Principal Software Engineer

Summary

Join Twilio as a Principal Software Engineer for Identity & Security Products and shape the future of authentication, verification, and identity solutions. This pivotal role supports the growing Identity and Security product suite (Authy, Verify, and Lookup), requiring exceptional technical leadership to accelerate innovation and drive customer impact. You will design, implement, and optimize highly scalable distributed systems, architect secure solutions, and partner with engineering leadership to define and execute technical roadmaps. Leading incident response, root cause analysis, and mentoring engineers are also key responsibilities. The role demands expertise in building scalable systems, making high-impact technical decisions, and strong communication skills. This remote position offers competitive pay, generous time off, parental and wellness leave, healthcare, and a retirement savings program.

Requirements

• 10+ years of experience building and operating highly scalable, distributed systems with a focus on security, reliability, and performance
• Strong hands-on engineering skills and willingness to dive deep into code to solve complex problems
• Demonstrated expertise in designing and implementing resilient, fault-tolerant systems that can scale to millions of users
• Experience making high-impact technical decisions and leading cross-team technical initiatives
• Proven track record of driving technical excellence while keeping customer needs at the center of your work
• Strong collaborative skills with the ability to influence and align diverse stakeholders around technical strategy
• Deep understanding of software engineering best practices, including monitoring, observability, and building maintainable systems
• Exceptional communication skills, with the ability to explain complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences
• Experience mentoring engineers and elevating the technical capabilities of teams
• Degree in Computer Science or related field, or equivalent work experience

Responsibilities

• Drive technical excellence by designing, implementing, and optimizing highly scalable distributed systems that power Twilio's Identity and Security products
• Architect and build secure, reliable solutions that protect users against evolving threats while maintaining frictionless experiences
• Partner closely with engineering leadership to define and execute technical roadmaps, making critical technical decisions that balance innovation with reliability
• Lead incident response, root cause analysis, and remediation efforts, applying a methodical approach to solving complex production issues
• Proactively identify opportunities for system improvement, security enhancements, and performance optimization across our Identity and Security portfolio
• Advocate for thoughtful balance between feature development and technical debt reduction to ensure long-term system health
• Mentor engineers across multiple teams, fostering a culture of technical excellence, ownership, and continuous learning
• Communicate complex technical concepts effectively to diverse audiences, ranging from engineers to executive, while adjusting your approach based on the audience
• Stay abreast of industry trends and emerging threats in identity and authentication to ensure our products remain at the forefront of security best practices

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with identity and access management, authentication protocols, and security architecture
• Familiarity with modern verification techniques including SMS/voice verification, biometrics, and TOTP
• Knowledge of technologies like OAuth, SAML, OIDC, WebAuthn, and zero-trust security principles
• Experience with fraud detection and prevention systems
• Background in developing APIs and SDKs with a focus on developer experience
• Understanding of telecommunications infrastructure and SMS/voice delivery systems

Benefits

• Competitive pay
• Generous time off
• Ample parental and wellness leave
• Healthcare
• A retirement savings program
• Twilio’s equity plan
• Corporate bonus plan
• Health care insurance
• 401(k) retirement account
• Paid sick time
• Paid personal time off
• Paid parental leave