Principal Software Engineer - Capella Control Plane at Couchbase

<div class="content-intro"><p>Couchbase, the operational data platform for AI, empowers businesses to succeed by bringing data to life in new ways. Major market-leading companies rely on Couchbase for mission critical operational, analytical, mobile and AI workloads. Built to replace legacy infrastructure and fragmented data services, Couchbase empowers enterprises with a unified platform architected for performance, flexibility and global scale.</p> <p>With Couchbase, organizations bring their data to life, launching game‑changing customer experiences, exploring the limitless potential of AI, and seamlessly extending applications from the cloud to the edge and beyond. Couchbase’s AI‑ready technology and enterprise partnership model eliminate complexity and reduce total cost of ownership, enabling teams to stay agile, innovative and secure.</p> <p>Couchbase believes data should never slow you down, but act as the foundation for your next breakthrough. Discover why Couchbase is trusted to help the world’s biggest players scale, move fast and stay resilient, no matter what’s next on their roadmap. Visit&nbsp;<a href="http://couchbase.com">couchbase.com</a> and follow us on LinkedIn and X.<br><br>Want to be part of our story? Apply today!&nbsp;</p></div><h2>Principal Software Engineer – Capella Control Plane</h2> <p><strong>Location:</strong> San Jose, California (Hybrid - in office at least 3 days/week)</p> <p>Couchbase Capella is a fully managed&nbsp;<strong>Database-as-a-Service (DBaaS)</strong> platform that powers mission-critical applications with a modern, distributed NoSQL database. The <strong>Control Plane team</strong> builds and operates the foundational systems that deliver reliability, scalability, and seamless experiences across cloud environments.</p> <p>We are seeking a Principal Software Engineer to serve as the <strong>cross-team technical authority</strong> for Capella's Control Plane — the platform that orchestrates SaaS interactions with major cloud providers (AWS, GCP, Azure). This role is central to the evolution of Capella's multi-cloud control plane and will shape the systems that provision, secure, and operate the platform at scale. You will set a durable technical direction with organization level influence, be accountable for production outcomes, and drive solutions to ambiguous, high-stakes problems through hands-on development and deep distributed systems expertise.</p> <h2><strong>Key Responsibilities</strong></h2> <ul> <li><strong>Architecture &amp; Technical Direction</strong>: Define and evolve the <strong>control plane architecture</strong> for scalability, reliability, performance, and security.</li> <li><strong>Hands-on Development</strong>: Develop and deliver production-quality <strong>Golang</strong> code for critical Capella platform services. Establish and enforce coding standards, CI/CD practices, and design patterns.</li> <li><strong>Multi-Cloud Infrastructure</strong>: Architect and optimize <strong>multi-cloud deployments, networking models, VPC/VNet peering, load balancing, and secure connectivity</strong> across AWS, GCP, and Azure. Build and scale <strong>multi-tenant control plane services</strong> that orchestrate cluster lifecycle across providers.</li> <li><strong>Reliability &amp; Observability</strong>: Define and implement <strong>monitoring, logging, tracing, and alerting standards</strong> for operational excellence. Own <strong>accountability for production outcomes</strong> including root cause analysis and long-term remediation of critical issues.</li> <li><strong>Platform Capabilities</strong>: Lead design and delivery of <strong>core platform capabilities</strong> such as provisioning, lifecycle management, and security controls. Tackle ambiguous distributed systems challenges involving scaling, networking, and performance.</li> <li><strong>Cross-Team Leadership</strong>: Exercise <strong>cross-team technical authority</strong>, partnering with product, SRE, Quality Engineering, operations, and <strong>global engineering teams across geographies</strong> to align technical direction with business goals. Maintain working knowledge of <strong>web UI architecture</strong> and partner effectively with frontend engineers on end-to-end control plane workflows.</li> <li><strong>Mentorship &amp; Culture</strong>: Guide engineers across levels, perform code reviews, and set a high bar for <strong>engineering culture</strong>.</li> <li><strong>Innovation</strong>: Research and evaluate <strong>cloud-native technologies, frameworks, and architectures</strong> for Capella's evolution.</li> </ul> <h2><strong>Must-Have Skills &amp; Experience</strong></h2> <ul> <li><strong>Expertise in Golang</strong> with proven experience building distributed, cloud-native systems.</li> <li>Strong knowledge of <strong>system design, high availability, fault tolerance, and performance tuning</strong>.</li> <li>Hands-on experience with <strong>cloud infrastructure (AWS, GCP, Azure)</strong>, including <strong>networking (VPCs, routing, load balancing, firewalls, private connectivity)</strong> and <strong>Kubernetes/container orchestration</strong>.</li> <li>Experience designing and building <strong>control plane and platform components for SaaS platforms</strong> at scale.</li> <li>Proven experience leading <strong>cross-team architecture and platform decisions</strong> in complex, ambiguous cloud and distributed systems environments.</li> <li>Working knowledge of <strong>web UI architecture</strong> and ability to partner effectively with frontend engineers on end-to-end control plane workflows.</li> <li>Experience <strong>mentoring engineers</strong> and driving org-level influence on engineering culture and standards.</li> </ul> <h2><strong>Nice-to-Have Skills &amp; Experience</strong></h2> <ul> <li>Experience with <strong>DBaaS platforms</strong> or large-scale database infrastructure.</li> <li>Exposure to <strong>AI/ML integrations</strong> within SaaS platforms (e.g., model serving, vector databases, AI-assisted workflows).</li> </ul> <h2><strong>Education &amp; Experience</strong></h2> <ul> <li>Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field.