Principal Software Engineer - VS Code (GitHub - CoreAI)

About the role

Identify significant product opportunities and systemic engineering problems; set technical direction that balances near-term delivery with long-term product and platform health. Prove approaches through prototypes, critical implementation, testing, and difficult debugging, using hands-on work to guide architectural decisions.

Own outcomes beyond release, using adoption, quality signals, evaluations, experiments, and user feedback to guide investment and adjust course. Improve engineering effectiveness across teams through testing strategies, performance work, shared design patterns, and tools for rapid, reliable experimentation.

Lead technical discussions in the open, investigate community-reported issues, and work directly with developers and extension authors to shape designs. Mentor senior engineers and technical leaders, helping them develop judgment and take ownership without making yourself a bottleneck.

Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or related technical field AND 6+ years technical engineering experience with coding in languages including, but not limited to, JavaScript, or TypeScript or RUST OR equivalent experience.

These requirements include but are not limited to the following specialized security screenings: 10+ years of software engineering experience, with a track record of architecting, delivering, and evolving complex production software. Demonstrated technical leadership across multiple teams, including setting direction, building alignment, and delivering substantial initiatives without relying on reporting-line authority.

Hands-on coding and design skills, with the ability to become productive in large TypeScript and Rust codebases. Experience designing shared platforms, APIs, or large application architectures, with sound judgment about extensibility, compatibility, performance, and maintainability.

Product judgment, including identifying opportunities, setting priorities amid ambiguity, and turning technical decisions into practical designs and measurable improvements for users. A track record of mentoring experienced engineers and improving the effectiveness of teams beyond your immediate area.

Clear communication skills, including explaining complex technical decisions and navigating tradeoffs with engineering and product partners. We welcome a range of product backgrounds; these are helpful experiences, not a checklist. Previous work on developer tools, open-source projects, or AI products is not required. Experience with TypeScript, JavaScript and Rust.

Experience evolving interactive products with attention to usability and accessibility. Experience guiding cross-platform architecture, performance improvements, or major migrations in a large application. Experience establishing experimentation and feedback practices that connect engineering decisions to user outcomes.

Practical familiarity with AI coding tools and judgment about where they help, fail, or change development workflows. Experience providing technical leadership on AI-powered products, open-source projects, or extensible applications.