[All remote jobs](https://jobicy.com/jobs.md)[![Smartsheet logo](https://jobicy.com/data/server-nyc0409/galaxy/mercury/2025/06/8b6103bd-221.jpg)](https://jobicy.com/company/smartsheet.md)[Smartsheet](https://jobicy.com/company/smartsheet.md) # Principal Software Engineer (Remote Eligible in Bulgaria) Review the role, location requirements, compensation details, and application process before deciding whether this opportunity fits your next career move. [Apply for this job](#job-application)[View company](https://jobicy.com/company/smartsheet.md)ShareRemote from[Bulgaria](https://jobicy.com/job-region/bulgaria.md)SalaryUndisclosedDepartment[Software Engineering](https://jobicy.com/categories/engineering.md)EmploymentFull TimeExperienceSeniorPublished12 Oct 2026Apply before11 Nov 2026Listing views30Application actions1Application toolkit ## Make your next move. Prepare your resume, explore your fit, and draft a cover letter for this opportunity. AI Summary ## The role, at a glance. This Principal Software Engineer role leads the architecture and evolution of Smartsheet's scalable, high-availability platform serving millions of users. The position owns cross-functional technical initiatives, architecture strategy, technical design reviews, and deployment readiness for high-impact projects. It requires deep distributed-systems, cloud, microservices, database-performance, and web-development expertise across languages such as Python, Go, Java, and C/C++. The engineer will also mentor senior engineers and communicate architectural decisions effectively with product leaders, business stakeholders, and executives. The role is remote for candidates legally eligible to work in Bulgaria. ## Role DNA A quick view of the complexity, pace, ownership and collaboration implied by the job description. ### Job Complexity 5/5EasyHard ### Pace & Pressure 5/5RelaxedFast-paced ### Autonomy Level 5/5GuidedFull ownership ### Communication Load 5/5IndependentCollaborative AI insightThis is a principal-level technical leadership role with accountability for long-term architecture, large-scale transformations, and reliability of systems used globally. Success requires both exceptional hands-on systems expertise and the ability to influence multiple engineering teams and senior stakeholders. ## Salary analysis Estimated compensation compared with the broader US market for similar roles. Estimated job medianMarket rate$190,000US market range$165k–$230k0$253k AI insightNo numerical salary was disclosed, so these are estimated US-market annual base-salary figures in USD for a Principal Software Engineer. Actual pay for this Bulgaria-based role may differ substantially based on local compensation practices, candidate location, expertise, and the company's geographic pay bands. ## Core skills Skills and capabilities most closely associated with this opportunity. [software architecture](https://jobicy.com/jobs?search_keywords=software%20architecture.md)[distributed systems](https://jobicy.com/jobs?search_keywords=distributed%20systems.md)[microservices](https://jobicy.com/jobs?search_keywords=microservices.md)[event-driven architecture](https://jobicy.com/jobs?search_keywords=event-driven%20architecture.md)[cloud infrastructure](https://jobicy.com/jobs?search_keywords=cloud%20infrastructure.md)[scalability](https://jobicy.com/jobs?search_keywords=scalability.md)[high availability](https://jobicy.com/jobs?search_keywords=high%20availability.md)[database optimization](https://jobicy.com/jobs?search_keywords=database%20optimization.md)[technical leadership](https://jobicy.com/jobs?search_keywords=technical%20leadership.md)[mentoring](https://jobicy.com/jobs?search_keywords=mentoring.md) Sample interview questionsDescribe a large-scale architectural transformation you led. How did you move teams from the existing state to the target architecture?I would begin by documenting the current system constraints, reliability risks, and business objectives, then define a target architecture with measurable success criteria. I would create an incremental migration plan, establish architecture decision records and ownership boundaries, and use pilots to validate assumptions before scaling the approach. Regular technical reviews, observability metrics, and stakeholder updates would keep the transformation aligned across teams. How would you design a highly available, event-driven platform that serves millions of global users? I would use independently deployable services with clear domain boundaries, durable event streaming, idempotent consumers, and well-defined retry and dead-letter strategies. The platform would include multi-zone resilience, horizontal scaling, caching where appropriate, strong telemetry, and tested disaster-recovery procedures. I would also set explicit latency, availability, and recovery objectives and validate them through load testing and failure-injection exercises. How do you balance a product request for rapid delivery against architectural concerns such as reliability, security, or technical debt? I make the trade-offs explicit by translating technical concerns into customer impact, delivery risk, cost, and operational consequences. I propose options, such as a safe short-term implementation with documented guardrails and a funded follow-on investment, rather than simply blocking delivery. This helps product and engineering leaders make informed decisions while preserving accountability for platform health. What is your approach to mentoring senior engineers who are taking on broader architectural responsibility? I give senior engineers ownership of meaningful design problems while providing context, constructive design-review feedback, and clear decision-making expectations. I encourage them to write proposals, facilitate