Job Title: Principal Product Engineer

Company Name: Coforma

Job Details: $174k-$187k/yrRemoteFull,Time

Job Url: https://hiring.cafe/viewjob/v140pw8lvqhnc56a

Job Description: Posted 14h agoPrincipal Product Engineer@ CoformaView All JobsWebsiteNorth Bethesda, Maryland, United States$174k-$187k/yrRemoteFull TimeResponsibilities:Lead frontend architecture, Mentor engineers, Prototype new productsRequirements Summary:Experienced product-focused principal engineer with frontend emphasis, React/Next.js expertise, mentoring others, and ability to lead in a fast-moving R&D environment.Technical Tools Mentioned:React, Next.js, Node.js, NestJS, TypeScript, GraphQL, REST, GCP, CI/CD
We are looking for an experienced, product-focused Principal Product Engineer with a strong frontend orientation to join our internal innovation lab at Coforma.The innovation lab is a small, autonomous team building a new product from scratch. We operate with the speed of a startup but the stability of an established company, with the goal of creating a new digital service that may grow into its own offering.As a Principal Product Engineer, you’ll be a deeply hands-on technical leader shaping how we design, build, and ship modern applications in a fast-moving R&D environment.  Reporting to our Chief Innovation Officer (CINO), you’ll bring strong, opinionated, experience-backed judgment around frontend architecture, particularly in modern React and Next.js ecosystems, and make pragmatic decisions that balance speed of learning with long-term maintainability. You’ll mentor other engineers, model a strong product-engineering culture, and help the team navigate the ambiguity that comes with early-stage product development and experimentation.This is a full-stack role with a frontend center of gravity: candidates are expected to lead from the frontend, setting patterns for React and Next.js applications, data-fetching strategies, UI and state architecture, and overall product experience, while also being comfortable owning backend services and APIs as needed. You’ll help build the foundational frontend and application platform for our innovation lab from the ground up, often operating as the primary builder and working in close collaboration with a small set of product, design, and leadership partners to quickly test, iterate, and ship new modular products. This role is intentionally scoped for early-stage execution before a dedicated team is hired.We’re looking for engineers who enjoy building quickly with modern web frameworks and who can also design and build systems that hold up as products grow and mature. If you’re passionate about improving lives through digital products and services, Coforma is a great company for you.$174,399 to $187,006 Annual Salary + Benefits + Growth PotentialPlacement within this range will be based on the competency level of the candidate. An offer will be made at one of the following tiers:Tier 1 - $174,399.60: Meets minimum qualification/experience requirements. Beyond onboarding, will need additional guidance and training to perform key responsibilities of the role.Tier 2 - $181,543.68: Experienced and fully competent. Will be able to independently perform key responsibilities of the role once onboarding is completed.Tier 3 - $187,006.80: Highly experienced and can perform all responsibilities of the role at a higher level than expected once onboarding is completed.To honor our company-wide equitable pay system, the posted salary range and corresponding tier salaries are non-negotiable.This is a US-based remote position open to applicants in the states listed below. Some travel may be required.To ensure we remain compliant with all state, county, and local employment and tax regulations, applicants must currently reside in one of the following states to be considered for employment with Coforma. This list will be updated periodically as our People team works to open up hiring in additional states.ArizonaCaliforniaDistrict of ColumbiaFloridaGeorgiaIdahoIllinoisMaineMarylandMassachusettsMontanaNevadaNew JerseyNew YorkNorth CarolinaOregonSouth CarolinaTennesseeTexasVirginiaWashingtonWisconsin
  What You’ll Do (Key Responsibilities)
  Your responsibilities in this role will be broad and will evolve over time, but initially they'll be centered on a few key areas such as:Team & Leadership Responsibilities:Serve as technical lead for early-stage innovation lab projects, working closely with the CINO and our Product, Design, and Delivery teams to shape technical direction for prototypes and new products and guiding design and implementation decisionsMentor engineers and collaborators, sharing best practices and fostering a culture of collaboration, psychological safety, and continuous learning in an agile, experiment-friendly environmentEnable modern DevSecOps practices such as automated testing, CI/CD, infrastructure-as-code, and secure-by-default engineeringParticipate in business development and strategy efforts (proposals, presentations, etc.), when neededProjects & Programs:Rapidly prototype, validate, and iterate on new product ideas, balancing speed of learning with scalable, maintainable codeSelect and implement modern frameworks (React/TypeScript, Node, Python, etc.) and cloud services (containerized APIs, event-driven services, etc.) that enable fast experimentationIdentify and mitigate technical risks early; clearly communicate trade-offs to non-technical stakeholdersSupport experimentation with AI-driven capabilities (LLMs, data pipelines, agentic tools) where appropriateContribute reusable libraries, documentation, and internal tools that accelerate future innovation lab