About the Role
We are looking for a Principal Engineer to lead the architecture and evolution of a large-scale distributed data platform that powers real-time and batch data use cases across the company.
This is a director-level IC role focused on building foundational platform systems that enable teams to produce, manage, and consume data reliably at scale. You will operate across multiple domains, setting technical direction, driving key architectural decisions, and partnering broadly to deliver platform capabilities used by a wide range of internal consumers.
In addition to strong distributed systems expertise, this role will help shape how automation and AI-assisted workflows are incorporated into the platform—improving system operability, developer productivity, and platform intelligence—while maintaining strong guardrails and reliability.
What You’ll Do
Define and drive architecture for a distributed data platform supporting real-time, streaming, and batch workloads
Lead design of core platform capabilities such as data lifecycle management, metadata systems, orchestration, and developer-facing APIs
Build systems that improve data reliability, consistency, discoverability, and ease of use across diverse internal consumers
Drive platform scalability, performance, and cost efficiency across high-throughput, low-latency systems
Introduce automation and AI-assisted workflows (e.g., intelligent diagnostics, validation, safe remediation) to reduce operational overhead and improve system resilience
Establish strong operational foundations: observability, SLOs, failure handling, and production excellence
Partner with engineering teams across the company to influence adoption, standardization, and platform evolution
Mentor senior engineers and contribute to raising engineering and architectural standards
What You Bring
10–15+ years of experience building large-scale distributed systems, infrastructure, or data platforms
Experience operating at Staff+ or Principal level, leading complex, cross-team technical initiatives
Strong fundamentals in distributed systems (scalability, fault tolerance, data consistency, performance)
Experience with high-scale streaming systems, event-driven architectures, or real-time data processing
Hands-on experience building platform services that support both real-time and offline workloads
Proficiency in systems programming (e.g., Java, Python, Go) with the ability to go deep when needed
Experience running production systems with strong focus on reliability, observability, and operational excellence
Familiarity with automation or AI-assisted systems (e.g., agentic workflows, intelligent tooling) and sound judgment on where they add value
Strong communication and ability to influence across a broad engineering organization
Additional Details
eBay is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, and disability, or other legally protected status. If you have a need that requires accommodation, please contact us at talent@ebay.com. We will make every effort to respond to your request for accommodation as soon as possible. View our accessibility statement to learn more about eBay's commitment to ensuring digital accessibility for people with disabilities.
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