IT operations, CMDB, discovery, service mapping, AIOps, observability, workflow automation, endpoint management
• operational intelligence is a strong plus. Experience building products or platforms that connect operational data, workflow execution, automation
• user experiences is highly relevant. Experience working with large-scale enterprise customers, production systems
• complex migration or modernization efforts is a plus. Experience working closely with product, design, platform
• front-end engineering teams to deliver enterprise-grade product experiences is a plus. Why Join Us Build AI-native Service Operations products that help enterprises deliver, operate, automate
• continuously improve services at scale. Shape the long-term technical direction for agent-assisted workflows, operational intelligence, trusted configuration context, automation
• enterprise service delivery on the ServiceNow Platform. Work on large-scale product and platform capabilities across data ingestion, context creation, AI-assisted experiences, intelligent operations, discovery, visibility
• workflow automation. Help define how AI agents, automation
• human workflows come together to create safer, more reliable
• more productive enterprise operations. Collaborate with teams that value craftsmanship, quality, innovation, accountability
• shared ownership. Use AI and automation tools to improve engineering excellence, product reliability
• developer productivity. Be part of a culture that encourages continuous learning, technical leadership
• meaningful customer impact. For positions in this location, we offer a base pay of $221,200 - $387,100 , plus equity (when applicable), variable/incentive compensation and benefits. Sales positions generally offer a competitive On Target Earnings (OTE) incentive compensation structure. Please note that the base pay shown is a guideline
• individual total compensation will vary based on factors such as qualifications, skill level, competencies
• work location. We also offer health plans, including flexible spending accounts, a 401(k) Plan with company match, ESPP, matching donations, a flexible time away plan and family leave programs. Compensation is based on the geographic location in which the role is located and is subject to change based on work location.
• Work Personas We approach our distributed world of work with flexibility and trust. Work personas (flexible, remote
• required in office) are categories that are assigned to ServiceNow employees depending on the nature of their work and their assigned work location. Learn more here . To determine eligibility for a work persona, ServiceNow may confirm the distance between your primary residence and the closest ServiceNow office using a third-party service. Equal Opportunity Employer ServiceNow is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, gender identity, veteran status
• any other category protected by law. In addition, all qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with legal requirements. Accommodations We strive to create an accessible and inclusive experience for all candidates. If you require a reasonable accommodation to complete any part of the application process
• are unable to use this online application and need an alternative method to apply, please contact globaltalentss@servicenow.com for assistance. Export Control Regulations For positions requiring access to controlled technology subject to export control regulations, including the U.S. Export Administration Regulations (EAR), ServiceNow may be required to obtain export control approval from government authorities for certain individuals. All employment is contingent upon ServiceNow obtaining any export license or other approval that may be required by relevant export control authorities. From Fortune. ©2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All rights reserved. Used under license.