projectsPartner with IT and Security teams to ensure prototypes run in sandboxed, compliant environments suitable for R&DIn your first 30 days, you will:Complete new hire orientation training and familiarize yourself with the vision for the innovation labDefine the initial platform architecture including portal entry point, identity/auth approach, multi-tenant strategy, API gateway, and service boundariesSelect foundational technologies (frameworks, languages, hosting environment, auth provider or build approach, database pattern)Create architecture diagrams and engineering decision records to align with leadership and product directionStand up the initial repo structure, monorepo or polyrepo approach, and foundational CI/CD pipeline skeletonBegin coding the Platform Shell / Portal (even if just a Hello World + placeholder UI)Implement a basic working authentication flow (prototype only) to validate feasibilityReview existing ideas in Linear and select one to implement as the first platform module and collaborate with the existing engineer to break down and begin implementationPartner with the Product Operations Manager to define agile development workflows and engineering ritualsBegin documenting platform principles such as modularity, API-first, secure-by-default, and observability-readyAfter 60 days:Deliver a functional login experience connected to cloud infrastructureImplement the first platform module from Linear using the new architectureEstablish patterns/templates for reusable services or modulesDeploy the platform scaffold into a development environment with automated deploysRefine sprint practices, backlog structure, and definition of done with the Product Operations ManagerBegin mentoring engineers on using the platform architecture and processAfter 90 days:Produce a platform roadmap and demonstrate the platform to leadership, articulating how additional features/products will plug into the foundationDeliver a working platform with authentication, portal access, and at least one production-ready moduleEstablish guidelines for engineers joining the platform effort (documentation, contribution models, code conventions, etc.)Enable rapid module creation through established templates and toolingEstablish early success metrics for delivery velocity, platform adoption, and code quality
  Who You Are and What You Know (Knowledge and Experience Requirements)
  Minimum of 8 years of professional software engineering experience in product-oriented environments, with a strong frontend focusDeep hands-on experience building production applications in Next.js, including modern React patterns, App Router, and TypeScriptStrong backend experience in Node.js, with preference for NestJS, and comfort owning API design end-to-end5+ years of experience designing, building, and consuming APIs including GraphQL and REST, and deploying to modern cloud environments (preferably GCP)Proven track record of shipping full-stack web applications from prototype to production, with particular strength in frontend architecture, performance, and developer experience4+ years of experience leading technical direction or serving as tech lead/architect on complex productsDeep experience with React/TypeScript and at least one modern back-end stack (Node, Python, Go, etc.)Proven track record of shipping full-stack web apps from prototype to productionComfortable operating in startup-style ambiguity, designing experiments, measuring outcomes, and iterating quickly based on real user feedbackFull-time resident of the contiguous United States (must be legally authorized to work in the US now and in the future without sponsorship)What You Know:Strong grasp of the building blocks of the web (HTTP, HTML, CSS, JavaScript/TypeScript, JSON, TLS/SSL), with particular depth in modern frontend application architectureDeep experience with React and Next.js, including routing, data fetching patterns, performance optimization, and building resilient, user-centric UIs that interact cleanly with APIsSolid backend engineering fundamentals, with hands-on experience building cloud-native Node.js services (preferably NestJS), including API design (GraphQL preferred), data modeling, and service boundariesPractical experience implementing secure authentication and authorization flows (OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect, SAML), and designing APIs that are safe to consume from browser-based clientsFamiliarity with event-driven and asynchronous processing, distributed caching, observability and logging, and modern persistence patterns that support frontend-driven product experiencesCapable of delivering application architectures and code that are highly scalable, available, and performantUnderstanding of security and compliance implications (SOC 2, HIPAA, FedRAMP) for SaaS-style products and ability to design with them in mindSkilled at tailoring technical communication for executive leadership and non-technical stakeholders and able to explain complex trade-offs in plain language to influence decisions and align teams
  Other
  Internet: Will prioritize and maintain access to strong, reliable internet for the remote nature of our work, except when on vacation or holiday.Security: Will keep the highest security practices to ensure privacy and security of Coforma and client information, given the nature of our work, even when on vacation.Travel Flexibility: On request and with advanced notice, will attend in-person events such as meetings, workshops, and trainings as assigned for projects that require it.Brand Representation: Will represent Coforma professionally and sincerely, modeling our Company Values in all interactions.