Principal Software Development Engineer

About the role

CarGurus is establishing a new engineering hub in Dublin and seeks a Principal Software Development Engineer to lead product initiatives for the UK and Canadian markets. You will own the full development lifecycle for dealer-facing products while helping shape the culture and technical direction of the local office. In this role, you will act as a senior technical leader responsible for designing and delivering critical features that power the marketplace. You will partner closely with product managers to turn complex business requirements into robust and scalable technical solutions. Your work will directly influence the experience of dealers and users across multiple regions. You will champion engineering best practices and ensure that the systems you build are reliable, performant, and secure. This position offers the opportunity to build greenfield infrastructure in a growing international team.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Partner with product managers and engineering peers in Dublin and the US to dissect requirements and craft resilient technical designs.
• Architect and build full-stack features, ranging from complex microservices to responsive web user interfaces.
• Implement rigorous automated testing strategies and set up comprehensive performance monitoring to uphold system quality.
• Drive operational excellence by analyzing production metrics to diagnose issues and orchestrate timely resolutions.
• Integrate AI development tools such as Claude Code and Cursor into the workflow to enhance team efficiency and output.
• Provide hands-on mentorship to junior engineers and deliver clear technical guidance to support informed decision-making.
• Evaluate and recommend new technologies, frameworks, and libraries to advance the capabilities of the product platform.
• Collaborate with cross-functional stakeholders to prioritize work and ensure alignment with business objectives across the UK and Canadian markets.
• Write clean, maintainable code that adheres to strict quality standards and supports long-term product goals.
• Act as a technical ambassador for the Dublin office, representing the team in discussions with global leadership.
• Troubleshoot intricate production issues using debugging and diagnostic techniques to minimize service disruption.
• Contribute to the definition and evolution of engineering standards, security practices, and architectural principles.
• Explore and prototype emerging technologies to identify opportunities for innovation in dealer-facing products.
• Communicate progress, risks, and trade-offs effectively to both technical and non-technical audiences.

Requirements

• Bring 8+ years of professional software engineering experience to the table, with at least 3 years spent in a technical lead or principal capacity.
• Demonstrate 5+ years of experience designing and scaling distributed systems that operate reliably in 24/7 production environments.
• Show 2+ years of hands-on experience with cloud infrastructure, specifically AWS and infrastructure as code with Terraform.
• Exhibit deep expertise in Java, Spring Boot, Hibernate, TypeScript, and React.
• Possess hands-on experience with both relational databases and NoSQL databases, understanding their respective trade-offs.
• Communicate complex technical concepts clearly and effectively to a diverse range of stakeholders.
• Have practical experience using AI development tools such as Claude Code or Cursor in your daily workflow.
• Display strong problem-solving skills and the ability to debug difficult issues in production systems.
• Have a proven track record of writing clean, testable, and efficient code.
• Understand the fundamentals of software security and how to build systems that protect user data.
• Thrive in a fast-paced environment where priorities can change quickly and adaptability is essential.
• Be comfortable working autonomously while remaining aligned with team goals and company standards.

Nice to have

• Demonstrate proficiency in server-side TypeScript and isomorphic frameworks, particularly Remix, Next.js, or Express.
• Bring hands-on experience working with Large Language Models (LLMs) and integrating them into applications.

Practical notes

This position is part of a total rewards package that includes equity (RSUs) and discretionary bonuses. Benefits include daily free lunch, commuting cost coverage, a new car discount, and access to fitness and meditation apps. CarGurus may request in-person interviews in Dublin; travel expenses for these interviews are the responsibility of the applicant.