Principal/Staff Engineer at Retell AI

Compensation

$225 – $350,000/yr

Setup: Hybrid
Location: San Francisco, California
Type: Full-time
Level: Principal
Posted: Feb 8, 2026

Description

Retell AI is seeking a Principal/Staff Engineer to lead the technical direction of their core platform. The role involves designing and evolving systems architecture, leading complex technical initiatives, making strategic technical decisions, and raising the technical bar through mentorship and hands-on leadership. The ideal candidate will thrive in ambiguity, move fast, and contribute significantly to scaling existing systems and building new ones.

Required Skills

Systems Design
Distributed Systems
Voice AI
Real-Time Systems
APIs at Scale
Infra/Platform Work
Developer-Facing Products

Additional Information

Required Previous Experiences: 9+ years of experience building and operating production systems.
operated at Staff or Principal level (or equivalent scope)
Preferred Qualifications: strong in systems design and can reason clearly about tradeoffs.
move fast but care deeply about correctness, reliability, and maintainability.
comfortable owning ambiguous problems and defining the path forward.
built or scaled platforms used by real customers at meaningful volume.
enjoy being hands-on — writing code, reviewing designs, and unblocking teams.