technical discussions, and communicate trade-offs to non-specialist stakeholders. Over time, I shift from direct guidance to coaching so they build independent judgment and organizational influence. How would you evaluate and improve database performance for a rapidly growing SaaS application? I would start with production evidence: query latency, throughput, lock contention, connection saturation, resource utilization, and workload patterns. From there, I would prioritize improvements such as query and index optimization, data-model adjustments, caching, partitioning, read replicas, or asynchronous processing based on the observed bottleneck. Every change would be load-tested, monitored after release, and evaluated against agreed performance and reliability targets. Opportunity details ## About this role. For over 20 years, Smartsheet has empowered teams to manage work seamlessly and scale solutions smarter. Now, in our most ambitious chapter yet, we are uniting human teams with AI agents. By orchestrating the work agents do best, automating manual tasks and uncovering insights at scale, we create the space for people to focus on what truly matters: judgment, creativity, and big thinking. That is magic at work, and it’s what we show up for every day. We are looking for a skilled and motivated Principal Software Engineer who is passionate about continuous learning and eager to grow along with us in a fast-paced, innovative environment. You will work remotely from Bulgaria and will be reporting to an engineering leader located in Bulgaria. You Will: * Lead the design and implementation of Smartsheet’s next-generation architecture, ensuring scalability, security, and performance for millions of global users. * Define and drive architecture strategy, making key technical decisions that shape the future of the platform. * Review and guide technical project designs, providing feedback during design review presentations to ensure system resilience and scalability. * Take ownership of cross-functional technical initiatives, aligning teams around common architectural goals while driving large-scale projects to completion. * Foster strong technical leadership, mentoring senior engineers and influencing best practices across multiple engineering teams. * Lead deployment reviews for high-impact projects, ensuring they meet scalability, performance, and security requirements. * Collaborate closely with product management and other business stakeholders to balance market needs with technical constraints, driving innovation while maintaining technical rigor. * Advocate for quality and operational excellence, ensuring systems are monitored, tested, and maintained to meet the highest reliability standards. * Perform other duties as assigned. You Have: * Proven experience in system architecture and the design of scalable, high-availability systems across multiple programming languages and frameworks (Python, Go, Java, C/C++, SQL). * Deep understanding of distributed systems, event-driven architectures, and microservices. * Strong experience in leading large-scale architectural transformations, with the ability to influence technical direction across multiple teams. * Expertise in web application development, data structures, and object-oriented design. * A track record of mentoring senior engineers, leading them through architectural challenges, and ensuring they grow into strong technical leaders. * Strong verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to convey complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences, including senior executives. * Experience with cloud architectures and infrastructure at scale, as well as database optimization for performance and scalability. * Demonstrated ability to work autonomously, driving initiatives forward while aligning with business objectives. * Familiarity with Agile/Scrum methodologies, driving engineering best practices across teams. * Legally eligible to work in Bulgaria on an ongoing basis. * Fluency in English is required. Smartsheet provides a competitive base salary range for roles that may be hired in different geographic areas we are licensed to operate our business from. Actual compensation is determined by several factors including, but not limited to, level of professional, educational experience, skills, and specific candidate location. In addition, this role will be eligible for a market competitive incentive opportunity. Get to Know Us: At Smartsheet, your ideas are heard, your potential is supported, and your contributions have real impact. You’ll have the freedom to explore, push boundaries, and grow beyond your role. We welcome diverse perspectives and nontraditional paths—because we know that impact comes from individuals who care deeply and challenge thoughtfully. When you’re doing work that stretches you, excites you, and connects you to something bigger, that’s magic at work. Let’s build what’s next, together. Equal Opportunity Employer: Smartsheet is an Equal Opportunity (EEO) employer committed to fostering an inclusive environment with the best employees. It is our policy to provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants in accordance with applicable laws in the US, UK, Australia, Germany, Costa Rica, Japan, Bulgaria, India, and Singapore. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, protected veteran or disabled status, or genetic information. If there are preparations we can make to help ensure you have a comfortable and positive interview experience, please let us know. #LI-Remote Show more [Apply now >](https://jobicy.com/jobs/155062-principal-software-engineer-remote-eligible-in-bulgaria.md) > Annual salary information is not provided for this position. 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