Principal Software Engineer

The posting, as Code for America wrote it

Code for America believes government can work for the people, by the people, in the new digital age, and that government at all levels can and should work well for all people. For more than a decade, we’ve worked to show that with the mindful use of technology, we can break down barriers, meet community needs, and find real solutions.

Our employees build and transform government and community tools and services, making them so good they inspire change. We merge the best parts of technology, nonprofit, and government to help support the people who need it most.

With a focus on transparency and fairness, and deep empathy for partners in government and community organizations and the people that our partners serve, we’re building a movement of motivated change agents driven by meaningful results and lasting impact.

At Code for America, you contribute to exciting work while learning and developing in a supportive and flexible environment. Our compensation and benefits are holistic and thoughtfully curated to represent our employees and our mission. Help us drive real generational change that lasts.

Code for America is looking for a talented Principal Software Engineer who will help define the technical standards and practices that our engineering discipline builds on — driving reliable, high-quality software delivery across multiple teams and projects that make public services more accessible and effective for the people who need them most.

The pace of change in the policy and government landscape is accelerating at the same time that technology possibilities are shifting rapidly. Together, these shifts create new windows of opportunity to develop technical solutions that make critical public services more effective for the people who need them. Principal Software Engineers frame and solve the undefined technical problems that sit across or ahead of any single team's roadmap, so that the engineering discipline as a whole stays ready for those moments.

About the role

All Code for America software engineers are involved in every stage of our products' lifecycle, from prototyping and design to developing features in response to user feedback, to operating technical systems at scale. Principal Software Engineers pair deep technical expertise with cross-team influence — setting technical direction and best practices across Engineering, resolving our most ambiguous and highest-leverage technical problems, and raising the bar for how the discipline builds software.

This role will report to the Director or Senior Director of Product Engineering and is expected to travel no more than 10% of the time.

Code for America is based in California and can employ those who reside full-time within the United States. This is a remote position.

In this position you will

• Technical Delivery
• Craft new features that help users more easily navigate government services and receive a dignified experience, taking on the hardest and highest-leverage problem

[…]
e an additional 50% match on contributions between 3% and 5%, for a maximum employer contribution of 5%

• Medical:
• At least one no cost health insurance option for full-time employees for employee-only coverage
• A minimum of 80% of the cost of dependent coverage
• Remote Work:
• Code for America employees may work remotely across the US
• Code for America employees main residence must be within the US
• Full-time employees work 40 hours per week, Monday - Friday
• Collaborative working hours: we aim to hold all internal meetings between 10 AM - 3 PM PT. We expect all Code for America staff to be available during these set working hours
• Time Off:
• Open personal time off ( subject to manager approval ), a minimum of 14 paid holidays, and an org-wide closure from Christmas Day through New Year's Day
• Paid sick time; up to 96 hours annually
• 17 weeks of paid parental and family leave
• 3 weeks of paid sabbatical after 5 years of service

Timeline

From the time you are contacted by a Recruiter, you can expect a 1-2 month, or longer, hiring process. The specific hiring process and timeline goals for this role will be covered during the initial Recruiter phone screen. Code for America's standard interview process details are also available on our careers page.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Code for America is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants will not be discriminated against because of race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, religion, national origin, citizenship status, disability, ancestry, marital status, veteran status, medical condition or any protected category prohibited by local, state or federal laws.

Code for America Workers United

This position is not covered by a Collective Bargaining Agreement between Code for America and Code for America Workers United, affiliated with OPEIU, Local 1010. The agreement was ratified on January 14, 2026, and is currently in effect.

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