# Principal Engineer at Terrific
> Posted: 2026-09-10 | Status: Active | Source: StoreJobs.dev

## Role Metadata
- **Employment Type:** Full-Time
- **Workplace:** Hybrid — Ramat Gan, Tel Aviv, Israel
- **Experience Level:** Senior / Director
- **Primary Platform:** #shopify
- **Salary Range:** Undisclosed
- **Required Stack:** shopify, Node.js, TypeScript, React, Angular, GCP, Firebase, Firestore, Cloud Functions, BigQuery, Pub/Sub, SQL, NoSQL, AI/ML, WooCommerce, Event-Driven Architecture, Distributed Systems, Real-time Systems, A/B Testing, Observability, Realtime Database

## Job Description
The Principal Engineer is our most senior individual contributor - a force-multiplier across the entire engineering organization. You'll own architecture and technical strategy for Terrific's platform end-to-end: real-time live video commerce, AI/ML-driven personalization, commerce integrations, data infrastructure, and everything in between.

You'll stay deeply hands-on — writing code, reviewing designs, and shipping critical systems — while also shaping how the team builds: standards, patterns, performance, and reliability. You'll partner closely with the R&D managers, Product manager, and Design on the hardest, highest-leverage problems.

What You'll Do
Technical Leadership
- Own the end-to-end architecture of the Terrific platform across backend, frontend, data, AI, and real-time systems.
- Drive engineering standards - code quality, testing, observability, security, and operational excellence - and raise the bar across the team.
- Mentor engineers; grow the technical depth of the organization.
- Design and implement new services and features end-to-end, from database to UI, with high performance and responsiveness.
- Build rapid prototype features A to Z.
- Tackle the highest-risk, highest-impact problems personally - live video reliability, real-time engagement, commerce integrations, and AI-powered experiences.
- Architect for global, 24/7 live operation — uptime, latency, cost, and graceful degradation during peak live events.
- Build for B2B2C scale: systems that serve enterprise customers (brands, retailers, broadcasters) and their consumer audiences across multiple regions and languages.
- Partner with Product and Data on experimentation infrastructure so every meaningful change can be A/B tested and measured.
- Partner with Product and Design from concept through launch, taking full ownership in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.
- Represent engineering with strategic customers and partners on deep technical topics; translate customer reality into architectural decisions.
- Make the whole team better - through design reviews, technical writing, mentorship, and hiring.

What We're Looking For
- 10+ years of hands-on software engineering experience, with a track record of leading at staff/principal level at high-scale products(!).
- Expert-level Node.js and TypeScript; strong frontend experience in React and/or Angular (both a significant plus).
- Deep experience designing and operating distributed, real-time systems in production, 24/7, under load.
- Strong data engineering instincts: SQL/NoSQL, event-driven architectures, and analytical stores (BigQuery or equivalent).
- Hands-on experience building or shipping AI/ML-powered features in production - personalization, recommendations, search, or generative AI.
- Experience on GCP (Firebase, Cloud Functions, Firestore, Realtime Database, Pub/Sub) is a strong advantage.
- Experience with commerce platforms such as Shopify or WooCommerce, and/or live video/streaming infrastructure, is a plus.
- Excellent judgment on trade-offs between scope, speed, performance, and UX; strong product intuition.
- Clear, calm communicator: writes well, pushes back thoughtfully, and makes the people around them more effective.

Required:
- Deep experience in at least one of Terrific's three commercial pillars — eCommerce, Marketing, or Media — and enough fluency across the other two to contribute credibly from day 1.
- Terrific operates as a global company, and English is our primary business language. As such, all roles require fluency in written and spoken English.

## How to Apply
To view the original listing, see applicant requirements, or apply directly, visit:
https://storejobs.dev/jobs/sf-2956-principal-engineer?utm_source=ai_assistant