</li> <li>12+ years of professional software engineering experience, with at least 5+ years in cloud/distributed systems.</li> <li>Prior principal or staff engineer-level experience leading architecture and platform initiatives in cloud infrastructure or large-scale SaaS environments.</li> </ul><div class="content-pay-transparency"><div class="pay-input"><div class="description">The anticipated starting base pay range for this role is listed below. Base salary is not the only component of our competitive total rewards package - you may also be eligible for bonus, commissions, equity, and other benefits as described below. Actual compensation is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to skill set, level of experience, licenses and certifications, and specific work location.</div><div class="title">Base Pay Range</div><div class="pay-range"><span>$204,000</span><span class="divider">&mdash;</span><span>$225,000 USD</span></div></div></div><div class="content-conclusion"><div> <div class="p-rich_text_section"> <p class="p1">At Couchbase, we believe innovation thrives when diverse perspectives are at the table. We actively encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds—including women, people of color, LGTBQIA+ professionals, veterans, and individuals with disabilities. If you see a role that excites you, but don’t meet every qualification, we still encourage you to apply.</p> </div> <div class="p-rich_text_section"> <p>Studies show underrepresented talent is less likely to apply unless they meet all the criteria. We encourage you to apply if you’re excited about the role and can bring strong contributions to our team.</p> <p>If you require reasonable accommodations during the recruitment process, please let your recruiter know—we’re happy to support you.</p> <p>We value diverse educational and career backgrounds. If your experience aligns with the role’s goals—even if it doesn’t follow a traditional path—we’d love to hear from you.</p> </div> <div class="p-rich_text_section">&nbsp;<strong data-stringify-type="bold">Why Couchbase?</strong></div> <div class="p-rich_text_section">Modern customer experiences need a flexible cloud database platform that can power applications spanning from cloud to edge and everything in between. Couchbase’s mission is to simplify how developers and architects develop, deploy and consume modern applications wherever they are. We have reimagined the database with our fast, flexible and affordable cloud database platform Capella, allowing organizations to quickly build applications that deliver premium experiences to their customers– all with best-in-class price performance. More than 30% of the Fortune 100 trust Couchbase to power their modern applications and build innovative new ones. See our recent awards to learn why Couchbase is a great place to work.We are honored to be a part of the Best Places to Work Award for&nbsp;<a class="c-link" href="https://www.couchbase.com/press-releases/couchbase-named-one-of-the-best-workplaces-in-the-bay-area-in-2022-by-great-place-to-work-and-fortune-magazine/" target="_blank" data-stringify-link="https://www.couchbase.com/press-releases/couchbase-named-one-of-the-best-workplaces-in-the-bay-area-in-2022-by-great-place-to-work-and-fortune-magazine/" data-sk="tooltip_parent">the Bay Area</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a class="c-link" href="https://www.couchbase.com/press-releases/couchbase-awarded-uks-best-workplaces-recognition/" target="_blank" data-stringify-link="https://www.couchbase.com/press-releases/couchbase-awarded-uks-best-workplaces-recognition/" data-sk="tooltip_parent">the UK</a>. Couchbase offers a total rewards approach to benefits&nbsp; that recognizes the value you create here, so that you in turn may best serve yourself and your family. Some benefits include:</div> <ul class="p-rich_text_list p-rich_text_list__bullet" data-stringify-type="unordered-list" data-indent="0" data-border="0"> <li data-stringify-indent="0" data-stringify-border="0">Generous Time Off Program - Flexibility to care for you and your family</li> <li data-stringify-indent="0" data-stringify-border="0">Wellness Benefits - A variety of world class medical plans to choose from, along with dental, vision, life insurance, and employee assistance programs*</li> <li data-stringify-indent="0" data-stringify-border="0">Financial Planning - Retirement program* and Business Travel Insurance</li> <li data-stringify-indent="0" data-stringify-border="0">Career Growth - Be valued, Create value approach</li> <li data-stringify-indent="0" data-stringify-border="0">Fun Perks - An ergonomic and comfortable in-office / WFH setup. Food &amp; Snacks for in-office employees.</li> <li data-stringify-indent="0" data-stringify-border="0">And much more!</li> </ul> <div class="p-rich_text_section">*Note: some programs are not applicable to all countries. Please discuss with a Couchbase recruiter to learn more.</div> <div class="p-rich_text_section">&nbsp;</div> <div class="p-rich_text_section"><strong data-stringify-type="bold">Learn more about Couchbase:</strong><br><a class="c-link" href="https://www.couchbase.com/news-and-press-releases" target="_blank" data-stringify-link="https://www.couchbase.com/news-and-press-releases" data-sk="tooltip_parent">News and Press Releases</a><br><a class="c-link" href="https://www.couchbase.com/products/capella" target="_blank" data-stringify-link="https://www.couchbase.com/products/capella" data-sk="tooltip_parent">Couchbase Capella</a><br><a class="c-link" href="https://blog.couchbase.com/" target="_blank" data-stringify-link="https://blog.couchbase.com/" data-sk="tooltip_parent">Couchbase Blog</a><br><a class="c-link" href="https://investors.couchbase.com/" target="_blank" data-stringify-link="https://investors.couchbase.com/" data-sk="tooltip_parent">Investors</a></div> <div class="p-rich_text_section">&nbsp;</div> </div> <div><strong>Disclaimer:</strong></div> <div>Couchbase is committed to being an equal opportunity employer.&nbsp; All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability and protected veterans’ status, or any other characteristic protected by law. 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