About this role
About the Role HubSpot is seeking a Principal Software Engineer to help define the technical future of release engineering at HubSpot — balancing large-scale distributed systems and the integration of agentic AI across the build, test, and deploy pipeline. This role will be hands-on and strategic, requiring leadership across architecture and delivery while staying close to code. What You'll Do
- Own the future of HubSpot's release engineering platform and shape the technical direction for the build, test, and deploy systems that underpin how HubSpot ships software.
- Drive architectural decisions across pipeline design, test infrastructure, deployment orchestration, and developer ergonomics.
- Help define what the next generation of HubSpot's delivery platform should look like — not just how to operate the current one.
- Be a deeply hands-on, high-leverage builder; write production code regularly and lead complex initiatives from idea to rollout.
- Design and implement AI-powered QA agents that run on every deploy, reducing risk and increasing confidence in continuous delivery.
- Turn ambiguous infrastructure problems into simple, scalable systems and clear technical direction.
- Rethink testing and delivery infrastructure for a new era; drive toward 500+ deploys per minute by identifying and eliminating bottlenecks across the delivery pipeline.
- Influence across the broader engineering organization by partnering with engineering leaders to align release engineering direction with HubSpot's needs.
- Work horizontally across teams to guide technical tradeoffs, rationalize configuration and change management across concurrent teams, and raise the architectural bar for platform work.
- Act as a multiplier through design reviews, technical mentoring, and principled decision-making on the most critical systems in the space. What We're Looking For
- Deep experience building and evolving large-scale distributed systems, particularly in CI/CD, build infrastructure, release engineering, or foundational backend platforms.
- Strong architectural instincts with a bias toward simplicity, clarity, and long-term platform leverage — and healthy skepticism toward unnecessary complexity.
- Experience operating at hyperscaler or platform-provider scale.
- A track record of owning and delivering complex, cross-team technical initiatives with org-wide or company-level impact.
- A hands-on mindset; you lead by building, debugging, reviewing, and shipping — not by staying removed from the systems you influence.
- Ability to move into unfamiliar technical territory quickly, form strong opinions grounded in first principles, and help teams make better long-term decisions. Compensation & Benefits
- The cash compensation includes base salary, on-target commission for eligible roles, and annual bonus targets under HubSpot’s bonus plan. Some roles are eligible to participate in HubSpot’s equity plan to receive restricted stock units (RSUs).
- Additional benefits and perks are offered as part of the compensation package and company policy.